Key terms – Developmental Psychology
PREVIEW
emotion regulation
- Technique used by parents to help children regulate their emotional arousal
- by 6 months: first signs of emotional self-regulation
functionalist perspective
- Argues that the basic function of emotions is to promote action towards achieving a
certain goal
- Emotional reactions are affected by the immediate context and the people around
someone
self-conscious emotions
- Emotions relating to our sense of self and our consciousness of others’ reactions to us
- Embarrassment, pride, guilt, shame
- Emerge in the second year because that is when children gain the understanding they
are entities distinct from other people develop a sense of self
- Distinction between guilt and shame
o Guilt: associated with empathy for others
▪ Involves feelings of remorse and regret about one’s behaviour
▪ Desire to undo the consequences of that behaviour
o Shame: unrelated to concern about others
▪ Focus is on oneself
separation anxiety
- Emerges at around 8 months
- Distress due to separation from the primary caregiver
- Infants show less distress when they crawl or walk
- Tends to increase from 8 to 13/15 months
social competence
- The ability to achieve personal goals in social interactions while simultaneously
maintaining positive relationships with others
social referencing
- Using other people’s facial expressions or vocal cues to decide how to deal with a
novel, ambiguous, or even threatening situation
- Basically, look how the others react and then react the same lol
social smiles
- Smiles that are directed at people 😊
- The first emerge as early as 6 to 7 months old
,Chapter 2
Conception
- Union of an egg from the mother and a sperm from the father
Embryo
- The developing organism from the 3rd to 8th week
Foetus
- Developing organism from 9th week till birth
fraternal twins
- Twins that result when two eggs happen to be released into the fallopian tube at the
same time
- Fertilized by two different sperms
- Have half their genes in common
gametes
- Germ cells
- Reproductive cells that contain only half the genetic material of all the other cells in
the body
identical twins
- Twins that result from splitting in half of the zygote
- The two resulting zygotes have exactly the same set of genes
meiosis
- Cell division that produces gametes
Mitosis
- Cell division that results in two identical daughter cells
neural tube
- A groove formed in the top layer of differentiated cells in the embryo
- Will become the brain and spinal cord
phylogenetic continuity
- Similarities/ difference in genotype across species
placenta
- Support organ for the foetus
- Keeps circulatory systems of the foetus and the mother separate
, - Permits exchange of some materials (like oxygen and nutrients)
sensitive period
- Period of time during which a developing organism is most sensitive to external
factors
Teratogen
- External agent causing damage during prenatal development
umbilical cord
- Tube containing the blood vessels connecting the foetus and the placenta
Zygote
- Fertilized egg cell
Chapter 11
Attachment
- Emotional bond with someone that is enduring across space and time
attachment theory
- Theory based on Bowlby’s work
o Children are biologically predisposed to develop attachment to caregivers as a
means of increasing the chances of their own survival
disorganized/disoriented attachment
- No consistent way of coping with stress
- Confused and contradictory behaviour
insecure/avoidant attachment
- Indifferent toward caregiver
- When upset, baby is also easily comforted by a stranger
insecure/ambivalent attachment
- Children are clingy and stay close to the parent
- Gets very upset when parent leaves and are not easily comforted when he returns
parental sensitivity
- Important factor contributing to a children’s attachment
o Securely attached: parents are consistently responsive
o Insecure: inconsistent caregiving, highly anxious mothers, emotionally
unavailable
o Disorganized: abusive, frightening, disoriented behaviour
PREVIEW
emotion regulation
- Technique used by parents to help children regulate their emotional arousal
- by 6 months: first signs of emotional self-regulation
functionalist perspective
- Argues that the basic function of emotions is to promote action towards achieving a
certain goal
- Emotional reactions are affected by the immediate context and the people around
someone
self-conscious emotions
- Emotions relating to our sense of self and our consciousness of others’ reactions to us
- Embarrassment, pride, guilt, shame
- Emerge in the second year because that is when children gain the understanding they
are entities distinct from other people develop a sense of self
- Distinction between guilt and shame
o Guilt: associated with empathy for others
▪ Involves feelings of remorse and regret about one’s behaviour
▪ Desire to undo the consequences of that behaviour
o Shame: unrelated to concern about others
▪ Focus is on oneself
separation anxiety
- Emerges at around 8 months
- Distress due to separation from the primary caregiver
- Infants show less distress when they crawl or walk
- Tends to increase from 8 to 13/15 months
social competence
- The ability to achieve personal goals in social interactions while simultaneously
maintaining positive relationships with others
social referencing
- Using other people’s facial expressions or vocal cues to decide how to deal with a
novel, ambiguous, or even threatening situation
- Basically, look how the others react and then react the same lol
social smiles
- Smiles that are directed at people 😊
- The first emerge as early as 6 to 7 months old
,Chapter 2
Conception
- Union of an egg from the mother and a sperm from the father
Embryo
- The developing organism from the 3rd to 8th week
Foetus
- Developing organism from 9th week till birth
fraternal twins
- Twins that result when two eggs happen to be released into the fallopian tube at the
same time
- Fertilized by two different sperms
- Have half their genes in common
gametes
- Germ cells
- Reproductive cells that contain only half the genetic material of all the other cells in
the body
identical twins
- Twins that result from splitting in half of the zygote
- The two resulting zygotes have exactly the same set of genes
meiosis
- Cell division that produces gametes
Mitosis
- Cell division that results in two identical daughter cells
neural tube
- A groove formed in the top layer of differentiated cells in the embryo
- Will become the brain and spinal cord
phylogenetic continuity
- Similarities/ difference in genotype across species
placenta
- Support organ for the foetus
- Keeps circulatory systems of the foetus and the mother separate
, - Permits exchange of some materials (like oxygen and nutrients)
sensitive period
- Period of time during which a developing organism is most sensitive to external
factors
Teratogen
- External agent causing damage during prenatal development
umbilical cord
- Tube containing the blood vessels connecting the foetus and the placenta
Zygote
- Fertilized egg cell
Chapter 11
Attachment
- Emotional bond with someone that is enduring across space and time
attachment theory
- Theory based on Bowlby’s work
o Children are biologically predisposed to develop attachment to caregivers as a
means of increasing the chances of their own survival
disorganized/disoriented attachment
- No consistent way of coping with stress
- Confused and contradictory behaviour
insecure/avoidant attachment
- Indifferent toward caregiver
- When upset, baby is also easily comforted by a stranger
insecure/ambivalent attachment
- Children are clingy and stay close to the parent
- Gets very upset when parent leaves and are not easily comforted when he returns
parental sensitivity
- Important factor contributing to a children’s attachment
o Securely attached: parents are consistently responsive
o Insecure: inconsistent caregiving, highly anxious mothers, emotionally
unavailable
o Disorganized: abusive, frightening, disoriented behaviour
