Developmental Psychology Flashcards
zygote
a fertilized egg
developmental psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive and social change throughout the life span
embryo
the zygote’s inner cells, usually develops over the first six weeks of pregnancy
fetus
what the embryo turns into, happens in the first nine weeks
teratogens
agents (chemicals or viruses) that reach the fetus during development and cause harm
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation
fetal alcohol syndrome
when the mother persistently drinks while the baby is in the womb, causes the child to have lifelong physical and mental abnormalities
maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
schema
concepts or mental molds into which we pour our experiences
assimilation
adding a new example into their existing schema
accommodation
altering an existing schema as a result of new information or new experiences
sensorimotor stage
infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities. they lack object permanence. from birth to around 2
object permanence
the awareness that objects continue to exist even when not perceived
preoperational stage
a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic. from 2 to 6
conservation
the principle that properties such as mass, volume and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects
egocentrism
pre-operational children often have difficulty taking another’s point of view
theory of the mind
people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states - about their feelings, perceptions and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict
concrete operational stage
children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about events (math, sorting). from about 7 to 11
formal operational stage
people begin to think logically about abstract concepts. reasoning expands from the purely concrete to encompass abstract thinking. beginning around age 12
scaffold
a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking
austism spectrum disorder (ASD)
a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interest and repetitive behaviors
stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display beginning by about 8 months
attachment
an emotional tie with another person: shown in young children by their seeking closeness to their caregiver and showing distress on separation
critical period
an optimal period when certain events must take place to facilitate proper development
imprinting
the process by which certain animals form attachments early in life, usually during a limited critical period.
strange situation
Mary Ainsworth conducted the “strange situation” experiment, in which young babies were briefly separated from their mothers in an unfamiliar laboratory environment.
secure attachment
show only temporary distress when the caregiver leaves, and find comfort in the caregiver’s return. feel protected by their caregivers, and they know that they can depend on them to return
insecure attachment
infants display either a clinging, anxious attachment or an avoidant attachment that resists closeness
temperament
a person’s innate, inborn characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
basic trust
a sense that the world is predictable and reliable