AP Psychology Unit 7: Development

secure attachment

A beneficial parent-child relationship where the child is assured by the parent's presence, displays minor distress when the parent departs, and quickly reestablishes connection once the parent comes back.

dementia (neurocognitive disorder)

A chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury, and marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and impaired reasoning.

schema

A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Alzheimer's disease

A progressive mental deterioration occurring in middle or old age that occurs due to a lack of ACh.

Jonathan Haidt

A psychologist who believes much of our morality is rooted in quick gut feelings or affectively laden intuitions (moral intuitions).

secure base

A safe haven provided through a relationship with one or more attachment figures.

basic trust

A sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers.

Kubler-Ross's stages of grief

A set of five emotions that the researcher believed all people experienced at least one of during grieving. They are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. This has been disproved by current research, which suggests that what the majority of people actually experience is resilience.

self-concept

All of our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question "Who am I?"

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 upon separation.

strange situation

An experiment by Mary Ainsworth where infants were placed in an unfamiliar setting with their caregivers and observed. The independent variable was the presence of the caregiver, and the dependent variable was the infants' behavior.

critical period

An optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development.

insecure attachment.

An unhealthy parent-child relationship marked either by anxiety or avoidance of trusting relationships.

maturation

Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, which are relatively uninfluenced by experience.

emerging adulthood

For some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-20s, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood.

life expectancy

How long the average person in a country is expected to live. The global life expectancy has risen by 20 years since 1950.

secondary sex characteristics

Non-reproductive sexual characteristics (such as body hair).

permissive parenting

Parenting where parents makes few demands in terms of rules, but are responsive to their children's desires.

authoritarian parenting

Parenting where parents set and enforce rules, but are not responsive to their children's desires.

authoritative parenting

Parenting where parents set and enforces rules, but are responsive to their children's desires. They explain the reasons for rules, encourage open discussion when making rules, and allow exceptions.

theory of mind

People's ideas about their own and others' mental states - about their feelings, their perceptions, their thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.

social identity

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

accomodation

The adaptation of our current schemas to incorporate new information.

primary sex characteristics

The body structures (i.e. uterus, testes, external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.

neural network growth

The formation and growth of neural pathways and connections, which occurs after birth. It is largely concentrated in the motor development neural networks at first, then moves onto the frontal lobes and association areas.

assimilation

The interpretation of new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.

postconventional moral thinking

The level of moral thinking most adolescents and adults have achieved. People with this level of moral thinking act based on their belief in basic rights and their self-defined ethical principles.

preconventional moral thinking

The level of moral thinking most common among children less than 9 years old. People with this level of moral thinking obey rules mostly to further their own self-interest.

conventional moral thinking.

The level of moral thinking most common among people in early adolescence. People with this level of moral thinking uphold laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order.

puberty

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

late life

The portion of a person's life that occurs after they turn 65 years old.

conservation

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.

imprinting

The process by which certain species of lower-order animals (notably birds) form inflexible attachments during a critical period very early in life.

scaffolding

The provision of temporary frameworks for support and access to meaning so that children can move from their current understandings to higher levels of thinking.

autonomy vs. shame and self-doubt

The psychosocial issue of importance during toddlerhood (1-3 years). Toddlers either learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities.

identity vs. role confusion

The psychosocial issue of importance in adolescence (12-20 years). Teenagers either form and refine a single identity, or become confused about who they are.

competence vs. inferiority

The psychosocial issue of importance in elementary school (6-12 years). Children either learn the pleasure of applying themselves to tasks, or they feel inferior.

trust vs. mistrust

The psychosocial issue of importance in infancy (0-1 years). If needs are dependably met, infants will develop a sense of basic trust.

integrity vs. despair

The psychosocial issue of importance in late adulthood (65 and older). Seniors either feel a sense of satisfaction reflecting on their life, or feel regret and sadness about how they spent their life.

generativity vs. stagnation

The psychosocial issue of importance in middle adulthood (40-65 years). Adults either gain a sense of purpose through activities such as volunteering, or feel as if they are wasting their life.

initiative vs. guilt

The psychosocial issue of importance in preschool (3-6 years). Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, or they feel guilty about their efforts to be independent.

intimacy vs. isolation

The psychosocial issue of importance in young adulthood (20-40 years). Adults either form close relationships with others, or become isolated and feel lonely.

sensorimotor stage

The stage in Piaget's developmental model that occurs between 0 and 2 years of age. During this stage, children experience the world through their senses and actions. They also develop object permanence and stranger anxiety.

formal operational stage

The stage in Piaget's developmental model that occurs between 12 years of age and death. During this stage, children gain the ability to reason abstractly, and have the potential for mature moral reasoning.

preoperational stage

The stage in Piaget's developmental model that occurs between 2 and 6-7 years of age. During this age, children represent things with words and images, use intuitive rather than logical reasoning, are incredibly egocentric, engage in pretend play ,and display animism and artificialism.

concrete operational stage

The stage in Piaget's developmental model that occurs between 7 and 11 years of age. During this stage, children gain the ability to think logically about concrete events, grasp concrete analogies, perform mathematical transformations, and learn about conservation of matter.

menopause

The time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.