Ch. 1: Study of Human Development Flashcards
Human Development
The multidisciplinary study of how people change and how they remain the same over time.
continuity-discontinuity issue
Concerns whether a particular developmental phenomenon represents a smooth progression throughout the life span or a series of abrupt shifts (discontinuity)
universal and context-specific developmental issue
whether there is one path of development or several. Ex: order of infancy developmental skills is roughly the same, but how those skills are emphasized can influence focus on certain things
biological forces
all genetic and health-related forces that affect development
Psychological forces
all internal perceptual, cognitive, emotional and personality factors that affect development
sociocultural forces
interpersonal, societal, cultural, and ethnic factors that affect development
life-cycle forces
differences in how the same events affect people of different ages (pregnancy as a teen vs. 30 year old)
biopsychosocial framework
how biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces all interact to make up development
psychodynamic theories
Development is largely determined by how well people resolve conflicts they face at different ages (starts with Freud)
Psychosocial Theory
Erikson’s theory that personality development is determined by interaction of the internal maturational plan and the external societal demands
Epigenetic Principle
Means by which each psychosocial strength has its own special period of particular importance (later stages of life built on a foundation of what happens earlier)
operant conditioning
consequences of behavior determine whether it is repeated in the future (rat pushes button and receives treats and continues to push button)
reinforcement
a consequence that increases the likelihood of a behavior
self-efficacy
people’s beliefs about their own abilities and talents
information-processing theory
human cognition consists of mental hardware and mental software
Ecological Theory
views human development as inseparable from the environmental contexts in which a person develops. Bronfenbrenner is best known proponent of this and proposes that developing person is embedded in series of complex and interactive systems (Macro-Exo-Meso-Micro)
Microsystem
people and objects in individual’s immediate environment
Mesosystem
provides connections across microsystems (school, friends, etc.)
exosystem
settings that person may not experience firsthand but still influence them (Government and social policy, parent’s workplace, etc.)
macrosystem
culture and subcultures in which other systems are embedded (historical events, ethnic group, etc.)
environmental press
demands put on people by the environment
life-span perspective
view that human development is multiple determined and cannot be understood within the scope of a single framework
selective optimization with compensation (SOC) model
selection, optimization, and compensation form a system of behavioral action that generates and regulates development and aging
life-course perspective
how various generations experience the biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces of development in their respective historical contexts
systematic observation
watching people and carefully recording what they do or say
naturalistic observation
observing people as they behave spontaneously in real life
structured observations
researcher creates a setting that is likely to bring out the behavior of interest
correlation study
investigation looking at relations between variables as they exist naturally in the world
correlation coefficient
an expression of the strength and direction of a relation between two variables. Range from -1.0 to 1.0
cross-sectional study
developmental differences are identified by testing people of different ages
cohort effects
problem with cross-sectional studies when differences between age groups may result from environmental events not from developmental processes
sequential design
developmental research design based on cross-sectional and longitudinal studies
Learning Theory
Concentrates on how learning influences a person’s behavior, emphasizes the role of experience in whether behaviors are rewarded or punished. Encompasses behaviorism and social learning theory
Behaviorism
Proposed by John Watson in 1900s. Argued that infants are “blank slates” and learning alone determines what a person will become. Operant conditioning and reinforcement are important
Social Learning Theory
People learn much by simply watching those around them
Cognitive-Developmental Theory
Focuses on thought process and person constructing knowledge actively (Piaget’s Theory included under this umbrella)
Piaget’s Theory
Jean Piaget argues that children naturally try to make sense of their world, acting like little scientists who constantly form and test different hypotheses. Four stages of Piaget’s cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational thought, concrete operational thought, and formal operational thought.
Vygotsky’s Theory
View development as an apprenticeship where children develop as they work with skilled adults
