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AP Psychology - Chapter 4 Flashcards

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5535378488Development Psychologya branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span0
5535378489Zygotethe fertilized egg; it enters a 2 week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo1
5535378490Embryothe developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month2
5535378491Fetusthe developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth3
5535378492Teratogensagents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can cause harm to the embryo or fetus during prenatal development4
5535378493Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions5
5535378494Rooting Reflexa baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple6
5535378495Habituationdecreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner7
5535378496Maturationbiological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience8
5535378497Schemaa concept or framework that organizes and interprets information9
5535378498Assimilationinterpreting one's new experience in terms of one's existing schemas10
5535378499Accomodationadapting one's current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information11
5535378500Cognitionall the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating12
5535378501Sensorimotor 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 activities13
5535378502Object Permanencethe awareness that things continue to exist even when not percieved14
5535378503Preoperational 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 logic15
5535378504Conservationthe 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 objects16
5535378505Egocentrismin Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking other's points of view17
5535378506Theory of Mindpeople's ideas about their own and others' mental states -- their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts -- and the behavior these might predict18
5535378507Autisma disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of minds19
5535378508Concrete 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 events20
5535378509Formal Operational Stagein Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts21
5535378510Stranger Anxietythe fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age22
5535378511Attachmentan emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation23
5535378512Critical Periodan optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development24
5535378513Imprintingthe process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life25
5535378514Basic Trustaccording to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers26
5535378515Self-Concepta sense of one's identity and personal worth27
5535378516Adolescencethe transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence28
5535378517Pubertythe period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing29
5535378518Primary Sex Characteristicsthe body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible30
5535378519Secondary Sex Characteristicsnon-reproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair31
5535378520Menarchethe first menstrual period32
5535378521Identityone's sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles33
5535378522Intimacyin Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary development task in late adolescence and early adulthood34
5535378523Menopausethe time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines35
5535378524Alzheimer's Diseasea progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and finally physical functioning36
5535378525Cross-Sectional Studya study in which people of different ages are compared with one another37
5535378526Longitudinal StudyResearch in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period of time38
5535378527Crystallized Intelligenceone's accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age39
5535378528Fluid Intelligenceone's ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood40
5535378529Social Clockthe culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement41

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