Developmental Psychology

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

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

Question 6

fetal alcohol syndrome

Answer 6

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, signs include a small, out-of-proportion head and abnormal facial features

Question 7

habituation

Answer 7

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a 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 experiences in terms of our existing schemas.

Question 12

accomodation

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 nearly 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 about 2 to 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 that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects.

Question 17

EGOCENTRISM

Answer 17

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 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 normalling beginning about age 12 during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts.

Question 21

scaffold

Answer 21

a framework that offers children temporary support as the develop higher levels of thinking.

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 their caregiver and showing distress on separation.

Question 24

critical period

Answer 24

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

Question 25

imprinting

Answer 25

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life.

Question 26

strange situation

Answer 26

a procedure for studying child-caregiver attachment; a child is placed in an unfamiliar environment while their caregiver leaves and then returns, an the child’s reactions are observed.

Question 27

secure attachment

Answer 27

demonstrated by infants who comfortably explore environments in the presence of their caregiver, shown only temporary distress when the caregiver leaves, ad find comfort in the caregiver’s return.

Question 28

insecure attachment

Answer 28

demonstrated by infants who display either a clinging, anxious attachment or an avoidant attachment that resists closeness.

Question 29

temperament

Answer 29

a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Question 30

basic trust

Answer 30

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

Question 31

self-concept

Answer 31

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

Question 32

Parenting styles: authoritarian

Answer 32

Impose rules and expect obedience

Question 33

Parenting styles: Permissive

Answer 33

Make few demands, set few limits, and use little punishment.

Question 34

Parenting styles: Negligent

Answer 34

careless, inattentive, and do not seek to have a close relationship with their children.

Question 35

Parenting styles: Authoritative

Answer 35

Are both demanding and responsive- encourage open discussion and allow exceptions.

Question 36

sex

Answer 36

in psychology, the biologically influenced characteristics by which people define male and female

Question 37

gender

Answer 37

in psychology, the socially influenced characteristics by which people define boy, girl, man, and woman.

Question 38

role

Answer 38

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

Question 39

gender role

Answer 39

a set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and traits for males or for females

Question 40

gender identity

Answer 40

our sense of being male, female, or some combination of the two

Question 41

social learning theory

Answer 41

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

Question 42

gender typing

Answer 42

the acquisition of the traditional masculine or feminine role

Question 43

androgyny

Answer 43

displaying both traditional masculine and feminine psychological characteristics

Question 44

transgender

Answer 44

an umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth designated sex.

Question 45

adolescence

Answer 45

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

Question 46

puberty

Answer 46

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

Question 47

identity

Answer 47

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 48

social identity

Answer 48

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

Question 49

emerging adulthood

Answer 49

a period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults.

Question 50

X chromosome

Answer 50

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

Question 51

Y chromosome

Answer 51

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

Question 52

testosterone

Answer 52

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

Question 53

primary sex characteristics

Answer 53

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

Question 54

secondary sex characteristics

Answer 54

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

Question 55

spermarche

Answer 55

the first ejaculation

Question 56

menarche

Answer 56

the first menstrual period

Question 57

intersex

Answer 57

a condition present at birth due to unusual combinations of male and female chromosomes, hormone, and anatomy; possessing biological sexual characteristics of both sexes.

Question 58

sexual orientation

Answer 58

enduring sexual attraction, usually toward members of our own sex (homosexual orientation) or the other sex (heterosexual orientation); variations include attraction toward both sexes (bisexual orientation).

Question 59

menopause

Answer 59

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

Question 60

cross-sectional study

Answer 60

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time.

Question 61

longitudinal study

Answer 61

research that follows and retests the same people over time.

Question 62

alzheimer’s disease

Answer 62

a neurocognitive disorder marked by neural plaques, often with the onset after age 80, and entailing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities.