CHAPTER 10 Vocab G-Z

Question 1

A gradual reduction in the strength of a response when a stimulus event is presented repeatedly

Answer 1

Habituation

Question 2

Careful systematic observation of one’s own conscious experience

Answer 2

Introspection

Question 3

The inability to envision reversing an action

Answer 3

Irreversibility

Question 4

A densely connected network of structures roughly located along the border between the cerebral cortex and deeper subcortical areas

Answer 4

Limbic system

Question 5

A research design in which investigators observe one group of subjects repeatedly over a period of time

Answer 5

Longitudinal design

Question 6

Development that reflects the gradual unfolding of one’s genetic blueprint

Answer 6

Maturation

Question 7

The first occurrence of menstruation

Answer 7

Menarche

Question 8

Subnormal general mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in everyday living skills originating prior to age 18

Answer 8

Mental retardation

Question 9

Combining the statistical results of many studies of the same question, yielding an estimate of the size and consistency of a variable’s effects

Answer 9

Meta-analysis

Question 10

A difficult, turbulent period of doubts and reappraisal of one’s life

Answer 10

Mid-life crisis

Question 11

A person whose behavior is observed another

Answer 11

Model

Question 12

The progression of muscular coordination required for physical activities

Answer 12

Motor development

Question 13

Drugs derived from opium that are capable of relieving pain

Answer 13

Narcotics (opiates)

Question 14

Recognizing that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible

Answer 14

Object permanence

Question 15

A general tendency to expect good outcomes

Answer 15

Optimism

Question 16

The release of sexual tension that occurs when arousal reaches its peak intensity and is discharged in a series of muscular contractions that pulsate through the pelvic area

Answer 16

Orgasm

Question 17

A durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations

Answer 17

Personality trait

Question 18

The “master gland” of the endocrine system

Answer 18

Pituitary gland

Question 19

A structure that allows oxygen and nutrients to pass into the fetus from the other’s bloodstream and bodily wastes to pass out to the mother

Answer 19

Placenta

Question 20

The period from conception to birth, usually encompassing nine months of pregnancy

Answer 20

Prenatal period

Question 21

The sexual structures necessary for reproduction

Answer 21

Primary sex characteristics

Question 22

Active efforts to discover what must be done to achieve a goal that is not readily available

Answer 22

Problem solving

Question 23

The repository of memories for actions, skills, and operations

Answer 23

Procedural memory system

Question 24

The center - outward direction of motor development

Answer 24

Proximodistal trend

Question 25

The period of early adolescence marked by rapid physical growth and the development of sexual maturity

Answer 25

Puberty

Question 26

The two-year span preceding puberty during which the changes leading to physical and sexual maturity take place

Answer 26

Pubescence

Question 27

The process of repetitively verbalizing or thinking about information to be stored in memory

Answer 27

Rehearsal

Question 28

Physical features that are associated with gender but that are not directly involved in reproduction

Answer 28

Secondary sex characteristics

Question 29

Sleep-inducing drugs that tend to decrease central nervous system activation and behavioral activity

Answer 29

Sedatives

Question 30

General knowledge that is not tied to the time when the information was learned

Answer 30

Semantic memory stem

Question 31

Emotional distress seen in many infants when they are separated from people with whom they have formed an attachment

Answer 31

Separation anxiety

Question 32

The biologically based categories of male and female

Answer 32

Sex

Question 33

The acquisition of the norms, roles, and behaviors expected of people in a particular society

Answer 33

Socialization

Question 34

A developmental period during which characteristic patterns of behavior are exhibited and certain capacities become established

Answer 34

Stage

Question 35

An individual’s characteristic mood, activity level, and emotional reactivity

Answer 35

Temperament

Question 36

A one-celled organism formed by the union of a sperm and an egg

Answer 36

Zygote