1: The People and the Field Flashcards
the principle that our genetic temperamental tendencies cause us to choose to put ourselves into specific environments
active forces
nations defined by their wealth, or high median incomes - better education, life expectancy
developed world
societies that prize social harmony, obedience, close family relationships over individual achievement
collectivist cultures
a measurement strategy that involves directly watching and coding behaviors
naturalistic observations
original behavioral worldview that focused only on “objective”, observable behaviors
traditional behaviorism
father of child development who created cognitive developmental theory
Jean Piaget
the biological limit of human life (about age 105)
maximum lifespan
in Erik Erikson’s theory, each challenge that we face as we travel through the eight stages of the lifespan
Erikson’s psychosocial tasks
the extent to which the environment is tailored to our biological tendencies and talents
person-environment fit
behavioral genetic research strategy, compares identical twin pairs adopted into different families
twin/adoption study
psychological perspective emphasizing inborn, species-specific biological forces and behaviors (nature)
evolutionary psychology
large age group born between 1946-1964, at the center of radical transformations in society
baby boom cohort
John Bowlby’s theory that being closely connected to a caregiver in childhood and attached to a significant other later in life is crucial to human survival
attachment theory
the most impoverished nations of the world - less education, lower life expectancy
developing world
changing our thinking to fit input from the wider world (Piaget)
accommodation
the scientific study of the aging process and older adults
gerontology
a measurement that asks people to report on their feelings and activities through questionnaires
self-report strategy
communicable illnesses that are carried by microbes - highly contagious, appear quickly, either abate or cause death
infectious diseases
Jean Piaget’s principle that, from infancy to adolescence, children progress through four qualitatively different stages of intellectual growth
cognitive developmental theory
research field exploring how early life events alter the outer cover of our DNA, producing lifelong changes in health and behavior
epigenetics
the gap between the rich and the poor in a nation; very few affluent residents and a mass of disadvantaged citizens
income inequality
the principle that people affect one another, or that interpersonal influences flow in both directions
bidirectionality
in Piaget’s theory, the first step promoting mental growth, involving fitting environmental input to our existing mental capacities
assimilation
research technique involving collapsing the results of every study on an important topic into one overall measure, to prove that a finding is generally true of all people
meta-analysis
unpredictable or atypical life changes that occur during development (losing a loved one)
non-normative transitions
behavioral term for rewarding behavior
reinforcement
a research strategy that involves relating two or more variables
correlational study
people in their eighties and beyond who are more likely to have physical and mental disabilities
old-old
predictable life changes that occur during development (becoming a parent, beginning college)
normative transitions
field devoted to scientifically determining the role hereditary forces play in determining individual differences in behavior
behavioral genetics
a person’s 50/50 chance at birth of living to a given age
average life expectancy
learning by watching and imitating others
modeling
AKA social learning theory - behavioral perspective emphasizing that people learn by watching others and our thoughts about the reinforcers determine our behavior - started by Albert Bandura
cognitive behaviorism
the scientific study of human development throughout all of life
lifespan development
the phase of life that begins after high school, lasts through the late twenties and is devoted to constructing an adult life
emerging adulthood
developmental research strategy that involves testing the same age group repeatedly over many years
longitudinal study
rising in social class / economic status from that of your parents/childhood
upward mobility
the dramatic increase in average life expectancy that occurred in affluent nations during the first half of the 20th century
twentieth-century life expectancy revolution
the only research method that can determine real causation; involves randomly assigning people to different treatments and examining the outcome
true experiment
behavioral genetic research strategy, compares identical twins with fraternal twins (or other people)
twin study
pioneering scientist who established first U.S. institute for researching child development
G. Stanley Hall
people in their sixties and seventies who remain relatively healthy, stable
young-old
developmental research strategy involving testing different age groups at the same time
cross-sectional study
our birth group / age group with whom we travel through life
cohort
the scientific study of adult life
adult development
fatal illnesses (heart disease, cancer) tied to the aging process itself
chronic diseases
behavioral genetic research strategy, compares adopted children with their biological and adoptive parents
adoption study
the principle that our inborn talents and temperamental tendencies produce certain responses from the world
evocative forces
societies that prize independence, competition and personal success
individualistic cultures
an all-encompassing outlook on development that embraces variety of approaches, reality that many influences affect development
developmental systems approach
broad general influences (cohort, culture, status, gender) that shape our development throughout the lifespan
contexts of development
father of lifespan development who defined psychosocial stages and emphasized emotional growth throughout life
Erik Erikson
researchers and practitioners whose professional interest lies in studying the human lifespan
developmentalists (developmental scientists)
our belief in our own competence and ability to be successful - predicts our goals, whether we initiate activities, persist past failures
self-efficacy
the scientific study of human development from birth through adolescence
child development
according to traditional behaviorists, the law of learning that determines any voluntary action/response
operant conditioning
