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