Developmental psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan
Nature/nurture
Nature: Innate biological factors that influence development and personality. Nurture: External and environmental factors, including learning, that influence development and personality
Continuity/stages
There are two major theories about how people develop. On one hand, the continuity theory says that development is a gradual, continuous process. On the other hand, the discontinuity theory says that development occurs in a series of distinct stages
Stability/change
Stability and change looks at which traits persist throughout a lifespan versus those that change (e.g.. temperament and personality has been observed to become more stable as one gets older as opposed to social attitudes, which do not)
Zygote
The fertilized egg, it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into a embryo
Embryo
the developing human organism from about 2-weeks after fertilization throughout the 2nd month
Fetus
the developing human organism from about 9- weeks after conception to birth
Teratogen
(literally "monster makers") agents such as chemicals and viruses that can reach the embryo or fetus during the prenatal development and cause harm
Fetal alcohol syndrome
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant women who drinks heavily while she is pregnant
Habituation
decreased responsiveness with repeated stimulation as infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner
Reflexes: Rooting, Moro, Babinski
Rooting-when touched on the cheek, a baby will turn its head and seek a nipple
Moro- when startled, baby flings limbs out and slowly retract them
Babinski- when a baby's foot is stroked, he/she will spread their toes
Maturation
biological growth process that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by behavior
Motor development
The emergence of the ability to execute physical actions such as walking, crawling, reaching, and rolling
Brain development
in humans at birth, the brain is immature, but as the child matures, neural networks grow increasingly more complex, as they do, the infant's capabilities surge
Pruning
the process of removing neurons that are no longer used (happens around puberty)
Jean Piaget
Believed that children construct their understanding of the world while interacting with it, the experience spurts of change and move onto the next stage
Cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Schema
a concept of framework that organizes and interprets information
Assimilation
interpreting our new experiences in terms of existing schemas
Accommodation
adapting our current schemas to incorporate new information
Sensorimotor stage
in piaget's theory, the stage from birth to 2 years old 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
Animism
belief that objects that are inanimate (not living) have feelings, thoughts, and have the mental characteristics and qualities of living things
Preoperational stage
in piaget's theory, the stage from 2 to 7 years during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
Conservation
the principal (which piaget to be apart of concrete operational stage) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain display the changes in forms of objects
Pretend play
Imaginary playmates
Egocentrisism
in piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view
Centration
a preoperational thought pattern involving the inability to take into account more than one factor at a time
Irreversibility
the inability, in the preoperational child, to think through a series of events or mental operations and then mentally reverse the steps
Theory of mind
peoples ideas about their own and others mental stages- about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts these behaviors might predict
ASD
autism spectrum disorder, a disorder that appears in childhood and is marker by significant difficulties in communication and social interaction and by rigidly fixated interests and repeated behaviors
Concrete operational stage
in piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development from 7 to 11 years old during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events
Formal operational stage
in piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development at 12 years old during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts
Abstract thinking
the ability to think about objects, principles, and ideas that are not physically present
Lev Vygotsky
believed the child's mind grows through interactions with the physical environment
Zone of prozimal development
the zone between what a child can and cant do
scaffolding
children steping up to higher levels of thinking
Attactchment
an emotional tie with another person, shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
Stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning at 8 months of age
Harry Harlow
conducted the monkey experiment that concluded that humans need more than food in a caregiver, they also need comfort
Critical period
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimulus ot experience produce normal development
Imprinting
the process by which certain animal form strong attachments during an early life critical period
Sensitive period
the development of this process is easiest within that time, but it can still be acquired or even mastered.
Konrad Lorenz
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Temperament
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Mary Ainsworth
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Strange situation experiment
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Secure attatchment
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Insecure attachment
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Secure attachment
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Avoidant attachment
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Self- concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in our answering to the question, who am i?
Authoritarian
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Authoritative
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Permissive
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Erik Erikson: basic trust
according to erikson, a sense that the world is a predictable and trustworthy place
Gender
the socially constructed role and characteristics by which a culture defines male or female
Aggression
any physical or verbal behaviors intended to hurt or destroy
Social connectedness
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Gender role
a set of expected behaviors for males and females
Role
a set of expectations or norms about a social position, defining how those in that positron ought to behave
Gender idenity
the acquisition of a typical masculine or feminine role
Social learning theory
the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and being rewarded or punished
Gender typing
our sense of being male or female
Transgender
a umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth sex
Experience and brain development
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Parent and peer influence
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Adolescence
the transition period from childhood to adulthood extending from puberty to independence
Moral resoning
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Lawrence Kohlberg
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Preconventional morality
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Conventional morality
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Postconventional morality
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Carol Gilligan
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Moral intuiton
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Moral action
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Identity
our sense of self, according to erikson, the adolescents 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 membership
Erik Erikson
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Stages of psychosocial development
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Trust vs mistrust
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Autonomy vs shame and doubt
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Initiative vs guilt
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Competence vs inferiority
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Identity vs role confusion
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Intimacy vs isolation
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Generativity vs stagnation
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Integrity vs despair
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Emerging adulthood
for some people, in modern cultures, a period from late teens to mid twenties bridging the gap between adolescences dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood
X chromosone
the sex chromosome found in both men and women, females have 2 and men have 1
Y chromosone
the sex chromosome found only in males
Testosterone
the most important of the male sex hormones, both males and females have it but the additional amount in males stimulates male sex organs
Puberty
the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing
Primary sex characteristics
the body structures like ovaries, testies, and external genitalia that make sexual reproduction possible
Secondary sex characteristics
non reproductive sexual traits such as female breast and hips, and male voice quality and body hair
Menarche
the first menstrual period
Variations on sexual development
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Sexually transmitted infections
AIDS- a life threatening sexually transmitted infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus
Teen pregnancy
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Sexual orientation
and enduring sexual attraction towards members of ether one's own sex, the opposite sex, or both sexes
Environment and sexual orientation
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Biology and sexual orientation
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Genetic influences and prenatal influences
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Physical changes of adulthood
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Menopause
the time of natural cessations of menstration also refers to the biologically change a woman experiences as her fertility declines
Strength and stamina
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Sensory abilities
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Health
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The aging brain
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Cognitive development changes
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Cross sectional studies
a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another
Longitudinal studies
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period of time
Social development
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Social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
Adulthood commitments: love, work, family
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Death and dying
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Elizabeth Kublar- Ross stages of grief
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