Unit 9-Developmental Psychology Flashcards
Zygote
The fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo
About 10 days after conception, the zygote attaches to the mothers uterine wall
Developmental psychology
A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan
Embryo
The developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month
2-8 weeks
Fetus
The developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
Placenta
Formed as zygotes outer cells attached to the uterine wall, transfers nutrients and oxygen to fetus, helps screen out potentially harmful substances
Teratogens
Agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
Physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions (lifelong brain abnormalities)
Habituation
Decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner
Novelty-preference procedure
Ask 4 month olds how they recognize cats and dogs (they focus on the face)
Pruning process
Occurs around the time of puberty, excess fiber pathway connections are shut down and others that are used are strengthened
Maturation
Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience (experience adjusts development)
Back-to-sleep position
Putting babies to sleep on their back reduces risk of smothering crib death
Infantile amnesia
Earliest memories rarely before 3 years old (average is 3.5 years old)
Cognition
All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Schemas
A concept or framework that organizes and interprets info (ex: cat, love)
Assimilation
Interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas
Accommodation
Adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information
Piaget’s four stages
Cognitive development
Sensorimotor stage
First stage in piaget’s theory, from birth to two years during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities (looking, hearing, touching)
- object permanence
- stranger anxiety
Object permanence
The awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived (8 months)
Pre-operational stage
2nd stage in piaget’s theory, from two to six or seven, during which a child learns to use language, but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
- pretend play
- egocentrism
Conservatism
The principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects
Egocentrism
In Piaget’s theory, the pre-operational 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
3rd stage in Piaget’s theory, from seven to eleven, during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events (concrete analogies and arithmetical operations)
- conservatism
- mathematical transformations
Formal operational stage
4th stage in Piaget’s theory, from twelve to adulthood, during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts (hypothetical)
- abstract logic
- potential for mature moral reasoning
Autism
A disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others’ states of mind (have trouble reflecting on their own mental states-not using personal pronouns)
Zone of proximal development
Vygotsky’s idea of zone between what a child could learn with and without help
Stranger anxiety
The fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning at about 8 months
Attachment
An emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation (infant-parent bond)
Critical period
An optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development
Imprinting
The process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life
- children do not imprint , they have a sensitive period where they form attachments
Secure attachment
In mother’s presence they are happy and when placed in an strange environment they become distressed and seek comfort from parent, but they are able to separate from parents and can be comforted by others
Insecure attachment
Cling to mother, don’t explore, and cry when she leaves until she reruns- as a result of an insensitive and unresponsive mother
Temperament
A person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity (tend to persist in life)
- heredity predisposes temperament
Maternal deprivation
Infants who lack a caring mother are said to suffer from this
father absence
Infants who lack a caring father
Basic trust
According to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers
Self-concept
Our understanding and evaluation of who we are (self esteem is how they feel about that)
Authoritarian parenting styles
Parents impose rules and expect obedience
Permissive parenting style
Parents submit to their children’s desires-few demands, and little punishment
Authoritative parenting style
Parents are demanding and responsive, they set rules and enforce then, but also explain reasons for rules- they encourage open discussion if rules and allow exceptions
- this type of parenting leads to high self esteem and social competence
Gender
In psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female
Aggression
Physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone- men are generally more physically aggressive
Relational aggression
Excluding someone- verbally
Male answer syndrome
When asked difficult questions, men are more likely to hazard answers rather than admit that they don’t know
X chromosome
The sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two X chromosomes and males have one. An X chromosome from each parent produces a female child
Y chromosome
The sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child
Testosterone
The most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulated the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of male sex characteristics during puberty
Role
A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave
Gender roles
A set of expected behaviors for males and for females
- smooth social relations , but we feel anxious if we deviate from them
Gender identity
Our sense of being male or female
Gender typing
The acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role (boys exhibit traditional masculine traits and interests)
Social learning theory
The theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
Parent- blaming
Revel in children’s successes and and feel guilt or shame over their failures
Selection effect
Peer similarity may be a result of this as kids seek out peers with similar attitudes and interests
Adolescence
The transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
Puberty
The first stage of adolescence, the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing (11 in girls, 13 in boys)
Primary sex characteristics
The body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible
Secondary sex characteristics
Non reproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair
Menarche
The first menstrual period, when prepared for it, girls see it as a positive transition
Spermarche
The first ejaculation in boys (nocturnal emission)
Preconventional morality
Morality focuses on self-interest, obey rules to avoid punishment or receive award
Conventional morality
Morality focuses on caring for others, upholding laws and rules
Post conventional morality
Actions are judged right because they flow from people’s rights or are self-defined (not found in collectivist societies)
Social institutionist
Account of morality, moral feelings precede moral reasoning
Search for identity
What values should I live by? Who am I? What do I believe in?
Erikson’s 1st stage of psychosocial development (infancy to 1 year)
Trust vs. mistrust
If needs are dependably met, infants develop sense of basic trust
Erikson’s 2nd stage
Toddlerhood (1-3)
Autonomy vs. shame/doubt
Learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities
Erikson’s 3rd stage
Preschool (3-6)
Initiative vs. guilt
Learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, or feel guilty about independence
Erikson’s 4th stage
Elementary (6-puberty)
Industry vs. inferiority
Learn pleasure of applying themselves to tasks, or they feel inferior
Erikson’s 5th stage
Adolescence (teens-20s)
Identity vs. role confusion
Work at refining a sense of self by testing roles and integrating them to form identity, or they become confused
Erikson's 6th stage Young adult (20-40)
Intimacy vs. isolation
Struggle to form close relationships and gain capacity for intimate love, or they feel socially isolated
Erikson's 7th stage Middle adult (40-60)
Generativity vs. stagnation
People discover sense of contributing to the world, usually through family or, or lack of purpose
Erikson's 8th stage Late adult (60+)
Integrity vs. despair
Reflecting on his or her life, may feel satisfaction or failure
Identity
Our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescents 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
Intimacy
In Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood
Emerging adulthood
For some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood (still relatively dependent on parents financially and emotionally)
Menopause
The time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines (around age 50), expectations effect the emotional impact of it
Death-deferral phenomenon
People tend to die after major holidays and events rather than before or on the day of
Dementia
Mental erosion caused by age, brain tumor, small strokes, or alcohol dependence
Alzheimer’s disease
Strikes 3% by age 75
First memory deteriorates then reasoning (loss of smell is a sign)
Loss of brain cells and deterioration of neurons that produce acetylcholine
Prospective memory
Remember to…
Remains strong when events help trigger memories, but time based tasks are hard and habitual tasks (taking medication) are especially challenging
Cross-sectional study
A study in which people of different ages are compared with one another
Longitudinal study
Research in which the same people are re-studied and retested over a long period
Crystallized intelligence
Our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age
Fluid intelligence
Our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood
Social clock
The culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
