Chapter 4 Flashcards
(84 cards)
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
developmental psychology
the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division into an embryo
zygote
the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month
embryo
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
fetus
“monster maker” agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
teratogens
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, signs include a small, out-of-proportion head and abnormal facial features
fetal alcohol syndrome
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. as infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner
habituation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
maturation
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development
critical period
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
cognition
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
schema
interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas
assimilation
adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information
accomodation
in Piaget’s theory, the stage from birth to nearly 2 years of age during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities
sensorimotor stage
the awareness that things continue to exist even when not percieved
object performance
in Piaget’s theory, the stage from about 2 to 6/7 years of age during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
pre-operational stage
the principle which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operation reasoning that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects
conservation
in Piaget’s theory, the pre-operational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view
egocentrism
people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states - about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict
theory of mind
in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development from about 7 to 11 years of age during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events
concrete operational stage
in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development normally beginning at about age 12 during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts
formal operational stage
a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors
autism spectrum disorder
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age
stranger anxiety
an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
attachment
