Myers Chapter 5

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developmental psychology

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a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

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embryo

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the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month

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fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

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physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions

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Fetus

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the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

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habituation

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

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teratogens

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(literally, "monster maker") agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

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zygote

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the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

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accommodation

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adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

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assimilation

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interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

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attachment

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an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation

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Autism

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a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind

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Basic Trust

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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

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Cognition

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

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concrete operational stage

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in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

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Conservation

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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

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critical period

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

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egocentrism

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

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formal operational stage

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

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imprinting

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the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life

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maturation

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

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object permanence

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the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

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preoperational stage

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

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schema

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a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

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self-concept

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all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

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sensorimotor stage

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

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stranger anxiety

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

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theory of mind

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

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adolescence

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the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence

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emerging adulthood

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for some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood

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identity

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

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intimacy

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in Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood

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menarche

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the first menstrual period

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primary sex characteristics

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the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible

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puberty

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

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secondary sex characteristics

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nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair

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social identity

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

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cross-sectional study

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a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

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longitudinal study

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research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period

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menopause

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

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social clock

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