AP Notes, Outlines, Study Guides, Vocabulary, Practice Exams and more!

AP Psych. Unit 8 Flashcards

Terms : Hide Images
6079577858developmental psychologya branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span0
6079577859zygotethe fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo1
6079577860embryothe developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month2
6079577861fetusthe developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth3
6079577862teratogensagents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm4
6079577863fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial mis-proportions5
6079577864habituationdecreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner6
6079577865maturationbiological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience7
6079577866cognitionall the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating8
6079577867schemaa concept or framework that organizes and interprets information9
6079577868assimilationinterpreting our new experience in terms of our existing schemas10
6079577869accommodationthe process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina11
6079577870sensorimotor stagein 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 activities12
6079577871object permanencethe awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived13
6079577872preoperational stagein 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 logic14
6079577873conservationAbility to recognize that objects can be transformed in some way, visually or phycially, yet still be the same in number, weight, substance, or volume15
6079577874egocentrismin Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view16
6079577875theory of mindpeople's ideas about their own and others' mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict17
6079577876concrete operational stagein 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 events18
6079577877formal operational stagein Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts.19
6079577878autismAutism is one of three disorders in Autism Spectrum disorder. It is related to brain abnormalities, but the cause is debated.20
6079577879stranger anxietyAlthough many people might get anxious around strangers, this term refers to a developmental situation in which infants become anxious and fearful around strangers.21
6079577880attachmentAttachment can pertain to all people, regardless of age, but typically relates to the attachment between children and caregivers22
6079577881Critical Periodan optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development23
6079577882imprinting(of a young animal) come to recognize (another animal, person, or thing) as a parent or other object of habitual trust.24
6079577883temperamentTemperament refers to the characteristics and aspects of personality that we are born with.25
6079577884basic trustchildren who have secure attachments with their parents have a general sense that the world is predictable and reliable (this is basic trust)26
6079577885self conceptan idea of the self constructed from the beliefs one holds about oneself and the responses of others.27
6079577886gender typing. Gender typing is when children acquire these masculine and/or feminine roles and identify with these roles.28
6079577887social learning theoryThis theory, made famous by Albert Bandura, states that social behavior (any type of behavior that we display socially) is learned primarily by observing and imitating the actions of others.29
6079577888genderthe state of being male or female (typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones).30
6079577889aggressionaggression is any form of behavior that is intended to harm or injure some person, oneself, or an object.31
6079577890x chromosomethe sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two X chromosomes; males have one. An X chromosome from each parent produces a female child32
6079577891y chromosomethe sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child33
6079577892testosteronetestosterone is a very important male sex hormone. Although it is considered a male sex hormone, women do have it, just in lesser quantities than men.34
6079577893gender roleGender role is a set of expectations held by society about the ways in which men and women are supposed to behave based on their gender.35
6079577894gender identityGender identity is one's own perception or sense of being male or female.36
6079577895adolescenceThe developmental stage that occurs from puberty to maturity, lasting from about ages 12 to 18 (there is some debate about the exact age range, but 12-18 is a commonly accepted range)37
6079577896pubertyPuberty is the time period between childhood and adulthood when physical changes allow for reproduction38
6079577897primary sex characteristicsprimary sex characteristics are body structures that are specific to sex. Females have ovaries whereas men have testes.39
6079577898secondary sex characteristicsThese are the physical features other than reproductive orgrans that distinguish men from women. Unlike primary sex characteristics which are the main sex-specific reproductive organs (i.e., ovaries and testes), secondary sex characteristics are nonreporductive sexual characteristics such as breasts (on females) and an adam's apple on men.40
6079577899menarcheThis is a very straight forward one - menarche is a female's first menstrual cycle...when a girl has her first "period".41
6079577900social identityThis theory addresses the ways in which people perceive and categorize themselves. According to social identity theory, individuals form self-conceptions that are based on two parts: 1) personal or self identity, and 2) collective identity.42
6079577901intimacyThis term comes from Erikson's theory of development, and refers to a person's ability form close, loving relationships, which he stated is the primary developmental task of early adulthood.43
6079577902emerging adulthoodEmerging adulthood is a developmental phase that spans between adolescence and adulthood.44

Need Help?

We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.

For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.

If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.

Need Notes?

While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!