Psychology Exam 2 Study Guide Chapter 4 Developing Through the Life Span Developmental Psychology a branch of psychology that studies physical cognitive and social change throughout the life span Major Issues of Dev Psych 1 Nature Nurture How much effect has nature and or nurture had on a person s development 2 Continuity Stages What parts of development are gradual changes or abrupt separate stages 3 Stability Change What traits persist throughout life and how do we change as we age Temperament a person s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity How does sperm penetrate an egg The sperm releases digestive enzymes which eats away the protective coating of the egg thus allowing it to penetrate Zygote the fertilized egg it enters a 2 wk period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo Embryo the developing human organism about 2 weeks after fertilization throughout the 2nd month Fetus the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth When does a developing baby become responsive to sound By the 6th month Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAS physical cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman s heavy drinking In severe cases symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions Habituation decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus their interest waned and they look away sooner Maturation biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior relatively uninfluenced by experience Piaget s Cognitive Developmental Theory 2 major components 1 There are different stages in which the brain develops 2 That the maturing brain builds schemas Schema a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information Sensorimotor Stage birth 2 yrs during 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 2 yrs 6 yrs during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic 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 Egocentrism In Piaget s theory the preoperational child s difficulty taking another s point of view 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 Concrete Operational Stage 6 yrs 11 yrs during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events Formal Operational Stage 12 yrs during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts Autism a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication social interaction and understanding of others states of mind Asperger s Syndrome the highest functioning form Vygotsky s Theory Children s mind feeds on the language of social interaction in order to progress to higher thinking Secure Attachment an emotional tie with another person shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation What is the main reason for abuse The abuser was abused or neglected by their parents or caregivers Parenting Styles 1 Authoritarian parents impose rules and expect obedience 2 Permissive parents submit to their children s desires They make few demands and use little punishment 3 Authoritative parents are both demanding and responsive They exert control by setting rules but encourage open discussion and allow exceptions esp with older children Adolescence the transition period from childhood adulthood extending from puberty 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 integrating various roles Chapter 6 Sensation and Perception Sensation the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment Perception the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events Transduction conversion of one form of energy into another In sensation the transforming of stimulus energies such as sights sounds and smells into neural impulses our brain can interpret Absolute Threshold the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50 of the time Subliminal Stimulation below one s absolute threshold for conscious awareness Sensory Adaptation diminished sensitivity as a consequence of constant stimulation Schemas a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information Eye Pupil a small adjustable opening that light passes through Retina the light sensitive inner surface of the eye containing the receptor rods cones plus layers of neurons that begin the processing of visual information Accommodation the process by which the eye s lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina Rods retinal receptors that detect black white and gray necessary for peripheral and twilight vision when cones don t respond Cones retinal receptors cells that are concentrated near the center of the retina and that function in daylight or in well lit conditions The cones detect fine detail and give rise to color sensations Blind Spot the point at which the optic nerve leaves the eye creating a blind spot because no receptor cells are located there Young Helmholtz trichromatic theory the theory that the retina contains three different color receptors one most sensitive to red one to green one to blue which when stimulated in combination can produce the perception of any color Shape Constancy the perception of the form of familiar objects as constant even while the retinas receive changing images of them Visual Grouping Proximity nearby figures are grouped together Continuity smooth continuous patterns are perceived instead of discontinuous patterns Closure gaps are filled in to create a complete whole object Ear Cochlea a coiled bony fluid filled tube in the inner ear sound waves traveling through the cochlear fluid trigger nerve impulses Auditory Nerve the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain transmits information related to sound and balance