Psych Exam 4

culture-bound symptoms

eating disorders--seen primarily in middle and upper class women in westernized societies. koro--a disorder primarily seen in southeast Asia in which men have a fear that their penis will shrink inside their bodies and they'll die.

longitudinal study

evaluates the same group of people at different points in their lives. (evaluating a group of people when they're 20, again when they're 40 and again when they're 60) --disadvantage: takes way longer --advantage: you can actually measure change as a function of age.

environment

every non-genetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us.

environmental influences

ex: different peer groups, different experiences. **parents do treat children differently. For example, they tend to treat the 1st born differently than they treat the last born. They also tend to treat boys and girls differently.

social anxiety disorder

fearing being in a place that invites public scrutiny.

zygote

fertilized eggs. After 2 weeks of rapid cell division, they develop into embryos.

schemas

general knowledge base of info. **Ex: when we think of a classroom, we picture a smart board, desks, etc.)

adolescence

corresponds to the ages between puberty and adulthood (adulthood is harder to define because it varies from individuals) roughly between ages 13-20.

developmental sequence

crying, babbling, words, telegraphic speech, rich vocabulary

identical twins (monozygotic twins)

develop from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, creating two genetically identical organisms.

fraternal twins (dizygotic twins)

develop from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than ordinary brothers and sisters, but they share a prenatal environment.

biopsychosocial perspective

disorders are caused by a combo of both nature and nurture, not just genetics, but also social or cultural (environmental) dynamics. There are certain behaviors that are very normal in one culture but very abnormal in another. **EX: abnormal to hear voices in our cultural vs. very normal in native american culture.

medical perspective

disorders have a physical cause--a disorder is caused by some sort of medical, biological, genetic explanation. **Can easily be examined by adoption studies or twin studies.

adoption studies

compare identical twins who were raised together vs. apart. --Together: we can assume that nurture plays a bigger role --Apart: we can assume that nature plays a bigger role.

teratogens

"monster maker" agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm. --alcohol is one of these agents and a reason why women are advised not to drink alcohol during pregnancy.

over-diagnosis

**EX: ADD--disservice to those really suffering--drugs can have long-term effects.

perceptual abilities

--vision is limited, but develops quickly. --hearing and auditory preference: motherese; parentese: "baby talk"--babies enjoy listening to this. --as we get older, we lose the ability to distinguish between sounds. Babies are better at this.

emerging adulthood

a period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many people in Western cultures are no longer adolescents, but have not assumed full adult responsibilities and independence.

temperament

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

basic trust

a sense that the world is predictable and reliable. Erik Erikson theorized that infants blessed with sensitive, loving caregivers form a lifelong attitude of trust rather than fear.

conventional level

moral dilemmas are solved in ways that reflect the law of the land or norms set by parents or society. **I'm not going to steal the candy because it's against the law to steal.

post-conventional level

most complex. Based on abstract principles such as justice and the value of life. **Ex: stealing medicine for your loved one who will die without it.

projective test

much less structured--give the patient room to respond in their own way. **EX: rorschach inkblot test

genetic influences

Ex: "Jim twins" twins that were adopted into two different families and both families named their son Jim (didn't know that their child had a twin brother). --The twins both ended up marrying women of the same name and then divorced that woman and both married new women, both named Betty. --They named their son the same 1st and middle name. **Identical twins who were raised apart are almost as similar as those who were raised together.

DNA

a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

bipolar disorder

a disorder in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania (formerly called manic-depressive disorder).

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder marked by social deficiencies and repetitive behaviors. Children that suffer with this disorder have difficulty communicating and interacting with others. They become rigidly focused on the things that interest them.

mania

a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state in which dangerously poor judgement is common.

Alzheimer's disease

a neurocognitive disorder marked by neural plaques, often with an onset after age 80, and entailing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities.

neurocognitive disorders (NCDs)

aka dementia. Acquired disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimer's disease, brain injury/disease, or substance abuse.

cognition

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

attachment

an emotional tie with another person. A powerful survival impulse that keeps children close to their caregivers. Infants become attached to those--typically their parents--who are comfortable and familiar and they show distress during times of separation.

critical period

an optimal period when certain events must take place in order to facilitate proper development.

self-concept

an understanding and assessment of who we are. All of our thoughts about ourselves that answer the question "who am I?". --by the age of 12, most children have developed this.

Oscar and Jack

another example of genetic influences on behavior. Oscar and Jack were identical twins who were separated at birth and then reunited in their 40s. They found that they had very similar traits. --Ex: both flushed toilets before using them.

Kohlberg's stages of moral development

argued that during adolescence we go through a change in moral development.

Chomsky

argued that we have an innate ability to learn language (biological view). He also argued that there is a critical period in our life in which we can acquire language. After this period has past, it is much harder to learn language.

reflexes

automatic, unlearned responses to stimuli. **Ex: at a doctor the knee jerk reflex. (rooting-when you touch a babies cheek, they automatically turn their head and search for a nipple, sucking, swallowing, grasping, stepping) --around 3 months, most of these reflexes disappear and things start to change.

taste and smell

babies exhibit clear responses to pleasant and unpleasant odors and tastes.

formal operational stage

begins at age 12. Children begin to think logically and systematically about more abstract concepts.

Skinner

believed that children learn language by imitating their parents and being reinforced.

neuropsychological test

can measure brain abnormalities. **Ex: FMRI, MRI

twin-study method

identical and fraternal twins examined in same environments. Studies have found that identical twins are just more similar to each other than fraternal twins in all aspects. Ex: if one identical twin suffers from depression, the other twin is more likely to also suffer from depression. --Identical: one egg, one sperm --Fraternal: 2 eggs, one sperm--fraternal twins, genetically speaking are no more similar than normal siblings.

assimilation

incorporating information to fit existing schemas. Taking something new and putting it into what you already believe.

relationships with peers

increased conformity during teenage years. Relationships with friends become much more important during adolescence and we're exposed to lots of peer pressure.

1st attachment

intense, exclusive bond with our primary caregiver

psychological assessment

interviews, objective tests, projective tests, neuropsychological tests

object permanence

knowledge that an object continues to exist after it disappears. **Babies who have not developed this yet love peek-a-boo. --by 8 months, infants begin exhibiting memory for things no longer seen and will look for a hidden toy.

sensorimotor stage

lasts from 0-2 years of age. Infants take in the world through their senses and actions--through looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, grasping. --as their hands and limbs begin to move, they learn to make things happen.

concrete operational stage

lasts from 7-11 years old. Children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events. --conservation achieved.

pre-operational stage

lasts from ages 2-7. Children are now able to represent things with words and images but still too young to perform mental operations (such as imagining an action and mentally reversing it). Ex: **they assume that everyone can see what they see and that everyone is thinking what they're thinking. --the babies are egocentric --lack of conservation: the physical properties of an object do remain the same despite any superficial changes in operation. **Ex: water in different shaped glasses--even though the babies saw the water being poured into a different class, they still didn't understand that the amount of water remained the same.

objective test

measures very specific traits--simple pen and paper tests given to a representative sample of a population and a person to compare them to.

prospective memory

memory for a future action. **Ex: remembering to go to the grocery store later and get milk. **Age related decline

accommodation

modifying existing schemas to fit new information. Changing what you believe so that new information will fit in.

pre-conventional level

moral dilemmas are resolved in ways that satisfy self-serving motives. Young children are only able to solve dilemmas at this level. --all about receiving a reward or avoiding a punishment **Ex: I'm not going to steal candy because I don't want to get into trouble.

abnormal behavior

not black and white. Statistically defined by 3 criteria: 1. deviant/atypical--statistically unusual-deviates from the norm 2. maladaptive--any behavior that interferes with your ability to function on a day-to-day basis 3. something that is personally upsetting--if you find your behavior troubling **decisions must be made on a case to case basis because the line between normal and abnormal is fuzzy.

egocentrism

occurs during the pre-operational stage. Babies are unable to adopt the perspective of other people.

major depressive disorder

occurs when at least 5 signs of depression last two or more weeks. The symptoms must cause near-daily distress or impairment and not be attributable to substance use or other medical or mental illness. --deep despair, loss of interests, weight gain/loss, insomnia or hypersomnia, fatigue, lowers your immune system, feelings of worthlessness. --women experience this more than men--men are also less likely to seek help.

effects of the labels

once you're labeled, it tends to affect how others see you and it can be very hard to get rid of.

identity

our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by trying out different "selves" in different situations.

theory of mind

people's ideas about their own and others' mental stages--about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict. **Ex: with time, children come to understand what made a playmate angry, when a sibling will share, and what might make a parent buy them a toy.

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. --the fetal damage may occur because alcohol has an epigenetic effect: it leaves chemical marks on DNA that switch genes abnormally on and off.

strange situation test

places a child in a room, their mother and a female stranger take turns coming into the room. A child with secure attachment felt comfortable exploring when their mother was in the room but felt extremely upset when the mother left. When she came back they were excited to see her. Children with insecure attachment got angry when their mother came back. --most of us luckily form secure attachments

preference paradigm

presents 2 images side by side and whichever image the baby prefers, they will stare at longer. **Ex: when present with an image of a face and a non-face image, the baby will stare at the image of the face for longer because they like faces best.

fluid intelligence

reflects the ability to think quickly and in an abstract manner. **declines with age

crystalized intelligence

reflects the accumulation of verbal skills and factual knowledge. **doesn't decline with age, in fact it can get even stronger with age.

recovery

renewed interest in a picture--shows that the baby can discriminate between stimuli.

Harlow's monkeys

separated monkeys from their mothers and raised them in cages with made-up mothers--they clung to the terry cloth mother even though the hard metal one provided them their food. --we now know that premature infants do much better when they're exposed to human contact. **Grey's anatomy example: Alex held the premature baby close to his skin to keep her alive.

rumination

staying focused on a problem; compulsive fretting. Overthinking about our problems and their causes.

Piaget

studied the way that children think, problem solve, behave, etc.

relationships with parents

tension arises during the teenage years

social identity

the "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to the question "who am I?" that comes from what groups we are a part of.

intimacy

the ability to form emotionally close relationships; a primary developmental task in young adulthood.

genes

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA capable of synthesizing proteins.

genome

the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes.

interactive influences

the contributions of both genetics and environment are important. **Ex: identical twins are generally treated more similarly: parents dress them the same, name them similarly (same first letter, same sound, etc). **Parents pass down both genetics and environment

nature vs. nurture debate

the contributions of genetics vs. environment are not either or; but rather some of each. **Main question is how much does each factor contribute to one's development.

social clock

the definition of the "right time" to leave home, get a job, marry, have children and retire--varies from era to era and culture to culture.

fetus

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

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month. (the zygote's inner cells).

heritability

the extent to which variation among individuals can be attributed to their differing genes. The ______ of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display. This begins around 8 months of age. **Ex: children cry and reach for their caregivers when greeted by a stranger.

separation anxiety

the fear reaction to the absence of the primary caregiver. --babies must develop object permanence before they develop this.

maturation

the orderly sequence of biological growth--decrees many of our commonalities.. This sets the basic course of development and experience (nurture) adjusts it. **Ex: we stand before we walk. We use nouns before adjectives.

conservation

the principle that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape. --babies don't develop this until the concrete operational stage.

imprinting

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life. **Konrad Lorenz's duckling experiment: he tested what would happen if he was the first creature ducklings were exposed to when they hatched. They ended up following him around, becoming attached to him.

developmental psychology

the study of behavior from conception to death (throughout entire lifespan).

epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.

molecular behavior genetics

the study of how the structure and function of genes interact without the environment to influence behavior.

behavior genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior.

molecular genetics

the subfield of biology that studies the molecular structure and function of genes.

habituation

the tendency for your attention to a specific stimulus to lesson over time. **Ex: when a baby gets bored of a picture of a cat, he will look everywhere else besides at the picture of the cat.

puberty

the time when we mature sexually and become able to reproduce.

adolescence

the years spent morphing from a child to an adult--starts with physical beginnings of sexual maturity and ends with the social achievement of adult status.

critical period hypothesis

there is a critical period in our life in which we can acquire language. After this period has past, it is much more difficult to learn language. **Ex: the case of Genie: she never spoke or was spoken to, therefore, she never learned language.

chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes.

telegraphic speech

very simple, 2 or 3 word phrases in which the essentials are produced. Ex: "More milk"

sexuality

we become sexually mature during our teenage years. Just because we are physically maturing faster doesn't mean we are emotionally mature. Mentally, we are still maturing at the same speed as we always have.

menopause

when menstruation ends and a woman's ability to reproduce declines. Occurs usually around age 50.

cross-sectional design

you measure different people of different ages at the same time period. **Ex: 20 year olds outperform 60 year olds on a math test but we can't conclude that this is due to age alone. There are so many other contributing factors. For ex: the 60 year olds haven't been in school for decades while the 20 yr olds are just out of school or still in it. --advantage: less time consuming --disadvantage: all you can do is measure the differences between age groups. You can't measure change as a function of age.