Download Chapter 9: Lifespan Development

Developmental psychology
• The branch of psychology that studies how
people change over the lifespan
Chromosome
• A long, threadlike structure composed of
twisted parallel strands of DNA; found in
the nucleus of the cell
Gene
• The basic unit of heredity that directs the
development of a particular characteristic;
the individual unit of DNA instructions on a
chromosome
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
• The chemical basis of heredity; carries the
genetic instructions in the cell
Genotype
• The underlying genetic makeup of a
particular organism, including the genetic
instructions for traits that are not actually
displayed
Phenotype
• The observable traits or characteristics of an
organism as determined by the interaction
of genetics and environmental factors
Dominant gene
• In a pair of genes, the gene containing
genetic instructions that will be expressed
whether paired with another dominant gene
or with a recessive gene
Recessive gene
• In a pair of genes, the gene containing
genetic instructions that will not be
expressed unless pair with another recessive
gene
Sex chromosomes
• Chromosomes designated as X or Y that
determine biological sex; the 23rd pair of
chromosomes in humans
Sex-linked recessive
characteristics
• Traits determined by recessive genes
located on the X chromosome; in males,
these characteristics require only one
recessive gene to be expressed
Prenatal stage
• The stage of development before birth;
divided into the germinal, embryonic, and
fetal periods
Germinal period
• The first two weeks of prenatal
development
Embryonic period
• The second period of prenatal development,
extending from the third week through the
eighth week
Teratogens
• Harmful agents or substances that can cause
malformations or defects in an embryo or
fetus
Fetal period
• The third and longest period of prenatal
development, extending from the ninth
week until birth
Temperament
• Inborn predispositions to consistently
behave and react in a certain way
Attachment
• The emotional bond that forms between an
infant and caregiver(s), especially his or her
parents
Comprehension vocabulary
• The words that are understood by an infant
or child
Production vocabulary
• The words that an infant or child
understands and can speak
Sensorimotor stage
• In Piaget’s theory, the first stage of
cognitive development, from birth to about
age 2; the period during which the infant
explores the environment and acquires
knowledge through sensing and
manipulating objects
Object permanence
• The understanding that an object continues
to exist even when it can no longer be seen
Preoperational stage
• In Piaget’s theory, the second stage of
cognitive development, which lasts from
about age 2 to age 7; characterized by
increasing use of symbols and prelogical
thought process
Symbolic thought
• The ability to use words, images, and
symbols to represent the world
Egocentrism
• In Piaget’s theory, the inability to take
another person’s perspective or point of
view
Irreversibility
• In Piaget’s theory,the inability to mentally
reverse a sequence of events or logical
operations
Centration
• In Piaget’s theory, the tendency to focus,or
center , on only once aspect of a situation
and ignore other important aspects of the
situation
Conservation
• In Piaget’s theory, the understanding that
two equal quantities remain equal even
though the form or appearance is
rearranged, as long as nothing is added or
subtracted
Concrete operational stage
• In Piaget’s theory, the third stage of
cognitive development, which lasts from
about age 7 to adolescence; characterized
by the ability to think logically about
concrete objects and situations
Formal operational
• In Piaget’s theory, the fourth stage of
cognitive development, which lasts from
adolescence through adulthood;
characterized by the ability to think
logically about abstract principles and
hypothetical situations
Information-processing model of
cognitive development
• The model that views cognitive
development as a process that is continuous
over the lifespan and that studies the
development of basic mental processes such
as attention, memory, and problem solving
Adolescence
• The transitional stage between late
childhood and the beginning of adulthood,
during which sexual maturity is reached
Identity
• A person’s definition or description of
himself or herself, including the values,
beliefs, and ideals that guide the
individual’s behavior
Moral reasoning
• The aspect of cognitive development that
has to do with how an individual reasons
about moral decisions
Menopause
• The natural cessation of menstruation and
the end of reproductive capacity in women
Activity theory of aging
• The psychosocial theory that life
satisfaction in late adulthood is highest
when people maintain the level of activity
the displayed earlier in life
Authoritarian parenting style
• Parenting style in which parents are
demanding and unresponsive toward their
children’s needs or wishes
Permissive parenting style
• Parenting style in which parents are
extremely tolerant and not demanding;
permissive-indulgent parents are responsive
to their children, whereas permissive
indifferent parents are not
Authoritative parenting style
• Parenting style in which parents set clear
standards for their children’s behavior but
are also responsive to their children’s needs
and wishes
Induction
• A discipline technique that combines
parental control with explaining why a
behavior is prohibited
Mary D. Salter Ainsworth (19131999)
American psychologist who devised the
Strange Situation procedure to measure
attachment; contributed to attachment
theory
Renee Baillargeon (b. 1954)
Canadian-born psychologist whose studies of
cognitive development during infancy using
visual rather than manual tasks challenged
beliefs about the age at which object
permanence first appears
Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)
American linguist who proposed that people
have an innate understanding of the basic
principles of language, which he called a
“universal grammar.”
Erik Erikson (1902-1994)
German-born American psychoanalyst who
proposed an influential theory of
psychological development throughout the
lifespan
Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-1987)
American psychologist who proposed an
influential theory of moral development
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Swiss child psychologist whose influential
theory proposed that children progress
through distinct stages of cognitive
development
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
Russian psychologist who stressed the
importance of social and cultural influences
in cognitive development