Development

zygote

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.

fetus

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.

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.

maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience - sitting up, walking, talking, potty training etc.

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.

accommodation

(2) in developmental psychology, adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.

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. Learn object permanance

object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived/seen

preoperational stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to about 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language and categorizes based on one characteristic - learns conservation, learns to see from another's perspective

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.

egocentrism

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

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 - would understand conservation

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.

stranger anxiety

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

attachment

\n 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 early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development.

gender

the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female.

primary sex characteristics

the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.

secondary sex characteristics

nonreproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.

cross-sectional study

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

longitudinal study

\n research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period.

Kohlberg's Preconventional Stage

Morality driven by (1) punishment and obedience (2) and rewards and praise

Kohlberg's Conventional Stage

Moral reasoning takes into account parental attitudes and cultural norms

Kohlberg's Postconventional Stage

Reasoning allows us to criticize society itself - justice is more important than law

authoritative parenting

parenting style characterized by emotional warmth, high standards for behavior, explanation and consistent enforcement of rules, and inclusion of children in decision making

authoritarian parenting

style of parenting in which parent is rigid and overly strict, showing little warmth to the child

permissive parenting

A parenting style characterized by the placement of few limits on the child's behavior.

contact comfort theory

Theory of attachment that states that babies are attached to their mothers because of the comfort of their cozy touch - Harry Harlow

secure attachment style

an attachment style characterized by trust, a lack of concern with being abandoned, and the view that one is worthy and well liked - plays confidently, distress when caregiver leaves, able to be soothed.

fluid intelligence

our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

crystallized intelligence

our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

Trust vs. Mistrust

Erikson's first stage during the first year of life, infants learn to trust when they are cared for in a consistent warm manner

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Erikson's stage in which a toddler learns to exercise will and to do things independently; failure to do so causes anxiety

Initiative vs. Guilt

\n Erikson's third stage in which the child finds independence in planning, playing and other activities

Industry vs. Inferiority

\n Erikson's stage between 6 and 11 years, when the child learns to be productive

identity vs. role confusion

Erikson's stage during which teenagers and young adults search for and become their true selves

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Erikson's stage in which individuals form deeply personal relationships, marry, begin families

Generativity vs. Stagnation

\n Erikson's stage of social development in which middle-aged people begin to devote themselves more to fulfilling one's potential and doing public service

integrity vs despair

Erikson's final stage in which those near the end of life look back and evaluate their lives

strange situation

a behavioral test developed by Mary Ainsworth that is used to determine a child's attachment style

rooting reflex

\n a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple

Habituation

\n decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

Dishabituation

recovery of a habituated response after a change in stimulation

sensitive period

A limited phase in development that is the most effective time to learn certain behaviors

Proximodistal

\n "inside-to-outside rule" motor skills emerge in a sequence of center moving outward

Cephalcaudal

motor skills emerge in a sequence of head to toe

Teratogens

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