Final Exam Study Guide for Psychology

Adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information. Old ideas replaced by new information. 

• ex: You reevaluate your opinion about the girl. 
• ex: Referring back to the horse and cow example. The child develops a new schema for the cow. 

- Sensorimotor Stage: (birth-2 years old)

• Infant trying to make sense of world.
• Object Permanence (ex: Peek-a-boo)

- Preoperational Stage: (2-7 years old)

• Egocentrism: unable to take the point of view of other people.
• Conservation: water experiment.

- Concrete Operational Stage: (7-11 years old)

• Reversibility: child might recognize the her dog id a Labrador, that a Labrador is a dog, and that a dog is an animal.

- Formal Operational Stage: (12-adulthood)

• Ability to think about abstract concepts.
• Problem-solving

A newly emerging ability to evaluate people as unfamiliar and possibly threatening helps protect babies 8 months or older.

• ex: When a stranger reaches out to an infant, the infant might cry and look for a familiar face to hold onto.

An optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development.

• ex: When a duckling is hatched, the first thing they see move is usually his mother. From then on, he will follow her and her alone.

1. Authoritarian: parents impose rules and expect obedience. Failure to follow rules often results in punishment. Fail to explain the reason for rules. If asked, parent might say, "Because I said so".
2. Permissive: parents submit to their children's desires. Few demands and little punishment. Avoid confrontation and are lenient. Friend more than a parent.
3. Authoritative: both demanding and responsive. Explain the reasons for the rules. Encourage open discussion when making rules and allow exceptions. Willing to listen to questions. More forgiving than punishing. Generally linked to positive behaviors, like strong self-esteem and self-competence.