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

AP Psychology - Development Psychology Flashcards

Advanced Placement Psychology

Terms : Hide Images
8814028162Developmental Psychologya branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.0
8814028163Zygotethe fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.1
8814028164Embryothe developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.2
8814028165Fetusthe developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.3
8814028166Teratogensagents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.4
8814028167Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions.5
8814028168Habituationdecreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.6
8814028169Maturationbiological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.7
8814028170Cognitionall the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.8
8814028171Schemaa concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.9
8814028172Assimilationinterpreting our new experience in terms of our existing schemas.10
8814028173AccommodationDevelopment - adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.11
8814028174Sensorimotor 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 activities.12
8814028175Object Permanencethe awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.13
8814028176Preoperational Stagein Piaget's theory, the stage (from 2 to about 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic.14
8814028177Conservationthe 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.15
8814028178Egocentrismin Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view.16
8814028179Theory of Mindpeople's ideas about their own and others' mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.17
8814028180Concrete 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 events.18
8814028181Formal 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
8814028182Autisma disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind.20
8814028183Stranger Anxietythe fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.21
8814028184Attachmentan emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.22
8814028185Critical Periodan optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development.23
8814028186Imprintingthe process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.24
8814028187Temperamenta person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.25
8814028188Basic Trustaccording to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers.26
8814028189Self-Conceptall our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"27
8814028190Genderin psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female.28
8814028191Aggressionphysical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone.29
8814028192X Chromosomethe sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two of these; males have one. One chromosome from each parent produces a female child.30
8814028193Y Chromosomethe sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child.31
8814028194Testosteronethe most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional levels in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.32
8814028195Rolea set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.33
8814028196Gender Rolea set of expected behaviors for males or for females.34
8814028197Gender Identityour sense of being male or female.35
8814028198Gender Typingthe acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.36
8814028199Social Learning Theorythe theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.37
8814028200Adolescencethe transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.38
8814028201Pubertythe period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.39
8814028202Primary Sex Characteristicsthe body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.40
8814028203Secondary Sex Characteristicsnonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.41
8814028204Menarchethe first menstrual period.42
8814028205Identityour sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.43
8814028206Social Identitythe "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "Who am I?" that comes from our group memberships.44
8814028207Intimacyin Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood.45
8814028208Emerging Adulthoodfor some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood.46
8814028209Menopausethe time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.47
8814028210Cross-Sectional Studya study in which people of different ages are compared with one another.48
8814028211Longitudinal Studyresearch in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period.49
8814028212Crystallized Intelligenceour accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.50
8814028213Fluid Intelligenceour ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.51
8814028214Social Clockthe culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.52
8814028215Moro reflexInfant startle response to sudden, intense noise or movement. When startled the newborn arches its back, throws back its head, and flings out its arms and legs. Usually disappears after four months.53
8814028216Babinski reflexReflex in which a newborn fans out the toes when the sole of the foot is touched54
8814028217holographic speechone word declarations by children at about age 155
8814028218VygotskyBelieved that cognitive development was largely the result of the child's interaction with members of his or her own culture rather than his or her interaction with concrete objects Zones of Proximal Devl: social interaction influences learning. Students learn best when teachers teach them something they don't know yet, and then provide students opportunities to practice and learn with other peers and adults supporting.56
8814028219latchkey childrenchild who returns from school to an empty home because their parent or parents are away at work, or a child who is often left at home with little parental supervision. are left unsupervised after school and are at a higher risk for accidents, isolated and alone57
8814028220Piagettheorist that developed a series of stages in which an individual passes during cognitive development. Growth occurs in stages - sensory motor (0-2), pre-operational, experiential (2-7), concrete operational (7-11) formal operational (11+) formal and abstract operations58
8814028221Kohlbergtheorist who claimed individuals went through a series of stages in the process of moral development. Development; Concepts: stages of moral development; Study Basics: Studied boys responses to and processes of reasoning 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? Developing children progress through a predictable sequence of stages of moral reasoning (preconventional, conventional, postconventional).59
8814028222EriksonProposed that individuals go through 8 distinct, universal stages of development. Each stage consists of a developmental task that confronts individuals with a crisis. Infant; 0-2 years: Trust Vs. mistrust 2. Toddler; 2-3 years: Autonomy Vs shame and doubt 3. Preschool; 3-5 years: Initiative Vs guilt 4. School age; 6-12 years: Industry Vs inferiority 5. Adolescent; 12-18 years: Identity Vs identity (or role) confusion 6. Young adult: 18-25 years: Intimacy Vs isolation 7. Middle adult: 25-45 years: Generativity Vs stagnation 8. Older adult: 45-death: Ego integrity Vs despair60
8814028223BanduraSocial Learning Theory Observational learning; Bobo dolls; social-cognitive theory Social Learning Theory - emphasizes modeling or observational learning as a powerful source of development and behavior modification61
8814028224presbyopiaDefect in vision in advancing age involving loss of accommodation or recession of near vision; due to loss of elasticity of crystalline lens62
8814028225presbycusisage-related hearing loss63
8814028226empty-nest syndromethe feelings of sadness or loneliness that accompany children's leaving home and entering adulthood64
8814028227death-deferral phenomenonPeople tend to put off dying when there is an event to look forward to, such as holidays spirit affects life expectancy; depression causes poor health and early death; ex: more people die 2 days after Christmas than before65
8814028228dementiaImpairment of mental functioning and global cognitive abilities in otherwise alert individuals, causing memory loss and related symptoms and typically having a progressive nature66
8814028229Alzheimer's diseasechronic, progressive, degenerative cognitivedisorder that accounts for more than 60% of all dementias an irreversible, progressive brain disorder, characterized by the deterioration of memory, language, and eventually, physical functioning67
8814028230Kubler-RossHer theory proposes that the terminally ill pass through a squence of 5 stages: 1. denial, 2. anger/resentment, 3. bargaining with God, 4. depression, and 5. acceptance68
8814028231stages vs. continuityDebate over development occurring in set time periods verses continual or individual changes and development69

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!