A.P. Psychology: Chapter 5 - Developing Through the Life-Span

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

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

Moral Judgement

Convincing ourselves that we are correct in our behavior (care, fairness, loyalty, respect, purity)

Preoperational Stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to 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

Developmental Psychology

the branch of psychology that studies the social and mental development of children, a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

Fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.

Embryo

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

Zygote

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

Menarche

the first occurrence of menstruation in a woman

Puberty

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

Conservation

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

Formal Operational Stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Fluid Intelligence

one's ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

Crystallized Intelligence

one's accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

Identity

one's sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles

Post Conventional Stage

Critical Consideration of scenario 5. Community welfar-ethical priciples 6. Human Ethics- cosmic justice

Authoritive

Demanding but responsive

Moral Feelings

Disgust or elation at seeing moral behavior

Emerging Adulthood

For some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to early twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood

Egocentrism

in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

Scaffolding

Kids will talk to themselves as a way of problem solving

Conventional Stage

Mature but over reliant on logic 3. Gain a Compliment 4. Law and Order

Object Permanence

The awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.

Stranger Anxiety

The fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.

Imprinting

The process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.

Object Permanence 2.0

They begin to catch on just after their 1st birthday - babies can pick up on if items are added or subtracted or impossible scenarios

Pre conventional stage

Very Self centered decisions 1. Avoid Punishment 2. Gain a Reward

Rooting Reflex

a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

Autism

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind

Self-Concept

a sense of one's identity and personal worth.

Cross-sectional study

a study in which people of different ages are tested or observed at the same point in time.

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

Accommodation

adapting one's current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

Teratogens

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

Cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

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 shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development

Maturation

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

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

Authoritarian

imposes and demands (well behaved and good workder)

Intimacy

in Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood

Assimilation

interpreting one's new experience in terms of one's existing schemas

Secondary Sex Characteristics

nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair

Theory of Mind

people's ideas about their own and others' mental states -- about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts and the behavior these might predict

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions

Longitudinal Study

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

Permissive

submit to child's whims

Social Identity

the "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "who am I?" that comes from our group memberships

Primary Sex Characteristics

the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.

Adolescence

the time period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood