Chapter 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is developmental psychology?

A

The field of study that deals with the behavior, thoughts, and emotions of individuals as they go through various parts of the life span

Example sentence: Developmental psychology examines how individuals change physically, mentally, and emotionally from infancy to old age.

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2
Q

What is adult development?

A

The changes that take place within individuals as they progress from emerging adulthood (end of adolescence) to the end of life

Example sentence: Adult development focuses on understanding how individuals mature and change as they transition from young adulthood to old age.

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3
Q

What is empirical research?

A

Scientific studies of observable events that are measured and evaluated objectively

Empirical research is the foundation of psychology and involves conducting experiments to gather data.

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4
Q

Individual differences

A

things that are unique to the individual

Ex: biological makeup, experiences, collection of personality traits, perceptions

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5
Q

Commonalities

A

typical aspects of adult life that most of us can relate to (either now or in the future)

Ex: moving out of parents’ home, getting a job, being in a relationship

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6
Q

Stability

A

the things about you that stay relatively the same throughout your adult life

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7
Q

Change

A

what changes to makes us different as we get older

While the next few slides will discuss different types of change, be aware that we will be focusing on both change and stability this semester

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8
Q

Continuous vs stage change/development

A

Continuous - slow and gradual

Ex: cognitive processes; learning

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9
Q

Typical vs atypical stages

A

Typical - most adults, same order, around the same age period

Atypical - unique to the individual

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10
Q

External vs internal changes

A

External - visible and noticeable; usually physical changes

Ex: gaining losing weight; other signs of aging

Internal - not as visible or obvious

Ex: changes in personality or emotions; changes in how we think or see the world

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11
Q

Stage

A

abrupt change

Ex: moving out of parents home; moving in with a partner, becoming a parent

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12
Q

CHRONOLOGICAL AGE

A

number of years since birth

Now, we certainty use chronological age (18, 21, 25) for certain social milestones (legal adult, drinking age, renting a car), but chronological age doesn’t really have anything to do with development

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13
Q

BIOLOGICAL AGE

A

a measure of how an adult’s physical condition compares with others

Keanu Reeves is in his 50s but has the physical condition and abilities of someone much younger

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14
Q

PSYCHOLOGICAL AGE

A

a measure of how an adult’s ability to deal effectively with the environment compares to others

Ex: someone in their early 20s who is going to school, taking care of younger siblings and grandparents, working, and contributing financially to their household. You would probably think they are really mature and carry the responsibilities of someone much older

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15
Q

SOCIAL AGE

A

based on the expected roles a person takes on at a specific point in his or her life

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16
Q

FUNCTIONAL AGE

A

biological age, psychological age, and social age as a package

How well a person is functioning as an adult compared to others

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17
Q

What are normative age-graded influences?

A

Influences that are linked to age and experienced by most adults of every generation as they get older

Example: common changes such as graying hair, skin wrinkling, and loss of muscle tone and physical strength

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18
Q

What are normative history-graded influences?

A

Experiences that result from historical events or conditions

Culture can play a big role in this

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19
Q

What is a cohort in the context of normative history-graded influences?

A

A group of people who share a common historical experience at the same stage in life

Cohorts can be general (e.g. millennials) or very specific (short period of time or come from a certain area)

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20
Q

What are non-normative life events?

A

Events that influence your life that are unique to you, not shared with many others

Example: death of a spouse early in adulthood, losing a job suddenly

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21
Q

GENETICS

A

We know that genes play a big role in human development.

22
Q

ENVIRONMENT

A

The environment we grow up in can have long-lasting effects on our developmental path.

23
Q

INTERACTIONIST VIEW

A

DEF: one’s unique traits are determined by how one interacts with the environment.

24
Q

GUIDING PERSPECTIVES

A

We have different theoretical viewpoints that guide our understanding of human development.

25
Q

LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH

A

This approach emphasizes that development occurs across the entire lifespan and involves biological, psychological, and social changes.

26
Q

BIOECOLOGICAL MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT

A

DEF: this model considers the developing person within the context of multiple environments.

27
Q

What is the Bioecological Model of Development?

A

Brofenbrenner’s model that includes 5 systems (see figure 1.21)

Brofenbrenner’s model consists of the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.

28
Q

What is covered in the section on Developmental Research Methods?

A

Cross-sectional studies

Cross-sectional studies involve data collection from different individuals at the same time point.

29
Q

What are Cross-Sectional Studies?

A

Studies that compare different groups at the same time

Cross-sectional studies compare groups at a single point in time.

30
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Cross-Sectional Studies?

A

Advantages - quick, easy, and cost-effective
Disadvantages - cannot establish causal relationships between groups, potential for differences among groups, no information on change over time

Cross-sectional studies are efficient but have limitations in establishing causality and capturing change over time.

31
Q

What are Longitudinal Studies?

A

Studies where the same group participates over time

Longitudinal studies follow the same group over an extended period to track changes.

32
Q

What makes Longitudinal Studies unique?

A

They track the same group over time

Longitudinal studies provide insights into individual development over time.

33
Q

What are Sequential Studies?

A

Studies that involve multiple groups at different times

Sequential studies examine multiple groups at various points in time.

34
Q

Personal Interview

A

Experimenter asks participants questions, one-on-on

35
Q

Types of personal interviews

A

Structured – pick from a set of responses (multiple choice)

Open ended – can respond however you like

Combination of both

36
Q

Advantages of personal interviews

A

Interviewer can clarify questions or ask follow up questions

Participants might feel more comfortable talking to another person

37
Q

Disadvantages of personal interviews

A

Socially desirable responses

Experimenter bias

38
Q

What is a survey questionnaire?

A

Contains structured and focused questions that the participant fills out

39
Q

Survey questionnaire advantages

A

Large-scale – can get responses from lots of participants quickly and easily

Honest responses (if anonymous)

Less expensive and time consuming

40
Q

Disadvantages of survey questionnaires

A

Low return rate

Can be difficult to construct

41
Q

Reliability

A

consistency; getting a same measurement each time

42
Q

Validity

A

truthfulness; measuring what it’s supposed to measure

43
Q

What is correlational analysis?

A

The extent to which variables are related and how are they related; if related, can use one to predict the other

44
Q

Types of correlations

A

-positive
-negative
-no correlation

(Correlation does not equal causation)

45
Q

What is Meta-Analysis

A

Combining data from a large number of research studies that deal with the same research question

46
Q

Experimental design

A

With this design, the researcher CAN make causal conclusions/statements about their results
•Can say that “variable A” caused a change in “variable B”

47
Q

Experimental design

A

With this design, the researcher CAN make causal conclusions/statements about their results
•Can say that “variable A” caused a change in “variable B”

48
Q

non-experimental design

A

-researcher CANNOT make causal conclusions/statements about their results
•Can only say that “variable A” is related to or associated with “variable B”

49
Q

Descriptive Research

A

•Describes Ps on some variable of interest
•Ex: demographics, means

50
Q

Qualitative Research

A

•More verbal descriptions of the data
•Ex: how motivated are you right now?
•Response is open ended (participants can say whatever they want)

51
Q

Quantitive Research

A

– numerical data
•Ex: how motivated are you right now?
•Response is based on a given scale (participants must choose an option that corresponds to a particular number on the scale)
•1 = not at all motivated; 4 = neutral; 7 = extremely motivated