AP Psychology | Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology

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

Zygote

the fertilized egg that begins rapid cell division

Embryo

attached to the mother’s uterine wall, the placenta begins absorbing nutrients. Heart begin to beat.

stage in prenatal development from 2 to 8 weeks

Fetus

The longest period of prenatal develop marks more important changes in the brain.

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

Teratogens

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

Attachment

The strong bond (social-emotional) a child forms with his or her primary caregiver.

Maturation

the internally programmed growth of a child

Assimilation

the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure

Accommodation

in the theories of Jean Piaget: the modification of internal representations in order to accommodate a changing knowledge of reality

Sensorimotor Stage

the first stage in Piaget's theory, during which the child relies heavily on innate motor responses and SENSORY impressions to stimuli

From birth to about 2 years of age

LACK OF OBJECT PERMANENCE HERE

Object Permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

Preoperational Stage

the second stage in Piaget's theory, marked by well-developed mental representation and the use of language

From 2 to about 6 or 7 years of age

LACK OF CONSERVATION HERE

Egocentrism

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

Concrete Operational Stage

the third of Piaget's stages, when a child understands conversation but still is incapable of abstract thought. logical thinking about CONCRETE events

From about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age

Conservation

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

Theory of Mind

an awareness that other people's behavior may be influenced by beliefs, desires, and emotions that differ from one's own

Temperament

individuals characteritc manner of behavior or reaction assumed to have a strong genetic basis

Adolescence

the time period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood

Puberty

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

Primary Sex Characteristics

the body structures that make sexual reproduction possible

e.g. ovaries, testes, and external genitalia

Secondary Sex Characteristics

physical features that are associated with gender but that are not directly involved in reproduction.

e.g. facial hair, enlarged breasts, pubic hair, and deeper voices

Formal Operational Stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts (things not in front of them)

Beginning about age 12

Ainsworth

developmental psychology; compared effects of maternal separation, devised patterns of attachment; "The Strange Situation": observation of parent/child attachment

Bandura

pioneer in observational learning (AKA social learning), stated that people profit from the mistakes/successes of others; Studies: Bobo Dolls-adults demonstrated 'appropriate' play with dolls, children mimicked play

Erikson

neo-Freudian, humanistic; 8 psychosocial stages of development: theory shows how people evolve through the life span. Each stage is marked by a psychological crisis that involves confronting "Who am I?"

Gilligan

moral development studies to follow up Kohlberg.

discovered that males put an emphasis on rules and laws (they are pushed to be independent) whereas females put an emphasis on social relationships (they are more interdependent and socially oriented)

Haidt

theorist who proposed that moral thoughts were not necessarily logical, because they are prompted by moral feelings, which are the equivalent of gut feelings.

we defend why we feel something is right or wrong only after feeling it/reacting to it

Harlow

development, contact/creature comfort, attachment; experimented with baby rhesus monkeys and presented them with cloth or wire "mothers;" showed that the monkeys became attached to the cloth mothers because of contact comfort

Kohlberg

moral development; presented boys moral dilemmas and studied their responses and reasoning processes in making moral decisions. Most famous moral dilemma is "Heinz" who has an ill wife and cannot afford the medication. Should he steal the medication and why?

Lorenz

researcher who focused on critical attachment periods in baby birds, a concept he called imprinting

Piaget

four stage theory of cognitive development

he said that the two basic processes work in tandem to achieve cognitive growth-assimilation and accommodation

emphasized how the child’s mind grows through interaction with the PHYSICAL environment

Vygotsky

child development; investigated how culture & interpersonal communication guide development; zone of proximal development; play research

emphasized how the child’s mind grows through interaction with the SOCIAL environment

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

a medical condition in which body deformation or facial development or mental ability of a fetus is impaired because the mother drank alcohol while pregnant

Habituation

a general accommodation to unchanging environmental conditions

Cognition

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

Schema

In observational learning, a generalized idea that captures the important components, but not every exact detail. Pertaining to memory and person perception, a generalized idea about objects, people, and events that are encountered frequently.

Autism

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

Stranger Anxiety

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

Critical Period

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

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

Gender Typing

the process of developing the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions associated with a particular gender.

Social Learning theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

(“Nicole, you’re such a good mommy to your dolls” or “Big boys don’t cry, Alex”)

Gender

in psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female.

Role

the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group

Gender Identity

your identity as it is experienced with regard to your individuality as male or female

Identity

the individual characteristics by which a thing or person is recognized or known

Social Identity

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

Intimacy

the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early childhood

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

Cross-Sectional Study

a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

Longitudinal Study

Research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period

Crystallized Intelligence

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

Fluid Intelligence

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

Gender Role

a set of expected behaviors for males or for females

Nature vs. Nurture

how does our genetic inheritance (Nature) interact with our experiences (our nurture) to influence our development

Continuity and Stages

what parts of development are gradual and continuous, like riding an escalator and what parts change abruptly in separate stages, like climbing rungs on a ladder?

Continuity

is experience (Continuity or Stages pick one)

Stages

is biological (Continuity or Stages pick one)

Stability and Change

which of our traits persist through life and how do we change as we age?

Babinski Reflex of infants

projection of big toe and fanning of other toes when the sole of the foot is touched

can be tested by tickling infants to see if their toes move

Criticism of Jean Piaget

babies are learning most of what he claimed they learn a lot earlier than he predicted

Vygotsky

is Continuity (Vygotsky or Piaget pick one)

Piaget

is Stages (Vygotsky or Piaget pick one)

Scaffold

giving infants some support for a little bit, but taking it away when it’s no longer necessary

Zone of Proximal Development

the zone where a child cannot do anything unless you help them to understand it

Contact-Comfort

is essential to attachment

things that feel soft are things you get more attached to

Parent-Infant Attachment Bonds

attachment bond between parent and infant that forms because parent (usually mother) provides and cares for infant

Secure Base

something that parents give to their offspring so that they have a “safe base” to explore off of without endangering themselves

Imprinting

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early-life critical period

Sensitive Period

period of time where human children get attached

Scarr

studied day cares and the effect they have on children

Age 12

age by which most children have developed a self-concept

Self-Concept

all of one’s thoughts or feelings about oneself, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

is more broadly defined, it’s ALL the thoughts and feelings

Self-Esteem

how one feels about who they are

15 to 18 months

age by which children begin to gain self-awareness

Authoritarian Parenting Style

parents impose rules and expect obedience: “Don’t interrupt.” “Keep your room clean.” “Don’t stay out late or you’ll be grounded,” “Why? Because I said so.”

Permissive Parenting Style

parents submit to their children’s desires. They make few demands and use little punishment

Authoritative Parenting Style

parents are both demanding and response. They exert control by setting rules and enforcing them, but they also explain the reasons for rules. And, especially with older children, they encourage open discussion when making the rules and allow exceptions

Negligent Parenting Style

parents are uninvolved in their child’s life, lack of responsiveness to a child’s needs

Authoritative Parents

parenting style that leads to children with the highest self-esteem, self-reliance and social competence

Authoritarian Parents

parenting style that leads to children with less social skill and self-esteem

Permissive Parents

parenting style that leads to children who are more aggressive and immature

Negligent Parents

parenting style that leads to children that do not handle independence well, show poor self-control, and are less competent socially

Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment

children often mimic what they see other adults do (children saw adult beating up a doll (wtf) and so they mimicked it later on when left alone)

Observational and Social Learning occurs

Sexual orientation

our enduring patterns of sexual attraction (who we are attracted to)

Father

Determines the biological sex of a child

Rozenwig

discovered that rats raised an enriching environment (playground) usually developed a heavier and thicker brain cortex as opposed to those raised in solitary confinement

discovered that during early childhood, children can most easily master such skills as the grammar and accent of another language and also other skills such as visual experience

Parental Influence

more important when it comes to education, discipline, responsibility, orderliness, charitableness, and ways of interacting with authority figures.

also values, political beliefs, and manners.

Peer Influence

more important when it comes to learning cooperation, finding the road to popularity, and inventing styles of interaction among other peers.

also influence slang, food, and fashion. (culture)

During adolescence

when does a pruning/removal of unused neurons and connections occurs, what we don’t use, we lose occur

Frontal lobes, Myelin, and Limbic System

what grows as teens mature

Moral Thinking Theory

constructed by Lawrence Kohlberg, states that moral thinking develops through three stages: Preconventional, Conventional, and Postconventional morality

Preconventional Morality

focuses on self-interest (obey rules to avoid punishment or gain concrete rewards) like “if you save your wife, you’ll be a hero” (Do something for a reward)

Conventional Morality

focuses on upholding laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order like “if you steal the drug, everyone will think you’re a criminal (Do something because society thinks it’s right)

Postconventional Morality

focuses on how actions reflect belief in basic rights and self-defined ethical principles like “people have a right to live” (Do something because I think it’s right)

Studied only white, upper class men in his experiment

issue with Kohlberg’s experiment

Identity vs. Role

confusion stems from Erikson’s belief that each stage of life has its own psychosocial task, a crisis that needs resolution, talking about how adolescents develop their self-concept during this moment of their life/stage

Infancy (birth to 1 year)

issue: trust vs. mistrust

if needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust

Toddlerhood (1 to 3 years)

issue: autonomy vs. shame and doubt

people learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves ,or they doubt their abilities

Preschool (3 to 6 years)

issue: autonomy vs. shame and doubt

people learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans, or they feel guilty about their efforts to be independent