unit 6 (42-51) Flashcards
developmental psychology
studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout lifespan
zygote
fertilized egg. 2 week period of rapid cell divison, then develops into embryo
embryo
2 weeks after fertilization through 2nd month
fetus
9 weeks after conception to birth
teratogens
chemicals and viruses that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
fetal alcohol syndrome
physical and cogntiive abnormalities in children caused by heavy drinking. small head, abnormal facial features.
habituation
decreased responsiveness with repeated exposure to a stimulus
maturation
orderly sequence of biological growth. uninfluenced by experience.
cognition
all mental activities associated w/ thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
schema
concept/framework that organizes and interprets information.
assimiliation
interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas
accommodation
adapting our current understanding to incorporate new information
sensorimotor stage
birth to age 2. babies take in the world through sensory and motor activities
object permanence
awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived (0-6 months)
preoperational stage
age 6-7. able to represent things with words and images but cant perform mental operations (ex: imagining an action and mentally reversing it)
conservation
principle that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape (age 0-6)
egocentrism
preoperational childs difficulty taking anothers point of view
theory of mind
peoples ideas about their own and others mental states (feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict)
concrete operational stage
age 7-11. cognitive stage where children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events.
formal operational stage
begins age 12. cognitive development stage where people begin to think logically about abstract concepts.
scaffold
framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking (ex: telling a child no when pulling their hand away from a hot cup)
autism spectrum disorder
disorder that appears in childhood. marked by social deficiencies and repetitive behaviors. (bad communication, rigidly fixed interests)
stranger anxiety
fear of strangers that infants commonly display, begins by 8 months of age
attatchment
emotional tie with another person, shown in young children to their caregiver and showing distress on seperation
critical period
optimal period in life when certain events must take place to facilitate proper development
imprinting
process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life
strange situation
mary ainsworth – procedure for studying child-caregiver attatchment:
- child is placed in an unfamiliar enviornment while their caregiver leaves and then returns, childs reactions are observed
secure attachment
demonstrated by infants who comfortably explore environments with their caregiver present, show only tempoary distress when caregiver leaves, and find comfort in caregivers return.
insecure attachment
demonstrated by infants who display either a clinging anxious attachment or an avoidant attachment that resists closeness.
- less likely to explore surroundings
- cling to mother
- cry loudly + remain upset when caregiver leaves or seem indifferent to departure and return
temperament
persons characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
basic trust
sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy. formed during infancy
self concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in the answer to the question “who am i?”
sex
biologically influenced characteristics by which people define male and female
gender
socially influenced characteristics by which people define boy, girl, man, woman
aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally
relational aggression
act of aggression intended to harm a persons relationship or social standing
role
set of expectations about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave
gender role
set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and traits or males or females
gender identity
sense of being male, female, or combination
social learning theory
bandura – theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
gender typing
acquisition of a traditional masc or fem trait
androgyny
display of both traditional masc and fem physiological characteristics
transgender
umbrella term: describes people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth designated sex.
adolescence
transition from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
puberty
period of sexual maturation, where a person becomes capable of reproducing
identity
our sense of self
- adolescents task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various routes
social identity
“we” aspect of our self concept. comes from group membership
intimacy
ability to form close, loving relationships
x chromosome
sex chromosome in females and males. one x chromosome from each parent. females have 2, males have 1.
y chromosome
sex chromosome in males.
testosterone
male sex hormone. stimulates growth of male sex organs during fetal period + development during puberty
primary sex characteristics
body structures (ovaries, testes, external genitalia for reproduction)
secondary sex characteristics
nonreproductive sex traits. fem: breasts, larger hips. masc: deeper voices, facial hair. both: body hair
spermarche
first ejaculation
mennarche
first period
intersex
individuals born with combination of female and male chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy.
aids
life threatening std infection caused by HIV. depletes immune system, leaving person vulnerable to infections
sexual orientation
sexual attraction, toward members of own sex or other.
– hetero: opposite sex
– homo: same sex
– bi: both sexes
menopause
natural cessation of menstruation around age 50. large drop in estrogen
cross sectional study
observational study that analyzes data from a population at a single point in time
longitudinal study
observational study that analyzes data from a population for a long period of time (usually years)
neurocognitive disorders
acquired disorders marked by cognitive deficits
often related to: alzheimers, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse
alzheimers disease
neurocognitive disorder marked by neural plaques. progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities.
social clock
culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
Jean Piaget
child developmental psychologist.
theory: 4 stages of cognitive development
Lev Vygotsky
social development theory: social interaction has a criticial role in childrens learning– sociocultural
Harry Harlow
rhesus monkey experiment; wire mother, cloth mother. maternal-seperation, dependency needs, social isolation. “fear test”
Konrad Lorenz
zoologist, imprinting research.
Mary Ainsworth
attachment theory. children need to develop a secure dependence on their parents before seeking unfamiliar situations.
Erik Erikson
psychosocial development, identity crisis. 8 stages (trust vs mistrust, industry vs inferiority ETC.)
Diana Baumrind
parenting styles research. authoritative, authoritarian, permissive.
Carol Gilligan
moral development theory of women. heavily criticized kohlbergs own moral development theory as the research was conducted with only men
Albert Bandura
social psychologist. social learning theory, people learn behavior through observation, imitation, and modeling.
