FlashcardsChapter09

Question 1

Term

Answer 1

Description

Question 2

Accommodation

Answer 2

The process by which a new scheme is created or an existing scheme is drastically altered to include new information that otherwise would not fit into the scheme. (page 354)

Question 3

Assimilation

Answer 3

The process by which new information is placed into an existing scheme. (page 354)

Question 4

Attachment

Answer 4

A strong, intimate, emotional connection between people that persists over time and across circumstances. (page 347)

Question 5

Concrete operational stage

Answer 5

The third stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; during this stage, children begin to think about and understand logical operations, and they are no longer fooled by appearances. (page 355)

Question 6

Conventional level

Answer 6

Middle stage of moral development; at this level, strict adherence to societal rules and the approval of others determine what is moral. (page 362)

Question 7

Developmental psychology

Answer 7

The study of changes, over the life span, in physiology, cognition, emotion, and social behavior. (page 338)

Question 8

Dynamic systems theory

Answer 8

The view that development is a self-organizing process, in which new forms of behavior emerge through consistent interactions between a biological being and cultural and environmental contexts. (page 343)

Question 9

Formal operational stage

Answer 9

The final stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; in this stage, people can think abstractly, and they can formulate and test hypotheses through deductive logic. (page 356)

Question 10

Gender identity

Answer 10

One’s sense of being male or female. (page 366)

Question 11

Gender role

Answer 11

A behavior that is typically associated with being male or female. (page 366)

Question 12

Infantile amnesia

Answer 12

The inability to remember events from early childhood. (page 346)

Question 13

Insecure attachment

Answer 13

The attachment style for a minority of infants; the infant may exhibit insecure attachment through various behaviors, such as avoiding contact with the caregiver, or by alternating between approach and avoidance behaviors. (page 351)

Question 14

Object permanence

Answer 14

The understanding that an object continues to exist even when it cannot be seen. (page 354)

Question 15

Postconventional level

Answer 15

Highest stage of moral development; at this level, decisions about morality depend on abstract principles and the value of all life. (page 362)

Question 16

Preconventional level

Answer 16

Earliest level of moral development; at this level, self-interest and event outcomes determine what is moral. (page 362)

Question 17

Preoperational stage

Answer 17

The second stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; during this stage, children think symbolically about objects, but they reason based on intuition and superficial appearance rather than logic. (page 355)

Question 18

Puberty

Answer 18

The beginning of adolescence, marked by the onset of sexual maturity and thus the ability to reproduce. (page 363)

Question 19

Secure attachment

Answer 19

The attachment style for a majority of infants; the infant is confident enough to play in an unfamiliar environment as long as the caregiver is present and is readily comforted by the caregiver during times of distress. (page 350)

Question 20

Sensorimotor stage

Answer 20

The first stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; during this stage, infants acquire information about the world through their senses and motor skills. Reflexive responses develop into more deliberate actions through the development and refinement of schemes. (page 354)

Question 21

Social intuitionist model

Answer 21

The idea that moral judgments reflect people’s initial and automatic emotional responses. (page 362)

Question 22

Socioemotional selectivity theory

Answer 22

As people grow older, they view time as limited and therefore shift their focus to meaningful events, experiences, and goals. (page 376)

Question 23

Synaptic pruning

Answer 23

The synaptic connections in the brain that are used are preserved, whereas those that are not used decay and disappear. (page 339)

Question 24

Teratogens

Answer 24

Agents that harm the embryo or fetus. (page 340)

Question 25

Theory of mind

Answer 25

The ability to understand that other people have mental states that influence their behavior. (page 360)