Psychology unit 2 Flashcards
abstract thinking (Piaget’s theory)
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
accommodation (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, changing a pre-existing mental idea to fit new information
adaptation (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, taking in, processing, organising and using new information in ways to adjust to change
animism (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, the belief that everything which exists has some kind of consciousness
assimilation (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, taking in new information and fitting it into a pre-existing mental idea
attachment
the emotional bond which forms between an infant and another person
biological factor
in the biopsychosocial model, a physiologically based or determined influence, often not under our control, such as the genes we inherit
biopsychosocial model
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
centration (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, the cognitive ability to focus on only one quality or feature of an object or event at a time
classification (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, the ability to organise objects or events into categories based on common features that set them apart from other categories
cognitive development
developmental changes in mental abilities
concrete operational stage
Piaget’s stage of development when mental operations can only be applied to ‘concrete’ objects or events that are immediately present
conservation (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, understanding that certain properties of an object can remain the same even when its appearance changes
critical period
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
development
psychological or physical change in an organism that occurs over time
developmental norm
a data set showing the typical skills and expected levels of achievement associated with a particular age or stage of development
disorganised attachment
a type of insecure attachment characterised by inconsistent or odd and contradictory behaviours by an infant when separated from or reunited with a caregiver
egocentrism (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, the tendency to perceive the world solely from one’s own point of view
emotion
a complex reaction pattern to a personally significant event or matter that involves a mixture of physiological responses, subjective feelings and expressive behaviour
emotional development
developmental changes in how an individual experiences different feelings and how these feelings are expressed, interpreted and dealt with
environment
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
expressive behaviour
in relation to emotion, an overt expression of behaviour which communicates an emotion
formal operational stage
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
goal-directed behaviour (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, to perform and successfully complete a sequence of actions with a particular purpose in mind
heredity transmission
of characteristics from biological parents to their offspring via genes at the time of conception; also referred to as nature
idealistic thinking (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, comparing oneself and others to a perfect standard and striving towards being like that ideal
imprinting
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
insecure avoidant attachment
a 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
insecure resistant attachment
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
life span
development the changes in an organism that occur from birth through to and including old age
mistrust
to be suspicious of or have no confidence in something or someone
nature
hereditary factors that may impact on development
nurture
environmental factors that may impact on development
object permanence (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, understanding that an object still exists even if it cannot be seen, heard or touched
physiological response
in relation to an emotion, bodily change that occurs during its experience
pre-operational stage
the second stage in Piaget’s theory (2–7 years) when children become increasingly able to mentally represent objects and experiences
psychological factor
in the biopsychosocial model, an internal, mental process and influence such as the effects of our prior experiences, memories and ways of thinking
psychosocial crisis (Erikson’s theory)
in Erikson’s theory, a personal conflict an individual faces in adjusting to society
psychosocial development (Erikson’s theory)
in Erikson’s theory, change involving both psychological processes taking place within the individual (‘psycho’) and their experiences with other people (‘social’)
reversibility (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, the ability to mentally follow a sequence of events or line of reasoning back to its starting point
role confusion (Erikson’s theory)
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
schema (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, a mental idea of what something is and how to act on it
secure attachment
a type of attachment proposed by Ainsworth where there is a positive relationship and the infant feels safe and secure
sensitive period
a period of time during development when an individual is more responsive to certain types of environmental experiences or learning; compare with critical period
sensorimotor stage
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
separation anxiety
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
social behaviour
any action that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by the actual, imagined, expected, or implied presence of others
social development
developmental changes in an individual’s relationships with other people and their skills in interacting with others
social factor
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
stranger anxiety
the distress and uneasiness experienced by young children when they are around people who are unfamiliar to them
Strange Situation
a test to measure the attachment relationships a child has with their parent
subjective feeling
in relation to an emotion, its inner personal experience by an individual
symbolic thinking (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, the ability to use symbols such as words and pictures to represent objects that are not physically present
transformation (Piaget’s theory)
in Piaget’s theory, understanding that something can change from one state to another
