Unit 5: Part 2 + Unit 6: Developmental Psychology

Question 1

intelligence

Answer 1

the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and use knowledge to adapt to new situations.

Question 2

general intelligence

Answer 2

according to Spearman and others, underlies all mental abilities and is therefore measured by every task on an intelligence test.

Question 3

factor analysis

Answer 3

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (called factors) on a test; used to identify different dimensions of performance that underlie a person’s total score.

Question 4

savart syndrome

Answer 4

a condition in which a person otherwise limited in mental ability has an exceptional specific skill, such as in computation or drawing.

Question 5

grit

Answer 5

in psychology, grit is passion and perseverance in the pursuit of long-term goals.

Question 6

emotional intelligence

Answer 6

the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions.

Question 7

intelligence test

Answer 7

a method for assessing an individual’s mental aptitudes and comparing them with those of others, using numerical scores.

Question 8

achievement test

Answer 8

a test designed to assess what a person has learned.

Question 9

aptitude test

Answer 9

a test designed to predict a person’s future performance; aptitude is the capacity to learn.

Question 10

mental age

Answer 10

a measure of intelligence test performance devised by Binet; the level of performance typically associated with children of a certain chronological age. Thus, a child who does as well as an average 8-year-old is said to have a mental age of 8.

Question 11

Stanford-Binet

Answer 11

the widely used American revision (by Terman at Stanford University) of Binet’s original intelligence test.

Question 12

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 12

defined originally as the ratio of mental age (ma) to chronological age (ca) multiplied by 100 (thus, IQ = ma/ ca × 100). On contemporary intelligence tests, the average performance for a given age is assigned a score of 100.

Question 13

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Answer 13

the WAIS and its companion versions for children are the most widely used intelligence tests; they contain verbal and performance (nonverbal) subtests.

Question 14

standardization

Answer 14

defining uniform testing procedures and meaningful scores by comparison with the performance of a pretested group.

Question 15

normal curve

Answer 15

the bell-shaped curve that describes the distribution of many physical and psychological attributes. Most scores fall near the average, and fewer and fewer scores lie near the extremes.

Question 16

reliability

Answer 16

the extent to which a test yields consistent results, as assessed by the consistency of scores on two halves of the test, on alternative forms of the test, or on retesting.

Question 17

validity

Answer 17

the extent to which a test measures or predicts what it is supposed to. (See also content validity and predictive validity.)

Question 18

content validity

Answer 18

the extent to which a test samples the behavior that is of interest.

Question 19

predictive validity

Answer 19

the success with which a test predicts the behavior it is designed to predict; it is assessed by computing the correlation between test scores and the criterion behavior. (Also called criterion-related validity.)

Question 20

cohort

Answer 20

a group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as from a given time period.

Question 21

crystallized intelligence

Answer 21

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

Question 22

fluid intelligence

Answer 22

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

Question 23

cross-sectional study

Answer 23

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time.

Question 24

longitudinal study

Answer 24

research that follows and retests the same people over time.

Question 25

intellectual disability

Answer 25

a condition of limited mental ability, indicated by an intelligence test score of 70 or below and difficulty adapting to the demands of life. (Formerly referred to as mental retardation.)

Question 26

down syndrome

Answer 26

a condition of mild to severe intellectual disability and associated physical disorders caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.

Question 27

heritability

Answer 27

the proportion of variation among individuals in a group that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

Question 28

developmental psychology

Answer 28

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

Question 29

zygote

Answer 29

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.

Question 30

embryo

Answer 30

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.

Question 31

fetus

Answer 31

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.

Question 32

teratogens

Answer 32

(literally, “monster makers”) agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.

Question 33

fetal alcohol syndrome

Answer 33

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, signs include a small, out-of-proportion head and abnormal facial features.

Question 34

maturation

Answer 34

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

Question 35

cognition

Answer 35

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Question 36

schema

Answer 36

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Question 37

assimilation

Answer 37

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.

Question 38

accommodation

Answer 38

adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.

Question 39

sensorimotor stage

Answer 39

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

Question 40

object permanence

Answer 40

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.

Question 41

preoperational stage

Answer 41

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

Question 42

conservation

Answer 42

the principle (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 forms of objects.

Question 43

egocentrism

Answer 43

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

Question 44

theory of mind

Answer 44

people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states— about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.

Question 45

concrete operational stage

Answer 45

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events.

Question 46

formal operational stage

Answer 46

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

Question 47

scaffold

Answer 47

a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking.

Question 48

autism spectrum disorder

Answer 48

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors.

Question 49

stranger anxiety

Answer 49

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.

Question 50

attachment

Answer 50

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to their caregiver and showing distress on separation.

Question 51

critical period

Answer 51

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

Question 52

imprinting

Answer 52

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life.

Question 53

strange situation

Answer 53

a procedure for studying child-caregiver attachment; a child is placed in an unfamiliar environment while their caregiver leaves and then returns, and the child’s reactions are observed.

Question 54

secure attachment

Answer 54

demonstrated by infants who comfortably explore environments in the presence of their caregiver, show only temporary distress when the caregiver leaves, and find comfort in the caregiver’s return.

Question 55

insecure attachment

Answer 55

demonstrated by infants who display either a clinging, anxious attachment or an avoidant attachment that resists closeness.

Question 56

temperament

Answer 56

a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

Question 57

basic trust

Answer 57

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.

Question 58

self-concept

Answer 58

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

Question 59

sex

Answer 59

in psychology, the biologically influenced characteristics by which people define male and female.

Question 60

gender

Answer 60

in psychology, the socially influenced characteristics by which people define boy, girl, man, and woman.

Question 61

agression

Answer 61

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally.

Question 62

relational aggression

Answer 62

an act of aggression (physical or verbal) intended to harm a person’s relationship or social standing.

Question 63

role

Answer 63

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Question 64

gender role

Answer 64

a set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and traits for males or for females.

Question 65

gender identity

Answer 65

our sense of being male, female, or some combination of the two.

Question 66

social learning theory

Answer 66

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.

Question 67

gender typing

Answer 67

the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.

Question 68

androgyny

Answer 68

displaying both traditional masculine and feminine psychological characteristics.

Question 69

transgender

Answer 69

an umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth-designated sex.

Question 70

adolescence

Answer 70

the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.

Question 71

puberty

Answer 71

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

Question 72

identity

Answer 72

our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.

Question 73

social identity

Answer 73

the “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships.

Question 74

intimacy

Answer 74

in Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in young adulthood.

Question 75

emerging adulthood

Answer 75

a period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults.

Question 76

X chromosome

Answer 76

the sex chromosome found in both males and females. Females typically have two X chromosomes; males typically have one. An X chromosome from each parent produces a female child.

Question 77

`testosterone

Answer 77

the most important male sex hormone. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs during the fetal period, and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.

Question 78

primary sex characteristics

Answer 78

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

Question 79

secondary sex characteristics

Answer 79

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

Question 80

spermarche

Answer 80

the first ejaculation.

Question 81

menarche

Answer 81

the first menstrual period.

Question 82

intersex

Answer 82

a condition present at birth due to unusual combinations of male and female chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy; possessing biological sexual characteristics of both sexes.

Question 83

sexual orientation

Answer 83

our enduring sexual attraction, usually toward members of our own sex (homosexual orientation) or the other sex (heterosexual orientation); variations include attraction toward both sexes (bisexual orientation).

Question 84

menopause

Answer 84

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

Question 85

neurocognitive disorders

Answer 85

acquired (not lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse. In older adults, neurocognitive disorders were formerly called dementia.

Question 86

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 86

a neurocognitive disorder marked by neural plaques, often with onset after age 80, and entailing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities.

Question 87

social clock

Answer 87

the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.