the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.
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Embryo
Front
the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.
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Role
Front
a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.
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Theory of Mind
Front
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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Schema
Front
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.
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Autism
Front
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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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Front
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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Longitudinal Study
Front
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period.
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Gender Identity
Front
our sense of being male or female.
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Conservation
Front
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
Front
an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development.
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Accommodation
Front
Development - adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.
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Intimacy
Front
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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Emerging Adulthood
Front
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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Gender Role
Front
a set of expected behaviors for males or for females.
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Cross-Sectional Study
Front
a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another.
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Aggression
Front
physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone.
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Gender Typing
Front
the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.
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X Chromosome
Front
the sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two of these; males have one. One chromosome from each parent produces a female child.
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Assimilation
Front
interpreting our new experience in terms of our existing schemas.
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Concrete Operational Stage
Front
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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Y Chromosome
Front
the sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child.
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Egocentrism
Front
in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view.
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Maturation
Front
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.
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Social Learning Theory
Front
the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.
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Basic Trust
Front
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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Social Identity
Front
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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Teratogens
Front
agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.
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Temperament
Front
a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.
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Stranger Anxiety
Front
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.
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Testosterone
Front
the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional levels in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.
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Imprinting
Front
the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.
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Formal Operational Stage
Front
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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Menopause
Front
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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Habituation
Front
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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Secondary Sex Characteristics
Front
nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.
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Adolescence
Front
the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.
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Primary Sex Characteristics
Front
the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.
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Preoperational Stage
Front
in Piaget's theory, the stage (from 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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Menarche
Front
the first menstrual period.
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Object Permanence
Front
the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.
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Gender
Front
in psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female.
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Developmental Psychology
Front
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.
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Self-Concept
Front
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"
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Sensorimotor Stage
Front
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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Attachment
Front
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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Identity
Front
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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Cognition
Front
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.
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Puberty
Front
the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.
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Zygote
Front
the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.
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Section 2
(3 cards)
Social Clock
Front
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.
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Fluid Intelligence
Front
our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.
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Crystallized Intelligence
Front
our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.