Psy 120 Chapter 4

Front 1

accomodation

Back 1

the process through which we change or modify existing schemata to accommodate new experiences

Front 2

ageism

Back 2

discrimination or prejudice against an individual based on physical age

Front 3

assimiliation

Back 3

the process through which we fit, or assimilate, new experiences into existing schemata

Front 4

attachments

Back 4

strong emotional ties formed to one or more intimate companions

Front 5

concrete operational period

Back 5

Piaget's third stage of cognitive development, lasting from ages 7 to 11; children acquire the capacity to perform a number of mental operations but still lack the ability for abstract thinking

Front 6

conventional level

Back 6

in Kohlberg's theory of moral development, the stage in which actions are judged to be right or wrong based on whether they maintain or disrupt the social order

Front 7

cross-sectional design

Back 7

a research design in which people of different ages are compared at the same time

Front 8

dementia

Back 8

physically based losses in mental functioning

Front 9

development

Back 9

the age-related physical, intellectual, social, and personal changes that occur throughout an individual's lifetime

Front 10

egocentrism

Back 10

the tendency to see the world from one's own unique perspective only; a characteristic of thinking in the preoperational period of development

Front 11

embryonic period

Back 11

the period of prenatal development lasting from implantation to the end of the eighth week

Front 12

fetal period

Back 12

the period of prenatal development lasting from the ninth week until birth

Front 13

formal operational period

Back 13

Piaget's last stage of cognitive development; thought processes become adult-like, and people gain mastery over abstract thinking

Front 14

gender roles

Back 14

specific patterns of behavior that are consistent with how society dictates males and females should act

Front 15

germinal period

Back 15

the period in prenatal development from conception to implantation of the fertilized egg in the wall of the uterus

Front 16

habituation

Back 16

the decline in responsiveness to a stimulus that is repeatedly presented

Front 17

longitudinal design

Back 17

a research design in which the same people are studied or tested repeatedly over time

Front 18

menopause

Back 18

the period during which a woman's menstrual cycle slows down and finally stops

Front 19

morality

Back 19

the ability to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate actions

Front 20

object permanence

Back 20

the ability to recognize that objects still exist when they're no longer in sight

Front 21

personal identity

Back 21

a sense of who one is as an individual and how well one measures up against peers

Front 22

postconventional level

Back 22

Kohlberg's highst level of moral development, in which moral actions are judged on the basis of a personal code of ethics that is general and abstract and that may not agree with societal norms

Front 23

preconventional level

Back 23

In Kohlberg's theory, the lowest level of moral development, in which decisions about right and wrong are made primarily in terms of external consequences

Front 24

preoperational period

Back 24

Piaget's second stage of cognitive development, lasting from ages 2 to about 7; children begin to think symbolically but often lack the ability to perform mental operations such as conservation.

Front 25

principle of conservation

Back 25

The ability to recognize that the physical properties of an object remain the same despite superficial changes in the object's appearance.

Front 26

puberty

Back 26

The period during which a person reaches sexual maturity and is potentially capable of producing off spring.

Front 27

sensorimotor period

Back 27

Piaget's first stage of cognitive development, lasting from birth to about 2 years of age; schemata revolve around sensory and motor abilities.

Front 28

strange situation test

Back 28

Gradually subjecting a child to a stressful situation and observing his or her behavior toward the parent or caregiver. This test is used to classify children according to type of attachment—secure, resistant, avoidant, or disorganized/disoriented.

Front 29

temperament

Back 29

A child's general level of emotional reactivity.

Front 30

teratogens

Back 30

Environmental agents—such as disease organisms or drugs—that can potentially damage the developing embryo or fetus.

Front 31

zygote

Back 31

The fertilized human egg, containing 23 chromosomes from the father and 23 chromosomes from the mother.