Unit 3: Development and Learning

Question 1

lifespan development

Answer 1

the study of psychological and behavioral change across and within individuals from birth through death using a lifespan perspective. Such an approach assumes that human developmental processes are complex, interactive, and fully understood only in the context of influencing events

Question 2

stability

Answer 2

the degree to which a person maintains the same rank order with respect to a particular characteristic (e.g., intelligence test performance) over time in comparison with peers

Question 3

nature-nurture issue

Answer 3

the longstanding controversy over the relative contributions that genes and experience make to the development of psychological traits and behaviors. Today’s science views traits and behaviors as arising from the interaction of nature and nurture.

Question 4

teratogens

Answer 4

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

Question 5

fine motor coordination

Answer 5

describing activities or skills that require coordination of small muscles to control small, precise movements, particularly in the hands and face

Question 6

gross motor coordination

Answer 6

describing activities or skills that use large muscles to move the trunk or limbs and control posture to maintain balance. Examples of gross motor skills include waving an arm, walking, hopping, and running

Question 7

maturation

Answer 7

biological growth processes that enable orderly change in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience

Question 8

reflexes

Answer 8

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

Question 9

rooting reflex

Answer 9

an automatic, unlearned response of a newborn to a gentle stimulus (e.g., the touch of a finger) applied to the corner of the mouth or to the cheek, in which the infant turns their head and makes sucking motions

Question 10

visual cliff

Answer 10

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

Question 11

critical period

Answer 11

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

Question 12

sensitive period

Answer 12

a stage in development when an organism can most rapidly acquire a particular skill or characteristic. For example, in humans, the 1st year of life is considered significant for the development of a secure attachment bond. Lack of appropriate growth-dependent experiences during a sensitive period does not permanently and irreversibly affect development, as it would during a critical period, but rather makes the acquisition process outside the period more difficult

Question 13

imprinting

Answer 13

the process by which certain animals for strong attachments during early life

Question 14

growth spurt

Answer 14

any period of accelerated physical development, especially the pubescent growth spurt

Question 15

puberty

Answer 15

the period of sexual maturation, during which a person usually becomes capable of reproducing

Question 16

primary sex characteristics

Answer 16

the body structures (ovaries, testes, external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible

Question 17

secondary sex characteristics

Answer 17

nonreproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair

Question 18

menarche

Answer 18

the first menstrual period

Question 19

spermarche

Answer 19

the first ejaculation

Question 20

menopause

Answer 20

the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines

Question 21

schema

Answer 21

a framework or concept that organizes and interprets information

Question 22

assimilation

Answer 22

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our current schemas

Question 23

accommodation

Answer 23

adapting our current schemas to incorporate new information

Question 24

sensorimotor stage

Answer 24

in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from birth to nearly 2 years of age) at which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities

Question 25

object permanence

Answer 25

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

Question 26

preoperational stage

Answer 26

in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from 2 to 6 or 7 years of age) at which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

Question 27

pretend play

Answer 27

pretend or make-believe play that includes an as-if orientation to actions, objects, and peers. It often involves playing a distinct role, such as mother, teacher, or doctor. Fantasy play also involves taking a stance that is different from reality and using a mental representation of a situation as part of an enactment

Question 28

conservation

Answer 28

the principles (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the form of objects

Question 29

reversibility

Answer 29

a mental operation that reverses a sequence of events or restores a changed state of affairs to the original condition

Question 30

animism

Answer 30

the belief that natural phenomena or inanimate objects are alive or possess lifelike characteristics, such as intentions, desires, and feelings

Question 31

egocentrism

Answer 31

in Piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view

Question 32

theory of mind

Answer 32

people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states - about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors those might predict

Question 33

concrete operational stage

Answer 33

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 7 to 11 years old) at which children can predict the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete (actual, physical) events

Question 34

formal operational stage

Answer 34

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning at age 12) at which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Question 35

abstract thinking

Answer 35

thinking characterized by the use of general ideas or concepts.

Question 36

concrete (systematic) thinking

Answer 36

thinking focused on immediate experiences and specific objects or events. It is characteristic of young children and may also be seen in people with schizophrenia and people who have suffered a brain injury, especially frontal lobe damage

Question 37

scaffolding

Answer 37

in Vygotsky’s theory, a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking

Question 38

zone of proximal development

Answer 38

the difference between a child’s actual level of ability and the level of ability that they can achieve when assisted by, or working in cooperation with, older or more experienced partners

Question 39

crystallized intelligence (Gc)

Answer 39

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

Question 40

fluid intelligence (Gf)

Answer 40

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease with age, especially during late adulthood