age graded
social organization based on grouping persons of similar ages
ambivalence
emotional state of experiencing two contradictory emotions at once
asthma
chronic illness of the lungs characterized by wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath
attention-deficiency/hyperactive disorder (ADHD)
diagnosis that includes problems of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness
bilingual
capable of using two languages
body mass index (BMI)
measure of the ratio of weight to height
bullying
pattern of maltreatment of peers, including aggression; repetition; and power imbalance
coercive cycle
pattern in relations between parents and children in which children's disobedient behavior evokes harsh responses from parents, which in turn makes children even more resistant to parental control, evoking even harsher responses
concrete operations
in Piaget's theory, the cognitive stage in which children become capable of using mental operations
coregulation
relationship between parents and children in which parents provide broad guidelines for behavior but children are capable of a substantial amount of independent, self-directed behavior
cultural models
cognitive structures pertaining to common cultural activities
decentering
cognitive ability to take more than one aspect of a problem into account, such as width as well as length
divorce mediation
arrangement in which a professional mediator meets with divorcing parents to help them negotiate an agreement that both will find acceptable
dyslexia
learning disability that includes difficulty sounding out letters, difficulty learning to spell words, and a tendency to misperceive the order of letters in words
elaboration
mnemonic that involves transforming bits of information in a way that connects them and hence makes them easier to remember
Experience Sampling Method (ESM)
research method that involves having people wear beepers, usually for a period of 1 week; when they are beeped at random times during the day, they record a variety of characteristics of their experience at that moment.
family process
quality of the relationships between family members
Flynn effect
steep rise in the median IQ score in Western countries during the 20th century, named after James Flynn, who first identified it
gifted
in IQ test performance, persons who score 130 or above
industry versus inferiority
Erikson's middle childhood stage, in which the alternatives are to learn to work effectively with cultural materials or, if adults, are too critical, develop a sense of being incapable of working effectively
intelligence
capacity for acquiring knowledge, reasoning, and solving problems
intelligence quotient (IQ)
score of mental ability as assessed by intelligence tests, calculated relative to the performance of other people the same age
learning disability
cognitive disorder that impedes the development of learning a specific skill such as reading or math
media multitasking
simultaneous use of more than one media form, such as playing an electronic game while watching TV
mental retardation
level of cognitive abilities of persons who score 70 or below on IQ tests
metalinguistic skills
in the understanding of language, skills that reflect awareness of the underlying structure of language
metamemory
understanding of how memory works
mnemonics
memory strategies, such as rehearsal, organization, and elaboration
myopia
visual condition of being unable to see distant objects clearly; also known as being nearsighted
normal distribution
typical distribution of characteristics of a population, resembling a bell curve in which most cases fall near the middle and the proportions decrease at the low and high extremes
numeracy
understanding of the meaning of numbers
obese
in children, defined as having a BMI exceeding 21
organization
mnemonic that involves placing things mentally into meaningful categories
overweight
in children, defined as having a BMI exceeding 18
phonics approach
method of teaching reading that advocates breaking down words in their component sounds, called phonics, then putting the phonics together into words
rehearsal
mnemonic that involves repeating the same information over and over
selective association
in social relations, the principle that people tend to prefer being around others who are like themselves
selective attention
ability to focus attention on relevant information and disregard what is irrelevant
self-concept
person's perception and evaluations of him- or herself
self-esteem
person's overall sense of worth and well-being
seriation
ability to arrange things in a logical order, such as shortest to longest, thinnest to thickest, or lightest to darkest
social comparison
how persons view themselves in relation to others with regard to status, abilities, or acheivements
social information processing (SIP)
in social encounters, evaluations of others' intentions, motivations, and behavior
social skills
behaviors that include being friendly, helpful, cooperation, and considerate
social status
within a group, the degree of power, authority, and influencee that each person has in the view of the others
stepfamily
family with children in which one of the parents is not biologically related to the children but has married a parent who is biologically related to the children
theory of multiple intelligences
Gardner's theory that there are eight distinct types of intelligence
transitive inference
ability to place objects in a logical order mentally
triarchic theory of intelligence
Sternberg's theory that there are three discinct but related forms of intelligence
whole-language approach
method of teaching reading in which the emphasis is on the meaning of written language in whole passages, rather than breaking down words to their smallest components