Development
The pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through the life span. Most development involves growth, although it also includes decline brought on by aging and dying
life-span perspective
The perspective that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual: involves growth, maintenance, and regulation; and is constructed through biological, sociocultural, and individual factors workin
normative age-graded influences
Influences that are common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances
normative history-graded influences
Influences that are common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances
non normative life events
Unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an individuals life
culture
The behavior patterns, beliefs, and all other products of a group that are passed on from generation to generation
cross-cultural studies
Comparison of one culture with one or more other cultures. These provide information about the degree to which development is similar or universal, across cultures and the degree to which it is culture specific.
ethnicity
A characteristic based on cultural heritage, nationality characteristics, race, religion, and language
socioeconomic status
Refers to the grouping of people with similar occupational, educational, and economic characteristics
gender
The characteristics of people as males or females
social policy
A national governments course of action designed to promote the welfare of its citizens
biological processes
Changes in an individuals physical nature
cognitive processes
Changes in an individuals thought, intelligence, and language.
socioemotional processes
Changes in an individuals relationships with other people, emotions, and personality
nature-nurture issue
Debate about whether development is primarily influenced by nature or nurture. Nature refers to an organisms biological inheritance, nurture to its environmental experiences
stability-change issue
Debate about whether we become older renditions of our early experiences or whether we develop into someone different from who we were at an earlier point in development
continuity-discontinuity issue
Debate about the extent to which development involves gradual cumulative change or distinct stages
Scientific Method
An approach that can be used to obtain accurate information. it includes the following steps: (1) conceptualize the problem, (2) collect data, (3) draw conclusions, and (4) revise research conclusions and theory.
theory
An interrelated coherent set of ideas that helps to explain phenomena and facilitate predictions.
hypotheses
Specific assumptions and predictions that can be tested to determine their accuracy
psychoanalytic theories
Theories that describe development as primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion. Behavior is merely a surface characteristic, and the symbolic workings of the mind have to be analyzed to understand behavior. Early experiences with parents are e
Eriksons Theory
Includes eight stages of human development. Each Stage consists of a unique developmental task that confronts individuals with a crisis that must be resolved
Piagets theory
Theory stating that children actively construct their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development
Vygotsky's theory
A sociocultural cognitive theory that emphasizes how culture and social interaction guide cognitive development
information processing theory
Emphasizes that individuals manipulate information , monitor it and strategic about it. Central to this theory are the processes of memory and thinking
social cognitive theory
The view of psychologists who emphasize behavior, environment, and cognition as the key factors in development
ethology
stresses that behavior is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution and is characterized by critical or sensitive periods
Bronfenbrenners ecological theory
Bronfenenbrenners environmental systems theory that focuses on five environmental systems, micro system, mesosystem, exosystem, macro system and chronosytem
eclectic theoretical orientation
An orientation that does not follow any one theoretical approach but rather selects from each theory whatever is considered the best in it
laboratory
A controlled setting in which many of the complex factors of the real world are removed
naturalistic observation
Studies that involve observing behavior in real world settings
standardized test
A test with uniform procedures for administration and scoring. Many standardized tests allow a persons performance to be compared with performance of other individuals
case study
An in-depth look at a single individual
Descriptive research
studies designed to observe and record behavior
correlational research
Research that attempts to determine the strength of the relationship between two or more events or characteristics
correlation coefficient
A number based on statistical analysis that is used to describe the degree of association between two variables
Experiment
A carefully regulated procedure in which one or more of the factors believed to influence the behavior being studied are manipulated while all other factors are held constant
cross-sectional approach
A research strategy in which individuals of different ages are compared at one time
longitudinal approach
A research strategy in which the same individuals are studied over a period of time, usually several years or more.
cohort effects
Effects due to a persons time of birth, era, or generation rather than the persons actual age
ethnic gloss
Using an ethnic label such as African American or Latino in a superficial way that portrays an ethnic group as being more homogeneous that it really is
Paul Baltes
Life span development expert
Marian Wright Edelman
President of the Children's Defense Fund
Bernice Neugarten
Life Span expert who argues that chronological age is irrelevant
Sigmund Freud
Psychoanalytic Theory, overestimated Sexual instincts
Erik Erikson
Psychoanalytic Theory, believes that the more successfully an individual resolves each crisis the healthier development will be.
Jean Piaget
Cognitive Deveopmental Theory
Lev Vygotsky
Sociocultural cognitive theory of child development
Robert Siegler
Information-Processing Theory
B.F. Skinner
Operant Condtioning
Bandura
Social Cognitive Theory
Konrad Lorenz
Ethologist who studied the behavior of greylag geese which followed him as if he was the mother.
John Bowlby
Ethologist who believed that attachemnt to a caregiver over the first year of life has important consequences
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Ecological Theory,
Ross Parke and Raymond Buriel
described how research on ethnic minority children and their families has not been given adequate attention.