Psyc 2301 Vocab - Ch 9

Chapter 9: Life Span Development I developmental psychology – The study of age-related changes in behavior and mental processes from conception to death. maturation – Development governed by automatic, genetically predetermined signals. critical period – A period of special sensitivity to specific types of learning that shapes the capacity for future development. interactionist perspective – Belief that development emerges from each individual’s unique genetic predisposition and from individual experiences in the environment. cross-sectional method – Research design that measures individuals of various ages at one point in time and gives information about age differences. longitudinal method – Research design that measures a single individual or a group of same-aged individuals over an extended period and gives information about age changes. cohort effects – Differences that result from specific histories of the age group studied. zygote – Cell formed by a female’s ovum and a male’s sperm that begins a nine month process of rapid cell division to form an infant. germinal period – The first stage of prenatal development, which begins with conception and ends with implantation in the uterus (the first two weeks). embryonic period – The second stage of prenatal development, which begins after uterine implantation and lasts through the eighth week. fetal period – The third, and final, stage of prenatal development (eight weeks to birth), which is characterized by rapid weight gain in the fetus and the fine detailing of bodily organs and systems. proximadistal – The process of development of a baby's body inside the mother's uterus.; the baby's central body is developed first, and then the outer parts are developed. placenta – The vascular organ that unites the fetus to the mother’s uterus. teratogens – Environmental agents that cause damage during prenatal development. fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) – Neurotoxic syndrome that occurs from alcohol crossing the placenta, affecting fetal development.

puberty – The period of adolescence when a person becomes capable of reproduction. adolescence – The loosely defined psychological period of development between childhood and adulthood. growth spurt – The clearest and most dramatic physical sign of puberty; characterized by rapid increases in height, weight, and skeletal growth, and by significant changes in reproductive structures and sexual characteristics. menarche – Rapid development of the ovaries, uterus, and vagina and the onset of menstruation in the adolescent female that occurs from maturation and hormone secretion. spermarche – In the adolescent male, the testes, scrotum, and penis develop, and he experiences his first ejaculation. menopause – the cessation of the menstrual cycle which occurs somewhere between the ages of 45 and 55. male climacteric – The gradual decline in the production of sperm and testosterone, unexpected weight gain, decline in sexual responsiveness, loss of muscle strength, and graying or loss of hair that occurs to men in middle adulthood. ageism – Prejudice or discrimination based on physical age. secondary aging – Changes resulting from disease, disuse, or neglect. primary aging – Gradual, inevitable age-related changes in physical and mental processes. programmed theory – A belief that aging is genetically controlled. damage theory – Proposes that an accumulation of damage to cells and organs over the years ultimately causes death. schemas – Cognitive structures or patterns consisting of a number of organized ideas that grow and differentiate with experience. assimilation – In Piaget’s theory, the process of absorbing new information in existing schemas. accommodation – In Piaget’s theory, the process of adjusting old schemas or developing new ones to better fit with new information. sensorimotor stage – Piaget’s first stage (birth to approximately age 2), in which schemas are developed through sensory and motor activities.

object permanence – The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. preoperational stage – Piaget’s second stage (roughly ages 2 to 7 years), which is characterized by the ability to employ significant language and to think symbolically, though the child lacks operations (reversible mental processes), and thinking is egocentric and animistic. operations – Reversible mental processes. egocentrism – Preoperational child’s limited ability to distinguish between his or her own perspective and someone else’s. animism – The belief that all things are living (or animated). concrete operational stage – Piaget’s third stage (roughly ages 7 to 11), in which the child can perform mental operations on concrete objects and understand reversibility and conservation, though abstract thinking is not yet present. conservation – To logically determine that a certain quantity will remain the same despite adjustment of the container, shape, or apparent size. formal operational stage – Piaget’s fourth stage (around age 11 and beyond), which is characterized by abstract and hypothetical thinking. personal fable – An intense investment in an adolescent’s own thoughts and feelings and a belief that these thoughts are unique. imaginary audience – State in which adolescents feel that all eyes are focused on their behaviors.