Chapter Three Flashcards
Human Development
Developmental Psychology
Examines our physical, cognitive, and social development across the lifespan
Cross-Sectional Study
Comparing people of different ages
Longitudinal Studies
Following people across time
Enviornment
Every external influence, from prenatal nutrition to social support later in life
Epigenetics
Study of the molecular ways by which enviornments can influence gene expression (without a DNA change)
Zygote
Fertilized egg that enters a two-week period of rapid cell divsion and develops into an embryo
Teratogen
An agent, such as a chemical or virus, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Physical and mental function deficits in children cause by their birth mother’s heavy drinking
Critical Period
Period early in life when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences is needed for proper development
Cognition
All mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
What developmental study did Lawerence Kohlberg heavily contribute to
Moral development
Preconventional Morality (Lawerence Kohlberg)
Self interest; obey rules to avoid punishment or gain concrete rewards
Conventional Morality (Lawerence Kohlberg)
Uphold laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order
Postconventional Morality (Lawerence Kohlberg)
Actions reflect belief in basic rights and self defined ethical principles
What developmental study did Eric Erikson heavily contribute to
Psychosocial development
Basic Trust (Eric Erikson)
A sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy
Autonomy (Eric Erikson)
Toddlers learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves
Initiative (Eric Erikson)
Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans
Competence (Eric Erikson)
Children learn the pleasure of applying themselves to tasks
Identity (Eric Erikson)
One’s sense of self
Social Identity (Eric Erikson)
“We” aspect of one’s self concept
Intimacy (Eric Erikson)
The ability to form emotionally close relationships
Generativity (Eric Erikson)
Middle-aged people discover a sense of contributing to the world
What developmental study did Jean Piaget heavily contribute to
Cognitive Development
Four Major Stages (Jean Piaget)
Sensormotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational
Sensorimotor Stage (Jean Piaget)
Babies take in the world through their senses and actions - through looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping
Object Permance (Sensormotor Stage(Jean Piaget))
Awareness that things continue to exist, even when not perceived
Preoperational Stage (Jean Piaget)
Able to represent things with words and images, but too young to perform mental operation
Egocentrism (Preoperational Stage(Jean Piaget))
A child’s difficulty in taking another’s point of view
Concrete Operational Stage (Jean Piaget)
Given concrete (physical) materials, children begin to grasp more complex concepts, such as spatial and mathematical relationships
Conservation (Jean Piaget)
Properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in shape
Formal Operational Stage (Jean Piaget)
Reasoning expands to include abstract thinking, not just concrete reasoning based on actual experiences
Schema (Jean Piaget)
Concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
Assimilation (Jean Piaget)
Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas
Accommodation (Jean Piaget)
Adapting current schemas to incorporate new information
Tempermant
Emotional excitability
Stranger Anxiety
Fear of strangers that infants commonly display
Attachment
Emotional tie with another person
Anxious Attachment
In which people constantly crave acceptance but remain alert to signs of possible rejection
Avoident Attachment
In which people experience discomfort getting close to others and tend to keep their distance
Authoritarian
Coercive, set rules and expect obedience
Permissive
Unrestraining making few demands and using little punishment
Neglectful
Uninvolved, neither demanding nor responsive. Careless, inattenive, and do not seek a close relationship with their children
Authoritative
Confrontive, both demanding and responsive. Exert control by setting rules, encourage open disscussion and allow exceptions
Puberty
Period of sexual maturation
Emerging Adulthood
Period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties
No longer adolescents, but have not yet achieved full independence as adults
May involve living with and still being emotionally dependent on parents
Menopause
The end of menostration
Social Clock
Culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
