Module 6: Development

Question 1

longitudinal study

Answer 1

research that follows and retests the same people over time

Question 2

cross-sectional study

Answer 2

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

Question 3

developmental psychology

Answer 3

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development throughout the lifespan

Question 4

taratogens

Answer 4

agents such as viruses, drugs, and alcohol; can damage an embryo or fetus

Question 5

maturation

Answer 5

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience

Question 6

fine motor skills

Answer 6

involving the small muscles of the body

Question 7

gross motor skills

Answer 7

involving large muscles and whole-body movement

Question 8

FASD - fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Answer 8

physical and cognitive function deficits in children caused by heavy alcohol consumption by the pregnant parent

In severe cases, symptoms this disorder can include a small, out-of-proportion head and distinct facial features.

Question 9

critical period

Answer 9

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

Question 10

infantile amnesia

Answer 10

the inability to recall memories from one’s infancy

Question 11

habituation

Answer 11

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation

As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a stimulus, their interest wanes, and they look away sooner.

Question 12

puberty

Answer 12

the period of sexual maturation, during which a person usually becomes physically capable of reproducing

Question 13

synaptic pruning

Answer 13

selective pruning of unused neurons and connections

Question 14

menopause

Answer 14

the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines

Question 15

formal operational stage

Answer 15

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) at which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Question 16

object permanence

Answer 16

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

Question 17

sensorimotor stage

Answer 17

in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from birth to nearly 2 years of age) at which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities

Question 18

preoperational stage

Answer 18

in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from about 2 to 6 or 7 years of age) 676767 at which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

Question 19

theory of mind (ToM)

Answer 19

people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states — about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict

Question 20

assimilation

Answer 20

interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas

Question 21

schema

Answer 21

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

Question 22

concrete operational stage

Answer 22

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 7 to 11 years of age) at which children can perform the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete (actual, physical) events

Question 23

cognitition

Answer 23

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Question 24

scaffold

Answer 24

in Vygotsky’s theory, a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking

Question 25

operation

Answer 25

according to Piaget, a mental operation or process used in thinking; a mental plan or procedure used to think through and solve problems

Question 26

conservation

Answer 26

the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

Question 27

accommodation

Answer 27

adapting current schemas (understandings) to incorporate new information

Question 28

egocentrism

Answer 28

in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

Question 29

temperament

Answer 29

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Question 30

parenting style

Answer 30

the ways in which a parent interacts with a child; it generally refers to the type of support, punishment, and expectations parents afford their kids

Question 31

stranger anxiety

Answer 31

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning around 8 months of age

Question 32

secure attachment

Answer 32

demonstrated by infants who comfortably explore environments in the presence of their caregiver, show only temporary distress when the caregiver leaves, and find comfort in the caregiver's return

Question 33

attachment

Answer 33

an emotional tie with others; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to caregivers and showing distress on separation

Question 34

strange situation

Answer 34

a procedure for studying child-caregiver attachment; a child is placed in an unfamiliar environment while their caregiver leaves and then returns, and the child's reactions are observed

Question 35

self-concept

Answer 35

all your thoughts and feelings about yourself; an answer to the question, "Who am I?"

Question 36

ecological systems theory

Answer 36

a theory of the social environment's influence on human development, using five nested systems (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem) ranging from direct to indirect influences

Question 37

insecure attachment

Answer 37

demonstrated by infants who display a clinging, anxious attachment; an avoidant attachment that resists closeness; or a disorganized attachment with no consistent behavior when separated from or reunited with caregivers

Question 38

basic trust

Answer 38

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

Question 39

imprinting

Answer 39

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life

Question 40

social clock

Answer 40

the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement

Question 41

social identity

Answer 41

the "we" aspect of self-concept; the part of the answer to "Who am I?" that comes from group memberships

Question 42

intimacy

Answer 42

in Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships, a primary developmental task in young adulthood

Question 43

identity

Answer 43

sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles

Question 44

emerging adulthood

Answer 44

a period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many persons in prosperous Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults