Developmental Psychology Flashcards
Brain
The organ in your head made up of nerves. It processes information and controls behaviour.
Forebrain
The anterior part of the brain, including the hemispheres and the central brain structures.
Midbrain
The middle section of the brain forming part of the central nervous system.
Hindbrain
The lower part of the brain that includes the cerebellum, pons and medulla oblongata.
Anterior
Directed towards the front (when used in relation to our biology).
Posterior
Directed towards the back (when used in relation to our biology).
Cerebellum
An area of the brain near to the brainstem that controls motor movements (muscle activity).
Medulla Oblongta
Connects the upper brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic responses. It controls involuntary responses such as sneezing and breathing, as well as heart rate and blood pressure.
Involuntary response
A response to a stimulus that occurs without someone making a conscious choice. They are automatic, such as reflexes.
Neural connections
Links formed by messages passing from one nerve cell (neuron) to another.
Seriation
sorting obejects into an order. Develops during concrete operational stage.
Conservation
The child knows that quantity, length or number are not related to shape e.g. juice test
Decentration
Ability to take on anothers viewpoint.
Symbolic Play
Children use other objects e.g. toys to represent other things. This develops at the pre-operationals stage.
Egocentric
Unable to see the world from another’s point of view.
Animism
Belief that objects can behave as if they were alive.
Reversibility
Understanding that action can return something to its original state. Develops in the concrete operational stage.
Morality
General principle about what is right and wrong,
Schemas
Mental representations of the world based on one’s own experiences
Sensorimotor stage
Infants use their senses and movements to get information about the world. at first they live in the present. They develop object permanence and learn to control their movements.
Preoperational stage
Children engage in symbolic play. They think in pictures and use symbols, including some words (the beginning of language development). Children are egocentric and show animism. Later in this stage they start reasoning and show centration and irreversibility.
Formal operational stage
Develops around 12 years old and is associated with the moral reasoning and deductive reasoning.
Concrete operational stage
develops age 7 to 12 and involves development of abilities to such conservation, reversibility, seriation and decentration.
Equilibrium
When a child’s schemas can explain all that they experience - a state of mental balance may have resulted from new accomodation.
