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learning
a relatively permanent change in behavior that results from one's experience or practice TERM 2
classical conditioning
DEFINITION 2 type of learning in which an initially neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with a meaningful nonneutral stimulus so that the neutral stimulus comes to elicit the response originally made only to the nonneutral stimulus TERM 3
conditioned stimulus
DEFINITION 3 an initially neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a particular response after being paired with a UCS that always elicits the response TERM 4
conditioned response
DEFINITION 4 a learned response to a stimulus that was not originally capable of producing the response TERM 5
unconditioned stimulus
DEFINITION 5 a stimulus that elicits a particular response without any prior learning
operant conditioning
a form of learning in which freely emitted acts become either more or less probable depending on the consequences they produce TERM 7
observational learning
DEFINITION 7 learning that results from observing the behavior TERM 8
encoding
DEFINITION 8 the process by which external stimulation is converted to a mental representation TERM 9
classical conditioning
DEFINITION 9 Pavlov's theory TERM 10
Operant Learning Theory
DEFINITION 10 Skinner's theory
cognitive devleopment
changes that occur in mental activites such as attending, perceiving, learning, thinking, and remembering TERM 17
intelligence
DEFINITION 17 in Piaget's theory, a basic life function that enables an organism to adapt to its enviornment TERM 18
cognitive equilibrium
DEFINITION 18 Piaget's term for the state of affairs in which there is a balanced or harmonious relationship between one's though process and the enviornment TERM 19
constructivist
DEFINITION 19 one who gains knowledge by acting or otherwise operation on objects and events to discover their properties TERM 20
scheme
DEFINITION 20 an organized pattern of thought or action that one constructs to interpret some aspect of one's experience
organization
an inborn tendency to combine and integrate available schemes into coherent systems or bodies of knowledge TERM 22
adaption
DEFINITION 22 inborn tendency to adjust to the demands of the enviornment TERM 23
assimilation
DEFINITION 23 process of interpreting new experiences by incorporating them into existings schemes TERM 24
accommodation
DEFINITION 24 the process of modifying existing schemes in order to incorporate or adapt to new experiences TERM 25
invariant developmental sequence
DEFINITION 25 series of developments that occur in one particular order because each development in the sequence is a prerequisite for those appearing later
symbolic function
ability to use symbols to represent objects and experiences TERM 32
representational insight
DEFINITION 32 the knowledge that an entity can stand for something other than itself TERM 33
duel
encoding
DEFINITION 33 the ability to represent an object simultaneously as an object itself and as a representation of something else TERM 34
animism
DEFINITION 34 attributing life and lifelike qualities to inanimate objects TERM 35
egocentrism
DEFINITION 35 the tendency to view the world from one's own perspective while failing to recognize that others may ave different points of view
appearence/reality distinction
the ability to keep the true properties or characteristics of an object in mind despite the deceptive appearance the object has assumed notably lacking among young children during the preconceptual period TERM 37
conservation
DEFINITION 37 recognition that the properties of an object or substance do not change when its appearance is altered i some superficial way TERM 38
decentration
DEFINITION 38 Piaget's theory, the ability of concrete operational children to consider multiple aspects of a stimulus or situation TERM 39
reversibilty
DEFINITION 39 the ability to reverse an action by mentall performing the opposite actions TERM 40
identity training
DEFINITION 40 an attempt to promote conservation by teaching nonconservers to regonize that a transformed object or substance is the same object or substance, regardless of its new appearance
hypothetico-deductive reasoning
in piaget's theory, a formal operational ability to think hypothetically TERM 47
inductive reasoning
DEFINITION 47 the type of thinking scientists do-- where hypotheses are generated and then systematically tested in experiments TERM 48
sociocultural theory
DEFINITION 48 Vygotsky's perspective on cognitive development in which children acquire their cultures values, beliefs, and problem- solving strategies though collaborative dialogues with more knowlegeable members of society TERM 49
ontogentic development
DEFINITION 49 development of the individual over his or her lifetime TERM 50
microgenetic development
DEFINITION 50 changes that occur over relatively brief periods of time opposed to larger scale changes
phylogenetic development
development over evolutionary time TERM 52
sociohistorical development
DEFINITION 52 changes that have occurred in one's culture and the values, norms, and technologies such a history has generated TERM 53
tools of intellectual adaption
DEFINITION 53 Vygotsky's term for methods of thinking and problem-solving strategies that children internalize from their interactions with more competent members of society TERM 54
zone of proximal development
DEFINITION 54 Vygotsky's term for the range of tasks that are too complex to be mastered alone but can be accomplished with guidance and encouragement from a more skillful partner TERM 55
scaffolding
DEFINITION 55 the process by which an expert responds contingently to the novice's behavior in a learning situation so that the novice gradually increases his or her understanding of a problem
behavioral genetics
scientific study of how genotype interacts with environment to detemind behavioral attributes such as intelligence, personality, mental health TERM 62
heritability
DEFINITION 62 the amount of variability in a trait that is attributable to hereditary factors TERM 63
selective breeding experiment
DEFINITION 63 method of studying genetic influences by determined whether traits can be bred in animals through selective mating TERM 64
kinship
DEFINITION 64 the extent to which two individuals have genes in common TERM 65
twin design
DEFINITION 65 study in which sets of twins that differ in kinship are compared to determineheritability of an attribute
adoption design
study in which adoptees are compared with their biological relatives and their adoptive relatives to estimate the heritability of an attribute or attributes TERM 67
concordance
rate
DEFINITION 67 percentage of cases in which a particular attribute is present for one member of a twin pair if it is present for the other TERM 68
heritability coefficant
DEFINITION 68 a numerical estimate rating from .00 to +1.00 of the amount of variation in an attribute that is due to hereditary factors TERM 69
nonshared enviornmental
influce
DEFINITION 69 an environmental influence that people living together do not share that should make these individuals different from one another TERM 70
shared environmental
influence
DEFINITION 70 an environmental influence that people living together share that should make these individuals similar to one another
active genotype/environment correlations
the notion that our genotypes affect the types of environments that we prefer and seek out TERM 77
ethology
DEFINITION 77 the study of the bioevolutionary basis of behavior and development with a focus on survival of the individual TERM 78
natural selection
DEFINITION 78 evolutionary process proposed by Darwin that individuals with characteristics that promote adaption to the environment will survive, reproduce, and pass these adaptive characteristics to offspring. those lacking these adaptive characteristics will eventually die out TERM 79
sensitive period
DEFINITION 79 the period of time that is optimal for the development of particular capacities and in which the individual is particularly sensitive to environmental influences that would foster these attributes TERM 80
modern evolutionary theory
DEFINITION 80 study of the bioevolutionary basis of behavior and development with a focus on survival of genes
ecological systems theory
Bronfenbrenner's model emphasizing that the developing person is embedded in a series of enviornmental systems that interact with one another and with the person to influence development TERM 82
microsytem
DEFINITION 82 the immediate settings that the person actually encounteres; the innermost of Bronfenbrenner's environmental layers TERM 83
mesosystem
DEFINITION 83 the interconnections among an individual's immediate settings or microsystems; the second layer TERM 84
exosystem
DEFINITION 84 social systems that children and adolescents do not directly experience but that may nontheless influence their development; third layer TERM 85
macrosystem
DEFINITION 85 larger cultural or subcultural context in which development occurs; outermost environmental layer
secure base
the use of a caregiver as a base from which to explore the environment and to which to return for emotional support TERM 92
phase of multiple attachments
DEFINITION 92 the period when infants are forming attachements to companions other than their primary attachment object TERM 93
secondary reinforcer
DEFINITION 93 an initally neutral stimulus that acquires reinforcement value by virtue of its repeated association with other reinforcing stimuli TERM 94
imprinting
DEFINITION 94 an innate or instinctual form of learning in which the young of certain species will follow and become attached to moving objects TERM 95
preadapted characteristic
DEFINITION 95 an attribute that is a product of evolution and serves some function that increases the chances of survival for the individual and the species
stranger
anxiety
a wary or fretful reactio that infants and toddlers often display when approached by an unfamiliar person TERM 97
separation
anxiety
DEFINITION 97 a wary or fretful reaction that infants and toddler often display when separated from the person who they are attached TERM 98
strange situation
DEFINITION 98 series of eight separation and reunion episodes to whihc infants are exposed in order to determine the quality of their attachments TERM 99
secure attachment
DEFINITION 99 an infat-caregiver bond in which the child welcomes contact with a close companion and uses this person as a secure base from which to explore the environment TERM 100
resistant attachment
DEFINITION 100 an insecure infant-cargiver bond, characterized by a strong separation protest and a tendency of the child to remain near but resist contact initiated by the caregiver, particularly after a separation
