Developmental Psychology - Level 4

Question 1

accommodation

Answer 1

Modifying an existing schema to fit a new experience.

Question 2

achievement motivation

Answer 2

A person’s tendency to strive for successful performance, to evaluate her performance against standards of excellence, and to feel pleasure at having performed successfully.

Question 3

acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)

Answer 3

A viral disease that attacks the body’s immune systems; transmitted to a foetus or newborn in the form of the human immunodeficiency virus (HITS, this disorder weakens the child’s immune system and may ultimately cause its death.

Question 4

active genetic–environmental interaction

Answer 4

A kind of interaction in which people’s genes encourage them to seek out experiences compatible with their
inherited tendencies.

Question 5

activity theory

Answer 5

The theory that successful ageing involves maintaining interest in activities into late adulthood.

Question 6

adaptation

Answer 6

Adjusting one’s thinking to fit with environmental demands.

Question 7

aetiology

Answer 7

In medicine and psychiatry, the cause or causes of a specific disorder.

Question 8

age cohort

Answer 8

People born within the same generation.

Question 9

age of viability

Answer 9

The age of 22 to 26 weeks from conception, at which point the foetus’s physical systems are advanced enough that it has a chance to survive if born prematurely.

Question 10

aggression

Answer 10

Behaviour that intentionally harms other people by inflicting pain or injury on them.

Question 11

aggressive rejected children

Answer 11

Rejected children who have low self-control, are

highly aggressive and exhibit behaviour problems.

Question 12

allele

Answer 12

Alleles are alternative forms of a gene. An individual typically has two alleles – one from the mother and one from the father.

Question 13

altruism

Answer 13

An unselfish concern for the welfare of others.

Question 14

amniotic sac

Answer 14

A membrane that contains the developing organism and the amniotic fluid around it; sac and fluid protect the organism from physical shocks and temperature changes.

Question 15

androgynous

Answer 15

Possessing both feminine and masculine psychological characteristics.

Question 16

andropause

Answer 16

The ‘male menopause’, linked to a decline in the production of testosterone but with varying symptoms and not universally acknowledged to exist.

Question 17

animistic thinking

Answer 17

The attribution of life to inanimate objects.

Question 18

approach/avoidance behaviour

Answer 18

A pattern of interaction in which the infant or child shows an inconsistent pattern of approaching and retreating from a person or an object.

Question 19

assimilation

Answer 19

Applying an existing schema to a new experience.

Question 20

associative learning

Answer 20

According to Jensen, lower-level learning tapped in tests of such things as short-term memorization and recall, attention, rote learning, and simple associative skills. Also called level I learning.

Question 21

attachment

Answer 21

A strong emotional bond that forms between infant and caregiver in the second half of the child’s first year.

Question 22

Attachment Q Sort (AQS)

Answer 22

An assessment method in which a caregiver or observer
judges the quality of a child’s attachment based on the child’s behaviour in naturalistic situations, often including brief separations from parents.

Question 23

attention

Answer 23

The identification and selection of particular sensory input for more detailed processing.

Question 24

attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Answer 24

A childhood disorder characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and hyperactivity or impulsivity that far exceeds such behaviours observed in children at comparable levels of development.

Question 25

authoritarian parenting

Answer 25

Parenting that is harsh, unresponsive and rigid, and in which parents tend to use power-assertive methods of control.

Question 26

authoritative parenting

Answer 26

Parenting that is warm, responsive and involved yet unintrusive, and in which parents set reasonable limits and expect appropriately mature behaviour from their children.

Question 27

autistic disorder

Answer 27

A lifelong disorder in which children’s ability to communicate and interact socially is seriously impaired;
children with autism have specific language deficiencies, demonstrate a need for sameness in their environment, and often engage in repetitive and stereotyped kinds of behaviours.

Question 28

autobiographical memory

Answer 28

A collection of memories of things that have happened to a person at a specific time or place.

Question 29

automatization

Answer 29

The process of transforming conscious, controlled behaviours into unconscious and automatic ones.

Question 30

autosomes

Answer 30

The 22 paired non-sex chromosomes.

Question 31

average children

Answer 31

Children who have some friends but who are not as well liked as popular children.

Question 32

basic reflex activity

Answer 32

An infant’s exercise of, and growing proficiency in, the use of innate reflexes.