Unit 4: Developing Through the Life Span (Chapter 5) Flashcards
Developmental psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive and social change throughout the life span
Zygotes
The fertilized egg; it enters a 2 week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo
Embryo
The developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month
Fetus
The developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
Teratogens
agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during parental development
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In some cases, symptoms include noticeable facial disproportions
Habituation
Decreasing responsiveness with repeated simulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and look away sooner
Maturation
A biological growth process that sets a basic course of development that experience then adjusts it
Cognition
All mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering and communicating
Schemas
A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
Assimilate
Interpreting our new experience in terms of our schemas
Accommadation
Adapting our current understandings (schema) to incorporate new information
Sensorimotor stage
In Piaget’s theory, the stage (from birth to 2 years) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities
Object Permence
The awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived
Preoperatonal stage
In Piaget’s theory, the stage (2-6 or 7 years) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
Conservation
The principle that properties such as mass, volume and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of the objects
Egocentrism
In Piaget’s theory, the pre operational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view
Theory of mind
people’s ideas about their own and other’s mental states about their feelings, perceptions and thoughts and the behaviors these might predict
Concrete operational stage
In Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (6 or 7-11 years) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events
Formal operational stage
In Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (12 years) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts
Autism
A disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction and understanding others’ states of mind
Stranger anxiety
The fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age
Attachement
An emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
Critical speech
An optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper develpment
Imprinting
The process by which certain animals from attachments during a critical period very early in life
Basic trust
According to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers
Self-concept
Our understanding and evaluation of who we are
Adolescence
The transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
Puberty
The period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of sexual reproduction
Primary sex characteristics
The body structures that make sexual reproduction possible (testes, ovaries and external genitalia
Secondary sex characteristics
Non-reproductive sexual characteristics such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality and body hair
Menarche
The first menstrual period
Identity
Our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various rules
Social identity
The “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “who am I?” that comes from our group membership
Intimacy
In Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary development task in late adolescence and early adulthood
Emerging adulthood
For some people in modern cultures, a period from late teens to early twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood
Menopause
The time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines
Cross-sectional study
A study in which people of different age are compared with one another
Longitudinal study
Research in which the same people are restricted and retested over a long period
Crystallized intelligence
Our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age
Fluid intelligence
Our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood
Social clock
The culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood and retirement
