Unit 6 Vocab - Human Development

Question 1

developmental psychology

Answer 1

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

Question 2

zygote

Answer 2

the fertilized egg
first 2 weeks of rapid cell division before it becomes an embryo

Question 3

embryo

Answer 3

the developing organism from 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month

Question 4

fetus

Answer 4

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

Question 5

teratogens

Answer 5

antigens (chemicals, viruses) that can reach the embryo/fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

Question 6

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Answer 6

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy

Question 7

rooting reflex

Answer 7

baby will automatically turn head when cheek is touched

Question 8

habituation

Answer 8

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation
as infants gain familiarity and exposure to stimuli the less attention they divert to it

Question 9

maturation

Answer 9

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

Question 10

schema

Answer 10

a concept/framework that organizes and interprets info

Question 11

assimilation

Answer 11

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

Question 12

accommodation

Answer 12

act/state of adjustment or adaptation
changes in shape of the occular lens for various focal distances

Question 13

cognition

Answer 13

the mental abilities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communication

Question 14

sensorimotor stage

Answer 14

(in Piaget’s theory) the stage during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activites
from birth to around 2 years old

Question 15

object permanence

Answer 15

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

Question 16

preoperational stage

Answer 16

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

Question 17

conservation

Answer 17

the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

Question 18

egocentrism

Answer 18

(in Piaget’s theory) the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s POV

Question 19

Theory of Mind

Answer 19

people’s ideas about their own and others mental states - feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and behaviors these observations can predict

Question 20

autism

Answer 20

disorder that appears in childhood
marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others

Question 21

Concrete Operational Stage

Answer 21

(in Piaget’s theory) the stage of cognitive development during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events
from about age 6-7 to 11 years old

Question 22

Formal Operational Stage

Answer 22

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

Question 23

stranger anxiety

Answer 23

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display
begins around 8 months old

Question 24

attachment

Answer 24

an emotional tie with another person, shown in young children by thier seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress at separation

Question 25

Critical Period

Answer 25

an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experience produces proper development

Question 26

imprinting

Answer 26

the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period early in life
ie. Jacob from Twilight

Question 27

basic trust

Answer 27

(according to Erik Erikson) sense that the world is predictble and trustworthy
formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with caregivers

Question 28

self-concept

Answer 28

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves

Question 29

adolescence

Answer 29

transitional period between childhood and adulthood

Question 30

puberty

Answer 30

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

Question 31

primary sex characteristics

Answer 31

the body structures that make sexual reproduction possible

Question 32

secondary sex characteristics

Answer 32

nonreproductive sexual characteristics

Question 33

menarche

Answer 33

the first menstrual period

Question 34

identity

Answer 34

our sense of self
adolescents should solidify sense of self by testing and integrating various roles

Question 35

intimacy

Answer 35

(in Erikson’s theory) the ability to form close, loving relationships, developmental task of late adolescence and early adulthood

Question 36

menopause

Answer 36

the time of natural cessation of menstruation, refers to the biological decline in ability to reproduce

Question 37

Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 37

chronic brain disease that gradually erodes an individual’s memory, intellectual abilities, and personality

Question 38

cross-sectional study

Answer 38

a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

Question 39

longitudinal study

Answer 39

research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period

Question 40

crystallized intelligence

Answer 40

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills, tends to increase with age

Question 41

fluid intelligence

Answer 41

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly, tends to decrease during late adulthood

Question 42

social clock

Answer 42

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