CH1 Flashcards
Scientific study of processes of change
and stability throughout the human life
span.
human development
Concept of human development as a
lifelong process, which can be studied
scientifically
life-span development
Growth of body and brain, including
patterns of change in sensory
capacities, motor skills, and health.
physical development
Pattern of change in mental abilities, such
as learning, attention, memory, language,
thinking, reasoning, and creativity
cognitive development
Pattern of change in emotions,
personality, and social relationships.
psychosocial development
A concept or practice that may appear
natural and obvious to those who
accept it, but that in reality is an invention of a particular culture or society.
social construction
Differences in characteristics, influences,
or developmental outcomes.
individual differences
Inborn traits or characteristics inherited
from the biological parents.
heredity
Totality of nonhereditary, or experiential,
influences on development.
environment
Unfolding of a natural sequence of
physical and behavioral changes.
maturation
Two-generational kinship, economic,
and household unit consisting of one or
two parents and their biological children,
adopted children, or stepchildren.
nuclear family
Multigenerational kinship network of
parents, children, and other relatives,
sometimes living together in an household.
extended family
Combination of economic and social
factors describing an individual or family, including income, education, and
occupation.
socioeconomic status (SES)
Conditions that increase the likelihood
of a negative developmental outcome.
risk factors
A society’s or group’s total way of life,
including customs, traditions, beliefs,
values, language, and physical
products—all learned behavior, passed
on from parents to children.
culture
A group united by ancestry, race, religion, language, or national origins,
which contributes to a sense of shared
identity
ethnic group
Overgeneralization about an ethnic or
a cultural group that obscures differences
within the group.
ethnic gloss
Characteristic of an event that occurs in
a similar way for most people in a
group.
normative
A group of people strongly influenced
by a major historical event during their
formative period.
historical generation
A group of people born at about the
same time.
cohort
Characteristic of an unusual event that
happens to a particular person or a
a typical event that happens at an
unusual time of life.
nonnormative
Instinctive form of learning in which,
during a critical period in early development, a young animal forms an attachment to the first moving object it sees,
usually the mother.
imprinting
The specific time when a given event or its
absence has a specific impact on
development.
critical period
Range of modifiability of performance.
plasticity
Times in development when a person is
particularly open to certain kinds of
experiences.
sensitive periods
