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PSYC 510 - Exam # 1
Sections: Lifespan, Prenatal, Physical, Cognitive and theories
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Lifespan Development | The scientific study of how people change and stay the same from conception to death. Includes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. |
| Nature vs. Nurture | Nature refers to genetic influences on development; nurture refers to environmental influences. Most developmental outcomes result from interactions between both. |
| Continuous Development | Development that occurs gradually over time, like increasing vocabulary or height |
| Discontinuous Development | Development that occurs in distinct stages with qualitative changes, such as Piaget's cognitive stages. |
| Normative Age-Graded Influences | Experiences strongly related to age and shared by most people in a culture, such as puberty or retirement |
| Normative History-Graded Influences | Events that affect an entire generation, such as economic recessions, pandemics, or wars. |
| Non-Normative Influences | Unique events that affect individuals differently, such as winning the lottery or experiencing a serious accident. |
| Zygote | A fertilized egg formed when sperm and ovum unite. Contains the complete genetic blueprint for development. |
| Germinal Period | The first two weeks after conception. Characterized by rapid cell division and implantation in the uterus |
| Embryonic Period | Weeks 3-8 of prenatal development. Major organs and body structures begin forming, making this period highly vulnerable to teratogens. |
| Fetal Period | Week 9 until birth. Characterized by growth, maturation of organ systems, and increasing movement. |
| Teratogen | Any environmental agent that can cause harm during prenatal development, including alcohol, drugs, toxins, and certain infections. |
| Critical Period | A specific time when development is especially sensitive to environmental influences. |
| Placenta | Organ that develops during pregnancy and allows nutrients and oxygen to pass from mother to fetus while removing waste products. |
| Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders | A range of developmental problems caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, including cognitive, behavioral, and physical impairments. |
| Cephalocaudal Principle | The pattern of growth that proceeds from head to toe. Infants gain control of head movements before leg movements. |
| Proximodistal Principle | The pattern of growth that proceeds from the center of the body outward. Children gain control of shoulders before fingers. |
| Gross Motor Skills | Abilities involving large muscle groups, such as crawling, walking, and jumping. |
| Fine Motor Skills | Abilities involving small muscle movements, such as writing, buttoning clothes, and drawing. |
| Neuroplasticity | The brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections throughout life. |
| Synaptic Pruning | The elimination of unused neural connections, making the brain more efficient. |
| Piaget's Theory | A theory proposing that children actively construct knowledge through interaction with their environment |
| Schema | A mental framework used to organize and interpret information |
| Assimilation | Interpreting new experiences using existing schemas |
| Accommodation | Modifying existing schemas when new information cannot fit into current understanding. |
| Sensorimotor Stage | Birth to age 2. Learning occurs through senses and motor actions. Major achievement is object permanence |
| Object Permanence | The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen. |
| Preoperational Stage | Ages 2-7. Characterized by symbolic thought, language growth, egocentrism, and difficulty understanding conservation. |
| Egocentrism | The tendency to have difficulty seeing situations from another person's perspective. |
| Conservation | The understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance. |
| Concrete Operational Stage | Ages 7-11. Children can think logically about concrete events and understand conservation. |
| Formal Operational Stage | Begins around age 12. Characterized by abstract reasoning, hypothetical thinking, and systematic problem-solving. |
| Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory | Cognitive development occurs through social interaction and cultural influences. |
| Zone of Proximal Development | The difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with assistance. |
| Scaffolding | Support provided by a more knowledgeable person that helps a learner accomplish tasks just beyond their current abilities. |
| Information Processing Theory | Compares the mind to a computer and focuses on how information is encoded, stored, and retrieved |
| Working Memory | The limited-capacity system used to temporarily hold and manipulate information. |
| Long-Term Memory | The relatively permanent storage system for knowledge, experiences, and skills. |
| Executive Functioning | Higher-order cognitive processes including planning, attention control, inhibition, and problem-solving |
| Language Development | The process through which children learn to understand and use language. |
| Babbling | Early speech-like sounds produced by infants that serve as a foundation for language development. |
| Overextension | Using one word to refer to too many objects, such as calling all four-legged animals "dog." |
| Under-extension | Using a word too narrowly, such as using "bottle" only for one specific bottle. |
| Theory of Mind | The understanding that other people have thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and perspectives different from one's own. |
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