Modules 42 - 43 (Unit 6) Flashcards
Developmental Psychology
studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout life span
What three major issues does developmental psychology focus on?
Nature and nurture, continuity and stages, and stability and change
Stage Theories
propose developmental stages
What did Lawrence Kohlberg’s stage theory cover?
Moral development
What did Erik Erikson’s stage theory cover?
psychosocial development
What did Jean Piaget’s stage theory cover?
cognitive development
As people grow older, what stabilizes?
their personality
What can we not predict all aspects of based on our early life?
Our future selves
Zygote
fertilized egg
Embryo
the developing organism 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month
Fetus
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
Teratogens
chemicals and viruses that can reach the embryo/fetus and cause harm - like ALCOHOL
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome / FAS
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by the mom drinking alcohol while pregnant
What do newborns have?
Automatic reflex responses - so moving towards touch / a possible food source and sucking
Habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.
Maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
What is true of the brain when you’re born?
You have most of the brain cells you’ll ever have , but the nervous system is still immature.
What is there rapid growth of from ages 3-6?
The frontal lobes - this enables rational planning!
What is the last to develop in the brain?
association areas (linked with thinking, memory, and language)
How/when does the motor system develop?
as the nervous system and muscles develop
Infantile Amnesia
difficulty forming memories until ~4 (however babies can still learn)
