Research & Foundations
What field of psychology studies physical, cognitive, and social change across the lifespan?
Developmental Psychology
The fertilized egg in the first two weeks of development.
Zygote
This reflex causes infants to turn their head toward a touch on the cheek.
Rooting reflex
He developed the stage theory of cognitive development.
Jean Piaget
Fitting new information into an existing schema.
Assimilation
This debate examines how much of our development is influenced by genetics vs. environment.
Nature vs. Nurture
Name of the 0–2 week stage of prenatal development.
Germinal Period
Reflex that enables infants to draw nourishment from the breast or bottle.
Sucking reflex
Stage from 0–2 years when infants learn through senses and motor actions.
Sensorimotor stage
Adjusting old schemas or creating new ones to fit new information.
Accommodation
Type of research that compares different age groups at one point in time.
Cross-sectional research
Name of the developing organism from weeks 2–8.
Embryo / Embryonic Period
Reflex that protects infants from choking.
Gag reflex
Stage from 2–7 years marked by egocentrism and pretend play.
Preoperational stage
A temporary support structure provided to help a child learn a new skill.
Scaffold
Type of research that studies the same participants over many years.
Longitudinal research
Name of the developing organism from week 9 to birth.
Fetus / Fetal Period
Decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation.
Habituation
Stage from 7–11 years when children develop conservation, seriation, and classification skills.
Concrete operational stage
This refers to the gap between what a child can do alone and what they can do with help.
Zone of Proximal Development
This researcher created a theory of sociocultural development emphasizing the role of social interaction.
Lev Vygotsky
The point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb (usually around 22–26 weeks).
Age of viability
Understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen.
Object permanence
Stage beginning around age 12 characterized by abstract thinking and hypotheticals.
Formal operational stage
Type of intelligence that grows with age and represents accumulated knowledge.
Crystallized intelligence
(Fluid intelligence decreases earlier in adulthood)