Unit 6 Flashcards
Developmental psychology
The scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age including physical, cognitive, and social development
Cross-sectional study
Type of study in which people of different ages are examined at the same time(s)
Longitudinal study
Study follows the same group of people over a period of time from months to many years in order to evaluate changes in those individuals
Cross sequential study
Individuals in a cross-sectional sample are tested more than once over a specified period of time
(combines longitudinal and cross-sectional)
Erik Erikson
Developmental psychologist, contended that each stage of life has its own psychosocial task, a crisis that needs resolution, to become a successful complete person
Psychosocial Stages of Development
Trust vs. Mistrust: Infant
Infants must learn that adults can be trusted
autonomy vs shame/doubt: Toddlers
As toddlers begin to explore their world, they learn that they can control their actions and act on their environment to get results
Industry vs inferiority: elementary school age
Children begin to compare themselves to their peers, develop a sense of pride and accomplishment or feeling of inferiority/inadequacy
Identity vs. Role Confusion: adolecense
An adolescent’s main task is developing a sense of self
Intimacy vs. Isolation: early adulthood
Develop and maintain successful relationships with others
Generativity vs. Stagnation: middle adulthood
Middle-aged adults begin contributing to the next generation/society or little connection to others
Ego Integrity vs. Despair: late adulthood
People in late adulthood reflect on their lives and feel either a sense of satisfaction or a sense of failure
Prenatal development
Begins with conception and ends at birth. A full-term pregnancy is typically 38 weeks
Germinal period
The stage of development that occurs from conception until 2 weeks
The fertilized egg, known as a zygote, moves toward the uterus, a journey that can take up to a week to complete. Cell division begins approximately 24 to 36 hours after conception
Placenta
Specialized organ, sustains the life of the embryo by transferring oxygen and nutrients, removing waste products, and after the initial months of gestation, secreting hormones that sustain the pregnancy
Embryonic period
The development period from implantation to 8 weeks of pregnancy, which the major organ and structures of the organism develop
Fetal period
The development time period from nine weeks after conception until the birth of the child
Fetus
Name for the developing organism from eight weeks after fertilization to the birth of the baby (Sexual differentiation)
Critical periods
Times during which certain environmental influences can have an impact on the development of the infant (Embryonic Period)
Teratrogen
Any non genetic agent that produces birth defects at exposures that commonly occur
Neonates
are born preferring sights and sounds that facilitate social responsiveness
reflexes
Infants have a set of innate (existing from birth) unlearned behavior patterns to help the infant to survive
Maturation
Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
Developmental norms
The normal timeline of mental and physical growth and changes that occur as an entity ages
Six motor milestones
Infant’s muscles and nervous system mature, skills emerge
Infantile amnesia
The difficulty or inability that adults have in remembering detailed or episodic memories (memories were time, place and events can be identified) from early childhood, generally prior to age 3 or 4
Stranger anxiety
Developmental situation in which infants become anxious and fearful around strangers, beginning by about 8 months of age
attatchment bond
The emotional bond between an infant and the primary caregiver, shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
John bowlby
- Attachment theory: Children are biologically predisposed to develop attachments to caregivers as the result of genetics
Konrad lorenzze
Theorized that if attachment was important in human survival it may be important in other species
Impriting
The process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life
Harry harlow
Psychologist, conducted studies of attachment and the importance of contact comfort (physical closeness with a caregiver) using infant Rhesus monkeys in 1950s
Mary Ainsworth
psychologist that found that attachment happens through a complex set of interactions between mothers and infants
Designed the strange situation experiments
Secure attatchment
infants explore, display high stranger anxiety, easy to calm/enthusiastic on return to the caregiver
avoidant attatchment
infants explore, low stranger anxiety, unconcerned by separation and avoid contact at return of caregiver