Unit 6 vocab quiz Flashcards
developmental psychology
examines our physical, cognitive, and social development across the life span
zygote
fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.
embryo
developing organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.
fetus
developing organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
teratogens
“monster makers”; agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
FAS
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
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a stimulus, their interest decreases and they look away sooner
maturation
orderly sequency of biological growth.
Example: babies stand before they walk
cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
schema
concepts or “mental molds” into which we pour our experiences.
assimilation
INTERPRETING new experiences in terms of our current understandings (schemas).
accomodation
adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new info)
sensorimotor stage
babies take in the world through their senses and action, through looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping.
object permanence
awareness that objects continue to exist even when not perceived.
pre operational stage
a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic.
conservation
principle that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape.
egocentrism
a child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view.
theory of mind
people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states, about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.
concrete operational stage
from age 7-11, children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events.
formal operational stage
from 7-11, kids gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about abstract concepts
scaffold
providing a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking.
ASD
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.
Stranger anxiety
fear of strangers infants commonly display.
attachment
emotional tie with another person; shown in young kids by their seeking closeness with their caregiver and showing distress on separation.
critical period
optimal period when certain events must take place to facilitate proper development
imprinting
rocess by which certain animals from strong attachments during early life.
strange situation
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.
secure attachment
in their mother’s presence they play comfortably and eagerly explore their new environment; when she leaves, they become distressed; when she returns, they seek her out.
insecure attachment
infants display either a clinging anxious attachment or an avoidant attachment that resists closeness.
temperament
a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
basic trust
a sense that the world is predictable and reliable.
self concept
understanding/assessment of who they are
gender
in psychology, the socially influenced characteristics by which people define boy, girl, man, and woman.
aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally
relational aggression
act of aggression (physical or verbal) intended to harm a person’s relationship or social standing
role
Culture shapes our behaviors by defining how we OUGHT to behave in a particular social situation
gender role
set of EXPECTED behaviors, attitudes, and traits for males/females.
gender identity
our sense of being male, female, or some combination of the two.
social learning theory
we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished for acting in certain ways.
gender typing
the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.
androgyny
displaying both traditional masculine and feminine psychological characteristics.
transgender
describes a person whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth-designated sex.
adolescence
the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.
puberty
period of sexual maturation during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.
identity
our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.
social identity
the “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships.
emerging adulthood
In most Western communities, the time from 18 to the mid-twenties is a “not-yet-settled” life phase
x chromosome
the sex chromosome found in both males and females.
y chromosome
the sex chromosome typically found only in males
testosterone
the most important male sex hormone.
primary sex characteristics
the body structures that make sexual reproduction possible
spermarche
the first ejaculation
menarche
the first menstrual period
intersex
possessing biological sexual characteristics of both males and females
AIDS
a life threatening sexually transmitted disease that depletes the immune system, leaving the person vulnerable to infections.
sexual orientation
enduring sexual attraction toward members of the same or opposite sex.
menopause
time of natural cessation of menstruation, usually within a few years of age 50.
cross sectional study
research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time
longitudinal study
research that follows and retests the same people over time
neurocognitive disorders
acquired disorders marked by deficits
Alzheimer’s disease
neurocognitive disorder marked by neural “plaques”, often with onset after age 80, and entailing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities.
social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
Freud
Piaget
developmental psychologist who pioneered the study of children’s cognition
Vygotsky
emphasized how the child’s mind grows through interaction with the SOCIAL environment more so than the PHYSICAL environment. believed that effective mentoring occurs when kids are developmentally ready to learn a new skill.
Harlow
bred monkeys for their learning studies in the 1950’s at the University of Wisconsin.
Lorenz
explored imprinting: process by which certain animals from strong attachments during early life.
Ainsworth
designed the strange situation experiment. concluded that about 60% of infants/young children display secure attachment.
Erikson
He believed that securely attached children approach life with basic trust
Baumrind
the identification of two central dimensions of parents’ behavior — structured expectations and responsiveness — and the discovery that these dimensions in combination revealed three main parenting styles.
Gilligan
men and women follow different patterns of understanding, and perceive the world and their relationships with others in a different way.
Bandura
creator of the social learning theory.
Kohlberg
believed that moral reasoning , or the way that people make decisions about what is right and wrong, develops in a series of stages
