The science of psychology (Kap 12)

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• critical period age range during which certain experiences must occur for development to proceed normally or along a certain path
• sensitive period an optimal age range for certain experiences; if those experiences occur at another time, normal (typical) development may still be possible
• cross-sectioned design compares people of different ages at the same point in time
• cohort a group of people who have shared the same historical event by virtue of their being the same age
• cohort effect differences in abilities or experiences of groups of people who were born at different point in history
• longitudinal design repeatedly tests the same cohort as it grows older
• sequential design combines the cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches
• microgenetic design a longitudinal method that measures change across short time spans
• zygote fertilized egg
• embryo develops from the end of week 2 through to week 8 after conception
• foetus develops from week 9 after conception until birth
• epigenetics study of changes in gene expression due to environmental factors and independent of the DNA
• teratogens agents that cause abnormal prenatal development
• foetal alcohol syndrome a disorder of the developing foetus caused by the ingestion of alcohol by the foetu´s mother during gestation; it is characterized by stunted growth, a number och physical and physiological abnormalities and, often, mental retardation
• foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) a group of abnormalities that results from varying kinds of prenatal exposureto alcohol
• reflexes automatic, inborn behaviour that occur in response to specific stimuli
• cephalocaudal trajectory the tendency for development to proceed in a head-to-foot direction
• proximaldistal trajectory development begins along the innermost parts of the body and continues towards the outermost parts
• schemas organized patterns of thought and action
• assimilation the process by which new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas
• accommodation the process by which new experiences cause existing schemas to change
• sensorimotor stage infants understand their world primarily through sensory experiences and physical (motor) interactions with objects
• object permanence an object continues to exist in a particular place even when it is no longer visible
• pre-operational stage the atage in which children represent the world symbolically through words and mental images but do not yet udnerstand basic mental operations or rules
• conversation the principle that basic properties of objects, such as their volume, mass or quantity, stay the same (are ´conserved´) even though their outward appearence may change
• egocentrism difficulty in veiwing the world from someone else´s perspective
• concrete operational stage can perform basic mental operations concerning problems that involve tangible (i.e., ´concrete´) objects and situations
• formal operational stage individuals are able to think logically and systematically about both concrete and abstract problems, form hypotheses, and test them in a thoughtful way
• zone of proximal development (ZPD) the difference between what a child can do independently and what a child can do with assistance from adults or more advanved peers
• metacognition an ability to reflect on cognitive processes such as memory
• theory of mind a persons´s beliefs about the ´mind´ and the ability to understand mental states
• puberty a period of rapid maturation in which the person becomes capable of sexual reproduction
• adolescent egocentrisim a self-absorbed and disorted view of one´s uniqueness and importance
• senile dementia dementia that begins after age 65

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