Final Exam Study Guide This guide is intended to help guide you to the information that is likely to appear on the exam While all information on the exam will be covered here not all information covered here will make it to the exam If you can comprehensively answer these questions you will find yourself well prepared for the exam Chapter 10 Vocab Developmental Psychology study of how behavior changes over the lifespan Post hoc fallacy fake assumption that because one event occurred before another event it must have caused that event Cross sectional design research design that examines people of different ages at a single point in time Cohort effect effect observed in a sample of participants that results from individuals in the sample growing up at the same time Longitudinal design research design that examines development in the same group of people on multiple occasions over time Gene environment interaction situation in which the effects of genes depend on the environment in which they are expressed Nature via nurture tendency of certain individuals with certain genetic predispositions to seek out and create environments that permit the expression of those predispositions Gene expression activation or deactivation of genes by environmental experiences throughout development Prenatal prior to birth Zygote fertilized egg Blastocyst ball of identical cells early in pregnancy that haven t yet begun to take on any specific function in a body part Embryo second to eighth week of prenatal development during which limbs facial features and major organs of the body take form Fetus period of prenatal development from ninth week until birth after all major organs are established and physical maturation is the primary change Teratogen an environmental factor that can exert a negative impact on prenatal development Fetal alcohol syndrome condition resulting from high levels of prenatal alcohol exposure causing learning disabilities physical growth retardation facial malformations and behavioral disorders Motor behavior bodily motion that occurs as result of self initiated force that moves the bones and muscles Adolescence the transition between childhood and adulthood commonly associated with the teenage years Puberty the achievement of sexual maturation resulting in the potential to reproduce Primary sex characteristic a physical feature such as the reproductive organs and genitals that distinguish the sexes Secondary sex characteristic a sex differentiating characteristic that doesn t relate directly to reproduction such as breast enlargement in women and deepening voices in men Menopause the termination of menstruation marking the end of a woman s reproductive potential Cognitive development study of how children acquire the ability to learn think reason communicate and remember Assimilation Piagetian problem of absorbing new experience into current knowledge structures Accomodation Piagetian process of altering a belief to make it more compatible with experience Sensorimotor stage stage in Piaget s theory characterized by a focus on the here and now without the ability to represent experiences mentally Object permanence the understanding that objects continue to exist when out of view Preoperational stage stage in Piaget s theory characterized by the ability to construct mental representations of experience but not yet perform operations on them Egocentrism inability to see the world from other perspectives Conservation Piagetian task requiring children to understand that despite a transformation in the physical presentation of an amount the amount remains the same Concrete operations stage stage in Piaget s theory characterized by the ability to perform mental operations on physical events only Formal operations stage stage in Paget s theory characterized by the ability to perform hypothetical reasoning beyond the here and now Scaffolding Vygotskian learning mechanism in which parents provide initial assistance in children s learning but gradually remove structure as children become more competent Zone of proximal development phase of learning during which children can benefit from instruction Theory of mind ability to reason about what other people know or believe Stranger anxiety a fear of strangers developing at 8 or 9 months of age Temperament basic emotional style that appears early in development and is largely genetic in origin Attachment the strong emotional connection we share with those whom we feel closest Contact comfort positive emotions afforded by touch Average expectable environment environment that provides children with basic needs for affection and discipline Self control ability to inhibit an impulse to act Gender role a set of behaviors that tend to be associated with being male or female Gender identity individuals sense of being male or female Identity our sense of who we are s well as our life goals and priorities Psychosocial crisis dilemma concerning an individual s relations to other people Emerging adulthood period of life between the ages of 18 and 25 when many aspects of emotional development identity and personality become solidified Midlife crisis supposed phase of adulthood characterized by emotional distress about the aging process and an attempt to regain youth Empty nest syndrome alleged period of depression in mothers following the departure of their grown children from their home Chapter 13 Vocab Social Psychology study of how people influence others behavior beliefs and attitude Social comparison theory theory the we seek to evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them with those of others Mass hysteria outbreak of irrational behavior that is spread with social contagion Social facilitation enhancement of performance brought about by the presence of others Attribution process of assigning causes to behavior Fundamental attribution error tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional influences on other people s behavior Conformity tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure Deindividuation tendency of people to engage in uncharacteristic behavior when they are stripped of their usual identities Groupthink emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking Group polarization tendency of group discussion to trengthen the dominant positions held by individual group members Cult group of individuals who exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single cause Inoculation effect approach
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