Chapter 1

Question 1

Child development

Answer 1

Feild of sudy in which reaserchers from many diciplines work to discribe and understand the important changes that take place as children grow through childbirth.

Question 2

Cognitive development

Answer 2

Component of development related to changes in how children precieve the world, think, remember informtion, and communicate.

Question 3

Sociemotional development

Answer 3

Component of development related to changes in how children interact with other people and manage their emotions.

Question 4

Nature

Answer 4

The biological forces (genetics) that govern development.

Question 5

Nurture

Answer 5

The enviormental supports and conditions that impact development. Also refers to learning and experience.

Question 6

Theory

Answer 6

An explanation of how facts fit together, allowing us to understand and predict behavior.

Question 7

Hypothesis

Answer 7

Specific inferences drawn from theories; reasearchers test hypothesis by collectiong scientific behavior.

Question 8

Psychoanalytic theories

Answer 8

Theories that focus on the structure of personality and how the concious and unconsous portions of the self influence behavior and development.

Question 9

Behaviorism

Answer 9

A movement to develop a psychology that was objective and scientific, based on principles of classical and operant conditioning.

Question 10

Classical conditioning

Answer 10

Learning through association where neutral stimuli are pared with unconditioned stimuli until they come to evoke conditioned responses.

Question 11

Operant conditining

Answer 11

A type of learning where a pearson’s actions are reinforced or punished.

Question 12

Social Learning

Answer 12

A type of learning where children observe and imitate the behaviors of others.

Question 13

Cognitive developmental theory

Answer 13

A theory that focuses on how children adjust their own understanding as they explore and learn about the world.

Question 14

Assimilation

Answer 14

The process of bringing new objects or information into a scheme that already exists in the mind. If assimilation is not sucessful, then the sceme needs to be accommodated.

Question 15

Accommodation

Answer 15

The process of adjusting or adapting a scheme so it better fits the new experience. Through accommodation the infant would learn that grasping sometimes requires two hands. He understands how to grasp smaller objects with one hand and larger ones with two hands.

Question 16

Sociocultural theory

Answer 16

A theory that focuses on how language and culture influences the growth of thought in children.

Question 17

Information-processing approach

Answer 17

A theoretical approach focusing on how children precieve, store, and retrieve information, and on how they solve problems and communicate with others.

Question 18

Ethology

Answer 18

An area of study focusing on the adaptive significance and survival value of behaviors.

Question 19

Ecological systems theory

Answer 19

Theory focusing on the complex set of systems and interacting social layers that can affect childrens development.

Question 20

Dynamic systems theory

Answer 20

Theories that use models from mathmatics and physics to understand complex systems of development.

Question 21

Scientific method

Answer 21

Process where reaserchers test hypotheses by making systematic observations.

Question 22

Descriptive Methods

Answer 22

Research method that describes a behavior of interest, such as how often it occurs and under what conditions.

Question 23

Correlational method

Answer 23

Reaserch method that measures the degree to which two or more variables are related or associated.

Question 24

Experiment

Answer 24

Method where reaserchers systematically manipulate an independent variable to determine if it causes a difference in a dependent variable.

Question 25

Cross-sectional method

Answer 25

A type of reaserch design that studies development by comparing groups of children of different ages against one another at the same point in time.

Question 26

Longitudinal method

Answer 26

A type of reaserch design that studies developent by measuring or observing the same children across time as they grow and mature.

Question 27

Social policy

Answer 27

Attempts to improve the lives of the children and families by using child development reaserch to affect laws, regulations, and programs.