Vocab Ch 9

Question 1

Developmental psychology

Answer 1

The study of changes, over the life span, in physiology, cognition, emotion, and social behavior.

Question 2

Synaptic pruning

Answer 2

The synaptic connections in the brain that are used are preserved , whereas those that are not used decay and disappear.

Question 3

Teratogens

Answer 3

Agents that harm the embryo or fetus

Question 4

Dynamic systems theory

Answer 4

The view that development is a self-organizing process, in which new forms of behavior emerge through consistent interactions between a biological being and cultural and environmental contexts.

Question 5

Infantile amnesia

Answer 5

The inability to remember events from early childhood

Question 6

Attachment

Answer 6

A strong, intimate, emotional connection between people that persists over time and across circumstances.

Question 7

Secure attachment

Answer 7

The attachment style for a majority of infants; the infant is confidant enough to play in an unfamiliar environment as long as the caregiver is present and is readily comforted by the caregiver during times of distress.

Question 8

Insecure attachment

Answer 8

The attachment style for a minority of infants; the infant may exhibit insecure attachment through various behaviors , such as avoiding contact with the caregiver, or by alternating between approach and avoidance behaviors.

Question 9

Assimilation

Answer 9

The process by which new information is placed into an existing scheme.

Question 10

Accommodation

Answer 10

The process by which a new scheme is created or an existing scheme is drastically altered to include new information that otherwise would not fit into the s gene.

Question 11

Sensorimotor stage

Answer 11

The first stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development l; during this stage, infants acquire information about the world through their senses and motor skills. Reflexive responses develop into more deliberate actions through the development and refinement of schemes.

Question 12

Object permanence

Answer 12

The understanding that an object continues to exist even when it cannot be seen.

Question 13

Preoperational stage

Answer 13

The second stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; during this stage, children think symbolically about objects, but they reason based on intuition and superficial appearance rather than logic.

Question 14

Concrete operational stage

Answer 14

The third stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; during this stage, children begin to think about and understand logical operations, and they are no longer fooled by appearances.

Question 15

Formal operational stage

Answer 15

The final stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; in this stage people can think abstractly , and they can formulate and test hypothesis through deductive logic.

Question 16

Theory of mind

Answer 16

The ability to understand that other people have mental states that influence their behavior.

Question 17

Preconventional level

Answer 17

Earliest level of moral development; at this level m, self-interest and event outcomes determine what is moral.

Question 18

Conventional level

Answer 18

Middle stage of moral development; at this level, strict adherence to societal rules and the approval of others determine what is moral.

Question 19

Postconventional level

Answer 19

Highest stage of moral development; at this level, decisions about morality depend on abstract principles and the value of all life.

Question 20

Social intuitionist model

Answer 20

The idea that moral judgements reflect people’s initial and automatic emotional responses.

Question 21

Puberty

Answer 21

The beginning of adolescence, marked by the onset of se Hal maturity and this the ability to reproduce.

Question 22

Gender identity

Answer 22

Ones sense of being male or female

Question 23

Gender role

Answer 23

A behavior that is typically associated with being male or female.

Question 24

Socioemotional selectivity theory

Answer 24

As people grow older, they view time as limited and therefore shift their focus to meaningful events, experiences, and goals.