Chapter 9 Vocab

Question 1

developmental psychology

Answer 1

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

Question 2

zygote

Answer 2

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.

Question 3

embryo

Answer 3

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.

Question 4

fetus

Answer 4

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.

Question 5

teratogens

Answer 5

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.

Question 6

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Answer 6

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions.

Question 7

habituation

Answer 7

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

Question 8

maturation

Answer 8

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.

Question 9

cognition

Answer 9

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Question 10

schema

Answer 10

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Question 11

assimilation

Answer 11

interpreting our new experience in terms of our existing schemas.

Question 12

accommodation

Answer 12

adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.

Question 13

sensorimotor stage

Answer 13

in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities.

Question 14

object permanence

Answer 14

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.

Question 15

preoperational stage

Answer 15

in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from 2 to about 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic.

Question 16

conservation

Answer 16

the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects.

Question 17

egocentrism

Answer 17

in Piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view.

Question 18

theory of mind

Answer 18

people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.

Question 19

concrete operational stage

Answer 19

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events.

Question 20

formal operational stage

Answer 20

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts.

Question 21

autism

Answer 21

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others’ states of mind.

Question 22

stranger anxiety

Answer 22

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.

Question 23

attachment

Answer 23

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.

Question 24

critical period

Answer 24

an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development.

Question 25

imprinting

Answer 25

the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.

Question 26

temperament

Answer 26

a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

Question 27

basic trust

Answer 27

according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers.

Question 28

self-concept

Answer 28

our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

Question 29

gender

Answer 29

in psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people definemale and female.

Question 30

aggression

Answer 30

physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone.

Question 31

x chromosome

Answer 31

the sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two X chromosomes; males have one. An X chromosome from each parent produces a female child.

Question 32

y chromosome

Answer 32

the sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child.

Question 33

testosterone

Answer 33

the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.

Question 34

role

Answer 34

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Question 35

gender role

Answer 35

a set of expected behaviors for males or for females.

Question 36

gender identity

Answer 36

our sense of being male or female.

Question 37

gender typing

Answer 37

the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.

Question 38

social learning theory

Answer 38

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.

Question 39

adolescence

Answer 39

the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.

Question 40

puberty

Answer 40

the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.

Question 41

primary sex characteristics

Answer 41

the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.

Question 42

secondary sex characteristics

Answer 42

nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.

Question 43

menarche

Answer 43

the first menstrual period.

Question 44

identity

Answer 44

our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.

Question 45

social identity

Answer 45

the “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships.

Question 46

intimacy

Answer 46

in Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood.

Question 47

emerging adulthood

Answer 47

for some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood.

Question 48

menopause

Answer 48

the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.

Question 49

cross sectional study

Answer 49

a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another.

Question 50

longitudinal study

Answer 50

research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period.

Question 51

crystallized intelligence

Answer 51

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.

Question 52

fluid intelligence

Answer 52

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.

Question 53

social clock

Answer 53

the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.

Question 54

# reversed a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

Answer 54

developmental psychology

Question 55

# reversed the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.

Answer 55

zygote

Question 56

# reversed the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.

Answer 56

embryo

Question 57

# reversed the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.

Answer 57

fetus

Question 58

# reversed agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.

Answer 58

teratogens

Question 59

# reversed physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions.

Answer 59

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Question 60

# reversed decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

Answer 60

habituation

Question 61

# reversed biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.

Answer 61

maturation

Question 62

# reversed all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Answer 62

cognition

Question 63

# reversed a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Answer 63

schema

Question 64

# reversed interpreting our new experience in terms of our existing schemas.

Answer 64

assimilation

Question 65

# reversed adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.

Answer 65

accommodation

Question 66

# reversed in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities.

Answer 66

sensorimotor stage

Question 67

# reversed the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.

Answer 67

object permanence

Question 68

# reversed in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from 2 to about 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic.

Answer 68

preoperational stage

Question 69

# reversed the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects.

Answer 69

conservation

Question 70

# reversed in Piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view.

Answer 70

egocentrism

Question 71

# reversed people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.

Answer 71

theory of mind

Question 72

# reversed in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events.

Answer 72

concrete operational stage

Question 73

# reversed in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts.

Answer 73

formal operational stage

Question 74

# reversed a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others’ states of mind.

Answer 74

autism

Question 75

# reversed the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.

Answer 75

stranger anxiety

Question 76

# reversed an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.

Answer 76

attachment

Question 77

# reversed an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development.

Answer 77

critical period

Question 78

# reversed the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.

Answer 78

imprinting

Question 79

# reversed a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

Answer 79

temperament

Question 80

# reversed according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers.

Answer 80

basic trust

Question 81

# reversed our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

Answer 81

self-concept

Question 82

# reversed in psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people definemale and female.

Answer 82

gender

Question 83

# reversed physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone.

Answer 83

aggression

Question 84

# reversed the sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two X chromosomes; males have one. An X chromosome from each parent produces a female child.

Answer 84

x chromosome

Question 85

# reversed the sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child.

Answer 85

y chromosome

Question 86

# reversed the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.

Answer 86

testosterone

Question 87

# reversed a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Answer 87

role

Question 88

# reversed a set of expected behaviors for males or for females.

Answer 88

gender role

Question 89

# reversed our sense of being male or female.

Answer 89

gender identity

Question 90

# reversed the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.

Answer 90

gender typing

Question 91

# reversed the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.

Answer 91

social learning theory

Question 92

# reversed the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.

Answer 92

adolescence

Question 93

# reversed the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.

Answer 93

puberty

Question 94

# reversed the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.

Answer 94

primary sex characteristics

Question 95

# reversed nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.

Answer 95

secondary sex characteristics

Question 96

# reversed the first menstrual period.

Answer 96

menarche

Question 97

# reversed our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.

Answer 97

identity

Question 98

# reversed the “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships.

Answer 98

social identity

Question 99

# reversed in Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood.

Answer 99

intimacy

Question 100

# reversed for some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood.

Answer 100

emerging adulthood

Question 101

# reversed the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.

Answer 101

menopause

Question 102

# reversed a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another.

Answer 102

cross sectional study

Question 103

# reversed research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period.

Answer 103

longitudinal study

Question 104

# reversed our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.

Answer 104

crystallized intelligence

Question 105

# reversed our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.

Answer 105

fluid intelligence

Question 106

# reversed the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.

Answer 106

social clock