Developing Through the Life Span Flashcards
embryo
the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.
assimilation
interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.
preoperational stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from about 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.
developmental psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.
theory of mind
people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states-about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.
conservation
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.
fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions.
menarche
the first menstrual period.
sensorimotor stage
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.
longitudinal study
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period.
teratogens
(literally, “monster maker”) agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.
autism
a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others’ states of mind.
accommodation
adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.
fetus
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.
secondary sex characteristics
nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.
cross-sectional study
a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another.
imprinting
the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.
attachment
an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.
intimacy
in Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood.
concrete operational stage
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.
critical period
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development.
zygote
the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.
cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.
puberty
the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.
object permanence
the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.
primary sex characteristics
the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.
adolescence
the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.
stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.
self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”
egocentrism
in Piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view.
social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.
formal operational stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts.
identity
our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.
emerging adulthood
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.
schema
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.
basic trust
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.
social identity
the “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships.
menopause
the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.
maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.
