Unit 6- Developmental Psychology (7-9%) Flashcards
Stability vs. Change debate
The question of Do our early personality traits persist through life, or do we become different persons as we age?
Maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.
The Critical period
optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development.
Individualist Culture
is a society which is characterized by individualism, not collectivism.
Collectivist Culture
emphasize family and work group goals above individual needs or desires
The Fetal Stage
development from embryo to fetus, the embryo changes to a recognizable human being and develops all the basic outlines of its organs and is then called a fetus.
Teratogens
agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
Fetal Alcohol syndrome
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking.
Palmar/grasping reflex
Baby reacts to something pressing on its palm by trying to grasp it
Orienting reflex
an organism’s immediate response to a change in its environment
Babinski reflex
big toe remains extended or extends itself when the sole of the foot is stimulated, abnormal except in young infants.
Moro reflex
infantile reflex normally present in all infants/newborns up to 4 or 5 months of age as a response to a sudden loss of support, when the infant feels as if it is falling
Sucking reflex
The baby sucks when area around mouth is touched
Temperament
person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.
Easy temperament
Babies are cheerful, relaxed, and predictable in feeding and sleeping
Nature vs. Nurture debate
The controversy over the relative contributions of biology and experience.
Mary Ainsworth
developmental psychology; placed human infants into a “strange situation” in order to examine attachment to parents
Secure Attachment
a relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver
Insecure Attachment
characterized by complete dependence on a caregiver and extreme reluctance to explore one’s environment; the result of unresponsive parenting
Avoidant Attachment
children that seek little contact with their mothers and are often not distressed when she leaves
Diana Baumrind
her theory of parenting styles had three main types (permissive, authoritative, and authoritarian)
Authoritarian Parenting
parents that impose rules and expect obedience; the strict parents
Authoritative Parenting
parents that are both demanding and responsive; they negotiate and allow flexibility; the typical/sensible parents
Permissive Parenting
parents that submit to the child’s desires; they make few demands and use little punishment
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
developmental psychology; contributions: 5 stages the terminally ill go through when facing death
Stages of Death and Dying
death, anger/resentment, bargaining with God, depression, acceptance (DABDA)
Kolberg’s Preconventional Morality
before age 9; self interest; obey rules to avoid punishment or gain concrete rewards
Kolberg’s Conventional Morality
early adolescence; uphold laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order
Kolberg’s Postconventional Morality
adolescence and beyond; actions reflect belief in basic rights and self-defined ethical principles
Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development
cognition; Kolberg’s work was developed by only observing boys and overlooked potential differences between the habitual, moral judgments of boys and girls; girls focus more on relationships than laws and principles
Gender Identity
psychological sense of maleness and femaleness
Gender Typing
the acquisition of a traditional feminine or masculine gender role