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AP Psychology - Development Psychology Flashcards

Advanced Placement Psychology

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5844386890Developmental Psychologya branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.0
5844386891Zygotethe fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.1
5844386892Embryothe developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.2
5844386893Fetusthe developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.3
5844386894Teratogensagents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.4
5844386895Fetal 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
5844386896Habituationdecreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.6
5844386897Maturationbiological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.7
5844386898Cognitionall the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.8
5844386899Schemaa concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.9
5844386900Assimilationinterpreting our new experience in terms of our existing schemas.10
5844386901AccommodationDevelopment - adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.11
5844386902Sensorimotor 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
5844386903Object Permanencethe awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.13
5844386904Preoperational 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
5844386905Conservationthe 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
5844386906Egocentrismin Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view.16
5844386907Theory of Mindpeople's ideas about their own and others' mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.17
5844386908Concrete 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
5844386909Formal 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
5844386910Autisma disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind.20
5844386911Stranger Anxietythe fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.21
5844386912Attachmentan emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.22
5844386913Critical Periodan optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development.23
5844386914Imprintingthe process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.24
5844386915Temperamenta person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.25
5844386916Basic 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
5844386917Self-Conceptall our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"27
5844386918Genderin psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female.28
5844386919Aggressionphysical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone.29
5844386920X 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
5844386921Y Chromosomethe sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child.31
5844386922Testosteronethe 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
5844386923Rolea set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.33
5844386924Gender Rolea set of expected behaviors for males or for females.34
5844386925Gender Identityour sense of being male or female.35
5844386926Gender Typingthe acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.36
5844386927Social Learning Theorythe theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.37
5844386928Adolescencethe transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.38
5844386929Pubertythe period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.39
5844386930Primary Sex Characteristicsthe body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.40
5844386931Secondary Sex Characteristicsnonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.41
5844386932Menarchethe first menstrual period.42
5844386933Identityour sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.43
5844386934Social Identitythe "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "Who am I?" that comes from our group memberships.44
5844386935Intimacyin Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood.45
5844386936Emerging 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
5844386937Menopausethe time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.47
5844386938Cross-Sectional Studya study in which people of different ages are compared with one another.48
5844386939Longitudinal Studyresearch in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period.49
5844386940Crystallized Intelligenceour accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.50
5844386941Fluid Intelligenceour ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.51
5844386942Social Clockthe culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.52

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