c
p

p
•P.314 ± 372)
6
 

Àevelopment Psychology •P.316) ± Study of age-related changes in behavior and mental

processes from conception to death.

Critical Period •P.317) ± A period of special sensitivity of specific type of learning that shapes
the capacity of future development.

Cross-section Method •P.318) ± Measures individuals of various ages at one point in time and
gives information about age differences.

Longitudinal Method •P.318) ± Measure a single individual or group of individuals over an

extended period and gives information about age change.

Maturation •P.317) ± Àevelopment governed by automatic, genetically predetermined signals.





Ageism •P.329) ± Prejudice or discrimination based on physical age.

Embryonic Period •P.323) ± Second stage of prenatal development, which begins after uterine
implantation and lasts through the eighth week.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome •FAS) •P.324) ± Combination of birth defects, including organ
deformities and mental, motor, and/or growth retardation, that results from maternal alcohol
abuse.

Fetal Period •P.323) ± Third, and final, stage of prenatal development •eight week to birth),
which is characterized by rapid weight gain in the fetus and the fine detailing of bodily organs
and systems.

Germinal Period •P.323) ± First stage of prenatal development, which begins with conception
and ends with implantation in the uterus •the first two weeks).

Puberty •P.327) ± Biological changes during adolescence that leads to an adult-sized body and
sexual maturity.

Teratogen [Tuh-RAT-uh-jen] •P.322) ± Environmental agent that causes damage during prenatal
development; the term comes from the Greek word teras, meaning ³malformation´.

Page 9 of
p
 c
p
p
c 

Accommodation •P.332) ± In Piaget¶s theory, adjusting old schemas or developing new ones to
better fit which new information.

Assimilation •P.332) ± in Piaget¶s theory absorbing new information into existing schemas.

Concrete Operational Stage •P.335) ± Piaget¶s third stage •roughly age 7 to 11); the child can
perform mental operations on concrete objects and understand reversibility and conservation, but
abstract thinking is not yet present.

Conservation •P.335) ± Understanding that certain physical characteristics •such as volume)

remain unchanged, even when their outward appearance changes.

Egocentrism •P.333) ± The inability to consider another¶s point of view, which Piaget considered
a hallmark of the preoperational stage

Formal Operational Stage •P.335) ± Piaget¶s fourth stage •around age 11 and beyond),
characterized by abstract and hypothetical thinking.

Object Permanence •P.333) ± Piagetiam term for and infant¶s understanding that objects •or
people) continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched directly.

Preoperational Stage •P.333) ± Piaget¶s second stage •roughly age 2 to 7), characterized by the
ability to employ significant language and to think symbolically, but the child lacks operations
•reversible mental processes), and thinking is egocentric and animistic.

Schema •P.332) ± Cognitive structures or patterns consisting of a number or organized ideas that
grow and differentiate witch experience.

Sensorimotor Stage •P.333) ± Piaget¶s first stage •birth to approximately age 2 years), in which
schemas are developed through sensory and motor activities.

6



Attachment •P.340) ± Strong affectional bond with special others that endures over time.

Imprinting •P.340) ± Innate form of learning within a critical period that involves attachment to
the first large moving object seen.

Page  of
p
 c
p
p


Animistic thinking ± Children in the preoperational stage believe that objects such as the sun,
trees, clouds, and bars of soap have motives, feelings, and intentions

Personal fable ± Given their unique form of egocentrism, adolescents may conclude that they
alone are having certain insights or difficulties and that no one else could

Imaginary audience ± Adolescents also tend to believe they are the center of others thoughts and
attentions, instead of considering that everyone is equally wrapped up in his or her own concerns
and plans.

Contact comfort ± Comfort derived from an infant's physical contact with the mother or
caregiver.

Parenting styles ± The manner in which parents rear their children; an authoritative parenting
style, which balances demandingness and responsiveness, is seen as the most effective.

Abstract thought ± Thinking that is coherent and logical

Hypothetical thought ± Involves the imagination of possibilities and the exploration of their
consequences by a process of mental simulation

Permissive-Neglectful ± Also called uninvolved, detached, dismissive or hands-off. The parents

are low in warmth and control, are generally not involved in their child's life, are disengaged,
undemanding, low in responsiveness, and do not set limits. Neglectful parenting can also mean
dismissing the children's emotions and opinions.

Permissive-Indulgent ± Also called permissive, nondirective or lenient, is characterized as

having few behavioral expectations for the child. "Indulgent parenting is a style of parenting in
which parents are very involved with their children but place few demands or controls on them.

Authoritarian ± Has a strong focus on discipline and setting limits with less emphasis on
expressions of parental love. Although this doesn't mean that these parents do not love their
children, it does illustrate their reluctance to express love and connection

Authoritative ± developing a close and nurturing relationship with their children while also
upholding and maintaining a reasonably high level of expectations and rules or guidelines

Parenting ± Baumrind

Page of
p