ap spych unit 6

• Prenatal Development

  1. Conception: single sperm cell penetrates egg

  2. Zygote stage: 10-14 days after conception - Cell differentiation and cell division

  3. Implantation: Embryo 2-8 weeks after conception - Multicellular cluster implants on uterine wall, Differentiation into organs/bones begins

  4. Fetus stage: 9 weeks after conception - Fetal life has many dangers (Teratogens, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), Responding to Sounds - Recognize and adapt to sounds, less agitated over time
• Inborn Skills


  • Sucking reflex: fingertip can trigger this
  • Rooting reflex: open mouth when something touches
  • Crying
  • Facial recognition
• Brain Development

  1. In the womb, neurons increase in number

  2. At birth, neural connections increase in number

  3. During infancy, growth occurs in less complex areas (ex: brain stem for survival)

  4. In childhood, growth occurs in complex areas (ex: cerebral cortex)
• Motor Development

  1. Cerebellum is involved in this

  2. 6 months = sit

  3. 8-9 months = crawl (cephalocaudal trend)

  4. 12 months = walk (kind of wobbly)

  5. 15 months = walk normally
• Infantile Amnesia


  • Infant memories are made differently, so people forget the first 1-3 years of their life
  • They will keep memories of procedural learning such as foot movements
• Cognitive Development

  1. Cognition with language, problem solving, concepts, etc.

  2. Piaget says there are errors in cognition when we are young (ex: relative size error)

  3. Schemas: built to hold experiences (concepts, images, models)

  4. Assimilation: making something part of a schema (ex: fitting a cat into a dog schema)

  5. Accommodation: making something part of a new schema if it is new (ex: after seeing a moose for the first time, a child categorizes it as a moose rather than a cow)
• Piaget Stages

  • 0-2 years Sensorimotor
  • 2-7 years Preoperational -
  • 6-11 years Operational -
  • 11+ years Formal Operational -
• Issues with the Piaget Stages: 1. Development is continuous, 2. Kids take different amounts of time, 3. Formal logic is not the main goal of reaching adulthood
• Kohlberg Moral Stages

  • Preconventional stage: think about own needs (ex: I need to do what I need to do)
  • Conventional stage: conform, think about others (ex: obey rules because I am told to)
  • Postconventional stage: equality, values, and rights matter (ex: obey rules because that is for good of society)
• Problems with Kohlberg's Moral Stages: Since this was studied in males only, Gilligan says it is not generalizable to women
• Vygotsky

  • Learning occurs with social communication
  • Inner speech develops
  • Mentoring, language, and cognitive support are valuable
• Parenting Styles

  • Authoritarian = too strict
  • Permissive = too loose
  • Authoritative = just right
• Moral reasoning in adolescence


  • Merit/equity, god (maybe), meaning and purpose, deep thoughts
• Moral intuition


  Quick gut decisions, reasoning and emotions
• Erikson Stages of Life

  • Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy)
  • Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt (potty training)
  • Initiative vs. Guilt (making mess)
  • Competence vs. Inferiority (be smart in school)
  • Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence)
  • Intimacy vs. Isolation (marriage)
  • Generativity vs. Stagnation (help others)
  • Integrity vs. Despair (reflect on life)
• Ross Stages of Death and Coping

  • Denial
  • Anger
  • Bargaining
  • Depression
  • Acceptance
• Adulthood

  1. Emerging adulthood is from 18-25 years of age

  2. Mid 20s = peak physical ability

  3. 40-60 = end of reproductive years, menopause for women

  4. 122 years = highest potential lifespan

  5. Women live longer

  6. Frontal lobe atrophy = lack of self-control

  7. Exercise slows bodily aging

  8. Dementia = not a normal part of aging; symptoms that affect memory and cognition/thinking

  9. Recalling declines with age, not recognition

  10. New information can be learned at older ages, but not really skills

  11. Older people tend to have more positivity (positive memories last longer)
• Sensorimotor stage


  0-2 years, explore with senses and motor skills, develop object permanence, no abstract thinking yet
• Preoperational stage


  2-7 years, intuitive thinking, accommodation, struggle with transductive reasoning, engage in pretending, develop Theory of Mind
• Operational stage


  6-11 years, concrete thinking with numbers, logic, and ideas, perform simple math transformations, develop conservation
• Formal operational stage


  11+ years, abstract thinking, hypothetical reasoning, allegorical and hypocritical thinking, perspective-taking
• Resilient


  Can attach at a later age
• Temperament


  Emotional reactivity that can be easy or difficult
• Avoidant Style


  Doesn't care if the mother is there or not
• Anxious Style


  Upset without mother, doesn't feel better even when she's back
• Secure Attachment


  Distress without mother, feel better when she comes back
• Attachment


  Emotional tie between a child and their caregiver
• Social Development - Early Adolescence


  Best time for learning, but emotions over judgement
• Social Development - Childhood

  Developing self-concept
• Social Development - Infancy

  Forming attachment with caregivers