AP Psych Ch 4 Vocab

305394383	conservation	the principle that properties such as mass, volume and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects
305394384	critical period	an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development
305394385	fetal alcohol syndrome	physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions.
305394386	intimacy	in Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood
305394387	cognition	all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering and communicating
305394388	primary sex characteristics	the body structures (ovaries, testes, external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible
305394389	self-concept	a sense of one's own identity and personal worth; all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "who am I?"
305394390	basic trust	according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers
305406848	imprinting	the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life
305406849	attachment	an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
305406850	concrete operational stage	in 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
305406851	egocentrism	in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty in taking another's point of view
305406852	object permanence	the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived
305406853	sensorimotor stage	in 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
305406854	developmental psychology	a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive and social change throughout the life span
305416133	schema	a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
305416134	maturation	biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
305416135	habituation	decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner
305416136	rooting reflex	a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth and search for the nipple
305416137	identity	one's sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles