Psychology key terms Ch.2

Question 1

abstract thinking

Answer 1

in Piaget’s theory, a way of thinking that does not rely on being able to see, visualise, experience or manipulate in order to understand something

Question 2

accommodation

Answer 2

in Piaget’s theory, changing a pre-existing mental idea to fit new information

Question 3

adaptation

Answer 3

in Piaget’s theory, taking in, processing, organizing and using new information in ways to adjust to change

Question 4

animism

Answer 4

in Piaget’s theory, the belief that everything which exists has some kind of consciousness

Question 5

assimilation

Answer 5

in Piaget’s theory, taking in new information and fitting it into a pre-existing mental idea

Question 6

attachment

Answer 6

the emotional bond which forms between an infant and another person

Question 7

biological factor

Answer 7

in the biopsychosocial model, a physiologically based or determined influence, often not under our control, such as the genes we inherit

Question 8

biopsychosocial model

Answer 8

an approach to describing and explaining how biological, psychological and social factors combine and interact to influence an individual’s behaviour and mental processes, including mental wellbeing, sometimes called the biopsychosocial approach or theory

Question 9

centration

Answer 9

in Piaget’s theory, the cognitive ability to focus on only one quality or feature of an object or event at a time

Question 10

classification

Answer 10

in Piaget’s theory, the ability to organise objects or events into categories based on common features that set them apart from other categories

Question 11

cognitive development

Answer 11

developmental changes in mental abilities

Question 12

concrete operational stage

Answer 12

Piaget’s stage of development when mental operations can only be applied to ‘concrete’ objects or events that are immediately present

Question 13

conservation

Answer 13

in Piaget’s theory, understanding that certain properties of an object can remain the same even when its appearance changes

Question 14

critical period

Answer 14

a specific period during development when an organism is most vulnerable to the deprivation or absence of certain environmental stimuli or experiences; compare with sensitive period

Question 15

development

Answer 15

psychological or physical change in an organism that occurs over time

Question 16

developmental norm

Answer 16

a data set showing the typical skills and expected levels of achievement associated with a particular age or stage of development

Question 17

disorganised attachment

Answer 17

a type of insecure attachment characterised by inconsistent or odd and contradictory behaviours by an infant when separated from or reunited with a caregiver

Question 18

egocentrism

Answer 18

in Piaget’s theory, the tendency to perceive the world solely from one’s own point of view

Question 19

emotion

Answer 19

a complex reaction pattern to a personally significant event or matter that involves a mixture of physiological responses, subjective feelings and expressive behaviour

Question 20

emotional development

Answer 20

developmental changes in how an individual experiences different feelings and how these feelings are expressed, interpreted and dealt with

Question 21

environment

Answer 21

generally, the physical context or situation in which an event occurs; in relation to the nature–nurture debate, all the experiences, objects and events to which we are exposed throughout our entire lifetime; also referred to as nurture

Question 22

expressive behaviour

Answer 22

in relation to emotion, an overt expression of behaviour which communicates an emotion

Question 23

formal operational stage

Answer 23

the final stage of Piaget’s cognitive development that typically occurs from 12 years of age when more complex thought processes are evident and their thinking becomes increasingly sophisticated through the combined effects of brain maturation and life experience

Question 24

goal-directed behaviour

Answer 24

in Piaget’s theory, to perform and successfully complete a sequence of actions with a particular purpose in mind

Question 25

heredity

Answer 25

transmission of characteristics from biological parents to their offspring via genes at the time of conception; also referred to as nature

Question 26

idealistic thinking

Answer 26

in Piaget’s theory, comparing oneself and others to a perfect standard and striving towards being like that ideal

Question 27

imprinting

Answer 27

a simple type of learning in which a very young animal fixes its attention on or attaches to the first object with which it has visual, auditory or tactile experience and thereafter follows that object and seems to form an attachment to that object

Question 28

insecure avoidant attachment

Answer 28

type of attachment proposed by Ainsworth where there is a negative relationship and the infant does not seek closeness or contact with the caregiver and treats them much like a stranger

Question 29

insecure resistant attachment

Answer 29

a type of attachment proposed by Ainsworth where there is a negative relationship and the infant constantly checks the caregiver’s whereabouts, calling, pleading, tries to re-establish contact, clings, then resists contact

Question 30

life span development

Answer 30

the changes in an organism that occur from birth through to and including old age

Question 31

mistrust

Answer 31

to be suspicious of or have no confidence in something or someone

Question 32

nature

Answer 32

hereditary factors that may impact on development

Question 33

nurture

Answer 33

environmental factors that may impact on development

Question 34

object permanence

Answer 34

in Piaget’s theory, understanding that an object still exists even if it cannot be seen, heard or touched

Question 35

physiological response

Answer 35

in relation to an emotion, bodily change that occurs during its experience

Question 36

pre-operational stage

Answer 36

the second stage in Piaget’s theory (2–7 years) when children become increasingly able to mentally represent objects and experiences

Question 37

psychological factor

Answer 37

in the biopsychosocial model, an internal, mental process and influence such as the effects of our prior experiences, memories and ways of thinking

Question 38

psychosocial crisis

Answer 38

in Erikson’s theory, a personal conflict an individual faces in adjusting to society

Question 39

psychosocial development

Answer 39

in Erikson’s theory, change involving both psychological processes taking place within the individual (‘psycho’) and their experiences with other people (‘social’)

Question 40

reversibility

Answer 40

In Piaget’s theory, the ability to mentally follow a sequence of events or line of reasoning back to its starting point

Question 41

role confusion

Answer 41

in Erikson’s theory, an individual’s sense of not knowing who they are, where they belong, to whom they belong or where they are headed in life

Question 42

schema

Answer 42

in Piaget’s theory, a mental idea of what something is and how to act on it

Question 43

secure attachment

Answer 43

a type of attachment proposed by Ainsworth where there is a positive relationship and the infant feels safe and secure

Question 44

sensitive period

Answer 44

a period of time during development when an individual is more responsive to certain types of environmental experiences or learning; compare with critical period

Question 45

sensorimotor stage

Answer 45

the first stage in Piaget’s theory (0–2 years), when infants explore and learn about the world primarily through their senses and motor activities

Question 46

separation anxiety

Answer 46

the distress and uneasiness experienced by a child when away (or facing the prospect of being away) from the person or people to whom they are attached

Question 47

social behaviour

Answer 47

any action that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by the actual, imagined, expected, or implied presence of others

Question 48

social development

Answer 48

developmental changes in an individual’s relationships with other people and their skills in interacting with others

Question 49

social factor

Answer 49

in the biopsychosocial model, an influence from the external social environment in which we interact with others, such as the range and quality of our interpersonal relationships with family, and our cultural background

Question 50

stranger anxiety

Answer 50

the distress and uneasiness experienced by young children when they are around people who are unfamiliar to them

Question 51

Strange Situation

Answer 51

a test to measure the attachment relationships a child has with their parent

Question 52

subjective feeling

Answer 52

in relation to an emotion, its inner personal experience by an individual

Question 53

symbolic thinking

Answer 53

In Piaget’s theory, the ability to use symbols such as words and pictures to represent objects that are not physically present

Question 54

transformation

Answer 54

in Piaget’s theory, understanding that something can change from one state to another