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PSYC Ch.3
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| developmental psychology | A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the life span. |
| cross-sectional study | Research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time. |
| longitudinal study | Research that follows and retests the same people over time. |
| chromosomes | Threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes. |
| DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) | A molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes. |
| genes | The biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA. |
| heredity | The genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring. |
| genome | The complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism’s chromosomes. |
| environment | Every external influence, from prenatal nutrition to social support in later life |
| interaction | The interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor (such as environment) depends on another factor (such as heredity). |
| epigenetics | The study of the molecular ways by which environments can influence gene expression (without a DNA change). |
| zygote | The fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo. |
| embryo | The developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month. |
| fetus | The developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth. |
| teratogens [tuh-RAT-uh-jenz] | Agents, such as chemicals or viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm. |
| fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) | Physical anomalies and cognitive function deficits in children caused by heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. In severe cases, symptoms include a small, out-of-proportion head and distinct facial features. |
| reflex | A simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response. |
| temperament | A person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity. |
| identical (monozygotic) twins | Individuals who developed from a single fertilized egg that split in two, creating two genetically identical siblings. |
| fraternal (dizygotic) twins | Individuals who developed from separate fertilized eggs. They are genetically no closer than ordinary siblings, but shared a prenatal environment. |
| maturation | Biological growth processes leading to orderly changes in behavior, mostly independent of experience. |
| critical period | A period early in life when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences is needed for typical development. |
| cognition | All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. |
| schema | A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information. |
| assimilation | Interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas. |
| accommodation | Adapting our current schemas to incorporate new information. |
| sensorimotor stage | 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. |
| object permanence | The awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived. |
| preoperational stage | In Piaget’s theory, the stage (from about 2 to 6 or 7 years of age) in which a child learns to use language but cannot yet perform the mental operations of concrete logic. |
| egocentrism | In Piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view. |
| concrete operational stage | In Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 7 to 11 years of age) at which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events. |
| conservation | 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. |
| formal operational stage | In Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (usually beginning about age 12) at which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts. |
| scaffold | In Vygotsky’s theory, a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking. |
| theory of mind | People’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict. |
| stranger anxiety | The fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age. |
| attachment | An emotional tie with others; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to caregivers and showing distress on separation. |
| basic trust | 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. |
| adolescence | The transition period from childhood to young adulthood, extending from puberty to independence. |
| puberty | The period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing. |
| identity | Our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and blending various roles. |
| social identity | The “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships. |
| intimacy | In Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in early adulthood. |
| emerging adulthood | A period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults. |
| menopause | The end of menstruation. In everyday use, it can also mean the biological transition a woman experiences from before until after the end of menstruation. |
| social clock | The culturally preferred timing of life transitions such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement. |
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PSYC