Unit. 4: Human Development Across the Lifespan Flashcards
Accommodation
The act of changing existing mental structures to explain new experiences.
Age of Viability
The age at which a baby can survive.
Assimilation
The cognitive process of fitting new information into existing cognitive understanding. / Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing mental structures without changing them.
Attachment
Close, emotional bonds of affection developed between infants and their caregivers.
Centration
Tendency to focus on just one feature of a problem & neglecting important aspects.
Childhood Cognitive Development
Transitions in children’s pattern of thinking, including reading, remembering, & problem solving.
Cohort effects
When differences in studies can be because groups grew up in different time periods. EX.) To unbiasedly compare 20, 40, & 60 year old’s researcher would have to take into account the different time periods they grew up, some grew up through the women’s movement & so on. Such things have influence over individuals.
Conservation
The awareness that physical quantities remain constant in spite of changes in shape or appearance.
Cross-sectional design
Investigators compare groups of participants of differing age at a single point in time.
Crystallized intelligence
The application of accumulated knowledge.
Dementia
An abnormal condition marked by multiple cognitive deficits that include memory impairment.
Development
The sequence of age-related changes that occur between conception & death.
Developmental Norms
Average age at which individuals display various behaviour & abilities.
Habituation
&
Dishabituation
H-A gradual reduction in the strength of a response when a stimulus event is presented repeatedly.
Dh-A new stimulus elicits an increase in the strength of a habituated response.
Egocentrism
The inability to see another view point.
*Animism: belief that all things are living.
Embryonic Stage (development)
The second stage of prenatal development.
Most of vital organs & bodily systems begin to form in the developing organism.
-heart
-spine
-brain
3 Stages of Prenatal development
- Germinal stage (first 2 weeks)
- Embryonic stage (2 weeks to 2 months)
- Fetal stage (2 months to birth)
Family Life Cycle
The sequences of stages that families tend to progress through.
FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)
Congenital (inborn) problems associated with excessive alcohol use during pregnancy.
Fetal Stage
3rd stage The embryo begins to rapidly grow into the fetus, developing major body parts & movement. -bones -sex organs -*age of viability
Fluid Intelligence
Basic information-processing skills
Gender
Refers to culturally constructed distinctions between femininity & masculinity.
Gender Differences
differences between the sexes in typical behaviour\average ability.
Gender Roles
Expectations of what is appropriate behaviour for each sex based on societal norms.
Gender Stereotypes
Widely held beliefs about females & males abilities, personalities, social behaviours.
Germinal Stage
First stage of prenatal development
Zygote is created through fertilization, rapid cell division begins creating a mass of multiplying cells.
-zygote
Irreversibility
The inability to envision reversing an action, or undoing something is incomprehensible.
Longitudinal Design
Investigators observe one group of participants repeatedly over a period of time.
Maturation
The development that reflects gradual unfolding of one’s genetic blueprint
Menarche
The first occurrence of menstruation.
Motor Development
The profession of muscular coordination required for physical activities.
Object Permeance
The understanding that an object exists even when it is not seen.
Placenta
A structure that allows oxygen & nutrients to pass into the fetus from the mothers blood stream, then the bodily wastes to pass out to the mother.
Prenatal Period
The period of conception to birth for a child, usually 9 months.
Primary Sex Characteristics
Sex characteristics needed for reproduction, develop during the puberty stage.
Puberty
Sexual functions reach maturity & marks the beginning of adolescences.
Pubescence
Two year span preceding puberty, during which the changes leading to physical & sexual maturity take place.
Secondary Sex characteristics
Physical features that distinguish one sex from another.
*not essential for reproduction.
Sex
The biological based categories of female & male.
Scaffolding
When the assistance provided to a child is adjusted as learning progresses.
Socialization
The acquisition of the norms & behaviours expected of people in a particular society.
Stage
The developmental period during which characteristic patterns of behaviours are exhibited & certain capacities become established.
Temperament
Characteristics mood, activity level, & emotional reactivity.
Teratogens
External agents, such as drugs/viruses, that can harm an embryo/fetus.
Zone of proximal Development (ZPD)
The gap between what a learner can accomplish on their own and what they can accomplish with the guidance of a skilled partner.
Zygote
A once celled organism formed by the union of a sperm & an egg.
Erik Erikson
Personality Development
Jean Piaget
Cognitive theory
Albert Thomas & Stella Chess
Longitudinal studies of the development of temperament.
Personality Development childhood vs. adulthood (Erickson’s 7 stages)
Child: 1. Trust vs. Mistrust 2. Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt 3. Initiative vs. Guilt 4. Industry vs. Inferiority Adulthood: 1.Early adulthood *intimacy vs. isolation 2.Middle adulthood *generativity vs. self-absorption 3.Late adulthood *integrity vs. despair
Physiological & Neural changes (Adulthood)
- Depression may occur (death)
- Loss of hearing/vision
- Menopause
- Dementia
- Cognitive abilities seem to just slow down
Physiological & Neural Development (Adolescence)
- Puberty
- Prefrontal Cortex develops (front of brain)
- White & Grey matter in brain
Family Transitions
- Marriage
- Parenthood
- Empty Nest
What are the 5 Key themes present in this chapter
- Psychology is theoretically diverse.
- Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context
- Hereditary & Environment jointly influence behaviour
- Behaviour is determined by multiple causes
- Behaviour is shaped by cultural heritage
