Developing Through the Life Span

Question 1

embryo

Answer 1

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

Question 2

assimilation

Answer 2

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.

Question 2

preoperational stage

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

developmental psychology

Answer 3

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

Question 3

habituation

Answer 3

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 3

theory of mind

Answer 3

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

Question 4

conservation

Answer 4

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 5

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Answer 5

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

Question 6

menarche

Answer 6

the first menstrual period.

Question 6

sensorimotor stage

Answer 6

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 7

longitudinal study

Answer 7

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

Question 7

teratogens

Answer 7

(literally, “monster maker”) agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.

Question 9

autism

Answer 9

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

Question 10

accommodation

Answer 10

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

Question 11

fetus

Answer 11

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

Question 12

secondary sex characteristics

Answer 12

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

Question 13

cross-sectional study

Answer 13

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

Question 14

imprinting

Answer 14

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

Question 15

attachment

Answer 15

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

Question 16

intimacy

Answer 16

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

Question 17

concrete operational stage

Answer 17

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 17

critical period

Answer 17

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development.

Question 18

zygote

Answer 18

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

Question 20

cognition

Answer 20

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

Question 21

puberty

Answer 21

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

Question 22

object permanence

Answer 22

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

Question 23

primary sex characteristics

Answer 23

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

Question 25

adolescence

Answer 25

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

Question 26

stranger anxiety

Answer 26

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

Question 27

self-concept

Answer 27

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

Question 29

egocentrism

Answer 29

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

Question 30

social clock

Answer 30

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

Question 32

formal operational stage

Answer 32

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 33

identity

Answer 33

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 35

emerging adulthood

Answer 35

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 36

schema

Answer 36

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Question 37

basic trust

Answer 37

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 38

social identity

Answer 38

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

Question 39

menopause

Answer 39

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

Question 40

maturation

Answer 40

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