Unit Eight: Developmental Psychology Flashcards
Developmental psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
Zygotes
the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo
conception to 2 weeks
Embryo
the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month
2 to 9 weeks
Fetus
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
Teratogens
(literally, “monster makers”) 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, 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 visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner
Piaget
cognitive development, four stages, focused on growth through physical stages
Kohlburg
moral development, stages of moral thinking
Erikson
psychosocial deveopment, each stage has its own psychosocial task
Rooting reflex
when something touches the cheek of a baby, they turn toward that touch, open their mouth, and vigorously root for a nipple
Maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
Schema
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
Sensorimotor stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities
Object permanence
the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived (sensorimotor)
Preoperational stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from about 2 to about 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
Conservation
the principle (concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects
Egocentric
difficulty perceiving things from another’s point of view, they think that others see what others see (TV and picture) (preoperational)
Curse of knowledge
teens and adults often overestimate the extent to which others share our opinions and perspectives, everybody should be able to see my way
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, little kids assume everybody has the same knowledge they do
Autism spectrum disorder (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
Concrete operational stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events (conservation and math)
Formal operational stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 11 onward) during which children gain the ability to reason abstractly and think hypothetically
Lev Vygotsky
studied how children thought and learned, focused on growth through the social enviorment
Zone of proximal development
the zone between what a child can and can’t do—it’s what a child can do with help, right at the cusp of understanding, can get it with a hint
Stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age (sensorimotor)
Attachment
an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
Critical period
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development
Imprinting
the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early life critical period
Temperment
a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
Mary Ainsworth
strange situation experiment, securely vs insecurely attached
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
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”
Authoritarian parents
impose rules and expect obedience: “Don’t interrupt.” “Keep your room clean.” “Don’t stay out late or you’ll be grounded.” “Why? Because I said so.”
Permissive parents
submit to their children’s desires. They make few demands and use little punishment.
Authoritative parents
both demanding and responsive. They exert control by setting rules and enforcing them, but they also explain the reasons for rules. And, especially with older children, they encourage open discussion when making the rules and allow exceptions.
Scale errors
mistakes make by toddlers, try to slide down a mini slide or get in a tiny car
Harlow
contact comfort, monkey experiment, more than food
Sensitive period
the less precisely defined critical period when children become attached to familiar things and people
Secure attachment
mom is there, play normal + is happy, mom is gone they are sad, she returns they go back to her
Insecure attachment
anxiety or avoidance with trusting relationships, always cling to the mother and never explore, very upset when she leaves or never care
Term for lack of mother
maternal deprivation
Term for lack of father
father absence
Sex (as in a person’s)
biological status, defined by your chromosomes and anatomy
Gender
the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female
Aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
Gender role
a set of expected behaviors for males or for females
Role
a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave
Gender identity
our sense of being male or female
Culture
everything shared by a group and transmitted across generations
Social learning theory
the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
Gender typing
the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role
Transgender
an umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth sex
Transsexual
people, who live, or wish to live, as members of the gender opposite to their birth sex, often aided by medical treatment that supports gender reassignment.
Baumrind
three parenting styles
Family self
what shames the child shames the family, you represent your family
Mark Rosenzweig and David Krech
raised some young rats in solitary confinement and others in a communal playground. When they later analyzed the rats’ brains, those raised in the enriched environment, which simulated a natural environment, usually developed a heavier and thicker brain cortex
Selection effect
kids seek out peers with similar attitudes and interests, therefore they are more alike than normal
Adolescence
the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
Puberty
the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing
Menarche
the first menstrual period
Myelin
the fatty tissue that forms around axons and speeds neurotransmission
Moral reasoning
the thinking that occurs as we consider right and wrong
Preconventional morality
self-interest, obey rules to avoid punishment or gain concrete of rewards (save wife to be hero) (punishment means that you were wrong, no concern for intent, not getting caught means it’s ok) PUNISHMENT
Conventional morality
uphold laws and rules to gain social approval (don’t steal because you don’t want to be thought of as a criminal) (the act was wrong, you were wrong) ACT
Postconventional morality
actions reflect belief in basic rights and self-defined ethical principles (save wife, people have a right to live) (personal morality) BELIEFS
Moral intuition (and psychologist)
“quick gut feelings”, or affectively laden intuitions, Hiadt
Character
the psychological muscles for controlling impulses
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, how you differ from people around you
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 (graduation) and full independence and responsible adulthood
Life-span perspective
we develop through our life, not just childhood
Purpose
a desire to accomplish something personally meaningful that makes a difference to the world
X chromosome
the sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two X chromosomes; 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 stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty
Spermarche
the first ejaculation in boys, at about age 14 occuring as a nocturnal emission
Primary sex characteristics
the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible
Secondary sex characteristics
nonreproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair
Intersex
individuals are born with intermediate or unusual combinations of male and female physical features
Sexual orientation
an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one’s own sex (homosexual orientation), the other sex (heterosexual orientation), or both sexes (bisexual orientation
Menopause
the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines ~50
Carol Gilligan
thought that Kohlberg’s three stages of moral development were too based on males (he did not talk to any females) or androcentric, she thinks that genders think differently about moral problems
Cross-sectional study
a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another, quick and easy
Longitudinal study
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period, very accurate
Terminal decline
in the last three or four years of life, cognitive decline typically accelerates
Social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
Integrity (not the character trait)
a feeling that one’s life has been meaningful and worthwhile
Early adulthood
20s-30s
Middle adulthood
30s-65
Late adulthood
65+
Neurocognitive disorder
lead to Alzheimers, will affect you later, this just means that you are not where you should be (not that you have something serious going on)
Konrad Lorenz
he explored imprinting and got a bunch of ducklings to follow him around
What stage is pretend play in?
Preoperational
