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Myers for AP ~ Unit 9 Flashcards

Unit 9: Developmental Psychology
Myer's Psychology for the AP
David G. Myers

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6670311576Developmental PsychologyA branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span0
6670311577ZygoteThe fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo1
6670311578EmbryoThe developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month2
6670311579FetusThe developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth3
6670311580TeratogensAgents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm4
6670311581Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)Psychical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. IN severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions5
6670311582HabituationDecreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner6
6670311583MaturationBiological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience7
6670311584CognitionAll the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating8
6670311585SchemaA concept or framework that organizes and interprets information9
6670311586AssimilationInterpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas10
6670311587AccommodationAdapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information11
6670311588Sensorimotor 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
6670311589Object PermanenceThe awareness that things continue the exist even when not perceived13
6670311590Preoperational 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 logic14
6670311591ConservationThe principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remains the same despite changes in the forms of objects15
6670311592EgocentrismIn Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view16
6670311593Theory of MindPeople's ideas about their own and other's mental states- about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict17
6670311594Concrete 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 enables them to think logically about concrete events18
6670311595Formal Operational StageIn Piaget's theory the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts19
6670311596AutismA disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding others' states of mind20
6670311597Stranger AnxietyThe fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age21
6670311598AttachmentAn emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation22
6670311599Critical PeriodAn optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development23
6670311600ImprintingThe process by which certain animals form attachment during a critical period very early in life24
6670311601TemperamentA person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity25
6670311602Basic 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
6670311603Self ConceptOur understanding and evaluation of who we are27
6670311604GenderIn psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female28
6670311605AggressionPhysical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone29
6670311606X ChromosomeThe sex chromosome found in both men and women. Female have two of these chromosomes; males have one. One of these chromosomes from each parent produces a female child30
6670311607Y ChromosomeThe sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child31
6670311608TestosteroneThe most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty32
6670311609RoleA set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave33
6670311610Gender RoleA set of expected behaviors for males and for females34
6670311611Gender IdentityOur sense of being male or female35
6670311612Gender TypingThe acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role36
6670311613Social Learning TheoryThe theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished37
6670311614AdolescenceThe transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence38
6670311615PubertyThe period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing39
6670311616Primary Sex CharacteristicsThe body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that makes sexual reproduction possible40
6670311617Secondary Sex CharacteristicsNonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality and body hair41
6670311618MenarcheThe first menstrual period42
6670311619IdentityOur sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles43
6670311620Social IdentityThe "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "Who am I?" that comes from our group memberships44
6670311621IntimacyIn Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood45
6670311622Emerging 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 adulthood46
6670311623MenopauseThe time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes of a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines47
6670311624Cross Sectional StudyA study in which people of different ages are compared with one another48
6670311625Longitudinal StudyResearch in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period49
6670311626Crystallized IntelligenceOur accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age50
6670311627Fluid IntelligenceOur ability to reason speedily and abstractly, tends to decrease during late adulthood51
6670311628Social ClockThe culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement52

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