Exam 4 Flashcards
Developmental psychology
study of continuity and change across the lifespan
Zygote
fertilized egg
Prenatal development
germinal stage
embryonic stage
fetal stage
Germinal stage
2 week period that begins at conception
* cells are dividing
Embryonic stage
period that starts around the 2nd week after conception until 8th week
has arms, legs, beating heart
Fetal stage
lasts from the 9th week after conception until birth
has a skeleton and muscles, capable of movement
Teratogen
any substance that passes from mother to unborn child and imparts development
ex. lead in water
Fetal alcohol syndrom (FAS)
developmental disorder that stems from heavy alcohol use by the mother during pregnancy
Infancy
stage of development that begins at birth and lasts between 18-24 months
Motor development
emergence of ability to execute physical actions
ex. reaching, grasping, crawling
Two general rules of behaviors
cephalocaudal rule
proximodistal rule
Cephalocaudal rule
top to bottom
tendency for motor skills to emerge in sequence from the head to the feet
infants gain control of head first
Proximodistal rule
inside to outside
tendency for motor skills to emerge in sequence from the center to the periphery
infants learn to control their trunks before their elbows and knees
Cognitive development
infants and children gain the ability to think and understand four stages sensorimotor stage preoperational stage concrete operational stage formal operational stage
Sensorimotor stage
begins at birth and lasts through infancy
infants are using their ability to sense and move to learn about the world
learning to control bodies and senses
Schemas
theories about the way the world works
infants do this by exploring the world with their eyes, mouths, and fingers
Assimilation
happens when infants apply their schemas to novel situations
Accommodation
infants revise their schemas in light of new information
Object permanence
fact that objects exist even when they are not visible
Childhood
period that begins at about 18 months to 24 months and lasts until about 11 or 14 years
* children enter childhood at the preoperational stage * exit childhood at concrete operational stage
Preoperational stage
stage of cognitive development 2-6 years old
children develop a preliminary understanding of the physical world
learning about basic things
Conservation
notion that quantitative properties of an object are invariant despite changes in the object’s appearance
Formal operational stage
final stage of cognitive development that begins around the age of 11
children learn to reason about abstract concepts
learn abstract thinking
Egocentrism
failure to understand that the world appears different to different people
preoperational stage
Theory of the mind
understanding the mind produces representations of the world and that these representations guide behavior
Human children have 3 things that allow them to learn from others
joint attention
imitation
social referencing
Joint attention
ability to focus on what another person is focused on
* I see what you see
Imitation
tendency to do what an adult does, or means to do
* I do what you do
Social referencing
ability to use another person’s reactions as information about how we should think
* I think what you think
Attachment
emotional bond with a primary caregiver
* secure attachment * avoidant attachment * ambivalent attachment * disorganized attachment * attachment style shapes who the child will become
Temperate
characteristic pattern of emotional reactivity
* determines what the child’s attachment style is
Internal working model of relationships
set of beliefs about the self, primary caregiver, and the relationship between them
* developed by infants and all interactions with caregiver
Children’s moral thinking tends to shift from
- realism to relativism
- prescriptions to principles
- outcomes to intentions
Moral reasoning develops in 3 stages
preconventional stage
conventional stage
post conventional stage
Preconventional stage
morality of an action is determined by its consequences for the actor
“I only do what is right for me”
Conventional stage
morality of an action is determined by the extent to which it conforms to social rules
“black and white”
Postconventional stage
morality of an action is determined by a set of general principles that reflect core values
“do whatever is right, whatever it is”
Adolescents
period of development that begins with the onset of sexual maturity (11-14) and lasts until the beginning of adulthood (18-21)
Puberty
onset of bodily changes associated with sexual maturity
primary sex characteristics
secondary sex characteristics
Primary sex characteristics
body structures directly involved in reproduction
Secondary sex characteristics
body structures that change with sexual maturity but are not directly involved in reproduction
Adulthood
stage of development 18-21 years and ends at death
Personality
an individual’s characteristic style of behaving, thinking, and feelings
Four main approaches to understanding personality
- trait-biological
- psychodynamic
- humanistic-existential
- social-cognitive
Self report
when people provide subjective information about their own thoughts, feelings, or behaviors, typically via questionnaire or interview
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
well researched clinical questionnaire that is used to asses personality and psychological problems
Projective tests
tests designed to reveal inner aspects of individuals’ personalities by analysis of they responses to a standard series of ambiguous stimuli
Rorschach Inkblot Test
projective technique where respondents’ inner thoughts and feelings are believed to be revealed by analysis of their responses to a set of unstructured inkblots
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
projective technique where respondents’ underlying motives, concerns, and the way they see the social world are believed to be revealed through analysis of the stories they make up about ambiguous pictures of people
Trait
relatively stable disposition to behave in a particular and consistent way
Big Five - traits of the five-factor personality model
openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism
personalities remain fairly stable through their lifetime
Psychodynamic approach
an approach that regards personality as formed by needs, strivings, and desires largely operating outside of awareness - motives that can produce emotional disorders
Structure of the mind
id
superego
ego
Id
part of the mind containing the drives present at birth; it is the source of our bodily needs, wants, desires, and impulses, particularly sexual and aggressive drives
Superego
the mental system that reflects the internalization of cultural rules, mainly learned as parents exercise their authority
Ego
the component of personality, developed through contact with the external world, that enables us to deal with life’s practical demands
regulating mechanism between id and superego
Defense mechanisms
unconscious coping mechanisms that reduce anxiety generated by threats from unacceptable impulses
Psychosexual stages
distinct early life stages through which personality is formed as children experience sexual pleasures from specific body areas and caregivers redirect or interfere with those pleasures oral anal phallic latency genital
Oedipus conflict
developmental experience where a child’s conflicting feelings toward the opposite sex parent are usually resolved by identifying with the same sex parent
Fixation
can result from disruption of a sexual stage, a phenomenon where a person’s pleasure seeking drives become psychologically stuck at a particular psychosexual stage
Humanistic-existential approach
emphasized a positive, optimistic view of human nature, highlights people’s good
Self-actualizing tendency
the human motive toward realizing our inner potential
major factor in personality
the need to be good, to be fully alive, and to find meaning in life
Existential approach
school of thought that regards personality as governed by an individual’s death
Social cognitive approach
views personality in terms of how the person thinks about the situations encountered in daily life and behaves in response to them
Person-situation controversy
question of whether behavior is caused more by personality or by situational factors
Personal constructs
dimensions people use in making sense of their experiences
Outcome expectancies
a person’s assumptions about the likely consequences of a future behavior
Locus of control
tendency to perceive the control of rewards as internal to the self or external in the environment
Self-concept
person’s explicit knowledge of his or her own behaviors, traits, and other personal characteristics
Self-verification
tendency to seek evidence to confirm the self-concept
Self-esteem
the extent to which an individual likes, values, and accepts the self
Self-serving bias
people tend to take credit for their successes but downplay responsibility of their failures
Narcissism
grandiose view of the self combined with a tendency to seek admiration from and exploit others
Desire for self esteem
three key theories
social status
belonging
security
People who share genes are
more likely to have similar personalities
Difference in personality between genders can be due
sex hormones that start during puberty
Extraverts pursue stimulation because their
reticular formation (part of the brain that regulates arousal or alertness) is not easily stimulated
Freud believes the relative strength of interactions among the three systems of mind determines
an individual’s basic personality structure
Mylenation
formation of a fatty sheath around the axons of a neuron
Rooting reflex
infants will move their mouths towards any object that touches their cheek
Sucking reflex
infants will suck anything that enters their mouth
Concrete operational stage
stage of cognitive development, begins at about 6 years and ends at 11
child learns how actions can transform the concrete objects of the physical world
learn conservation
Preoperational children can’t grasp the notion of
conservation
Children learn to solve physical problems at which stage?
concrete operational stage
Children learn to solve nonphysical problems at which stage?
formal operational stage
Primary caregiver
infant targets at about 6 months
whoever responds fastest to baby
Socioemotional selectivity theory
younger adults are oriented towards the future and older adults are focused on the present
Defense mechanisms
repression displacement regression rationalization reaction formation projection identification sublimation (people are unaware that they are doing these things)
Repression
repressing/burying bad experiences/memories
Rationalization
making your thought process seem reasonable
ex. dropping calculus because of a bad teacher
Reaction formation
being rude to someone you like
ex. boys teasing girls because they have a crush on them
Projection
assigning your qualities to someone else
ex. saying someone is dishonest because you believe you are dishonest
Regression
reverting to an immature or earlier stage of development
ex. talking like a baby
Displacement
using things to get your anger out
ex. slamming a door, yelling at someone you’re not angry at
Identification
dealing with feelings by unconsciously taking on the characteristics of someone who is more powerful
ex. someone who is bullied becomes a bully
Sublimation
using a sport to get your anger out, a way that is socially acceptable
