Chapter 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

science of human development

A

-the science that seeks to undertand how and why people of all ages and circumstances change or remain the same over time

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2
Q

scientific method

A

-a way to anser questions using empirical research and data-based conclusions

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3
Q

Steps of Scienfitic Method

A
  1. Begin with curiosity
  2. Develop a hypothesis
  3. Test the hypothesis
  4. Draw conclusions
  5. Report the results
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4
Q

theory

A

-a comprehensive set of ideas

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5
Q

hypothesis

A

-a specific prediction that can be tested

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6
Q

empirical

A

-based on observation, experience, or experiment; not theoretical

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7
Q

replication

A

-repeating a study, usually using different participants, perhaps of another age, SES, or culture

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8
Q

SIDS

A
  • sudden infant death syndrome
  • a situation in which a seemingly healthy infant, usually between 2-6 months old, suddenly stops breathing and dies unexpectedly while asleep
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9
Q

nature

A

-in development, this refers to the traits, capacities, and limitations that each individual inherits genetically from his or her parents at the moment of conception

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10
Q

nurture

A

-in development this includes all the environmental inlfuences that affect the individual after conception—this includes everything from the mother’s nutrition while pregnant to the cultural influences of the nation

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11
Q

critical period

A

-a time when a particular type of developmental growth (in body or behavior) must happen for normal development to occur

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12
Q

sensitive period

A
  • a time when a certain type of development is most likely, although it may still happen later with more difficulty
  • ex: early childhood is considered a sensitive period for language learning
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13
Q

plasticity

A
  • the idea that abilities, personality, and other human characteristics can change over time
  • particularly evident during childhood, but even older adults are not always “set in their ways”
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14
Q

difference-equals-deficit error

A

-the mistaken belief that a deviation from some norm is necessarily inferior to behavior or characteristics that meet the standard

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15
Q

social construction

A
  • an idea that is built on shared perceptions, not on objective reality
  • many age-related terms are connected to biological traits but strongly influenced by social assumptions
  • examples: childhood, adolescence, yuppie, and senior citizen
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16
Q

culture

A

-a system of shared beliefs, norms, behaviors, and expectations that persist over time and prescribe social behavior and assumptions

17
Q

ethnic group

A

-people whose ancestors were born in the same region and who often share a language, culture, and religion

18
Q

race

A
  • a group of people who are regarded by themselves or by others as distinct from other groups on the basis of physical appearance, typically skin color
  • social scientists think this a misleading concept, as biological differences are not signified by outward appearance
19
Q

SES

A
  • socioeconomic status
  • a person’s position in society as determined by income, occupation, education, and place of residence
20
Q

dynamic systems

A
  • a view of human development as an ongoing, ever-changing interaction between the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial influences
  • the crucial understanding is that development is never static but is always affected by, and affects, many systems of development
21
Q

ecological-systems approach

A
  • aka bioecological theory
  • Urie Bronfenbrenner
  • a perspecitve on human development that considers all the influences from the various contexts of development
22
Q

cohort

A
  • people born within the same historical period who therfore move through life together, experiencing the same events, new technologies, and cultural shifts at the same ages
  • ex: the effect of the internet varies depending on what cohort of a person it belongs to
23
Q

biopsychosocial

A
  • a term emphasizing the internaction of the three developmental domains–biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial
  • all development is this although the domains are studied separately
24
Q

mirror neurons

A

-cells in an observer’s brain that are activated by watching an action performed by someone else as they would be if the observer had personally performed that action

25
Q

scientific observation

A

-a method of testing a hypothesis by unobtrusively watching and recording participants’ behavior in a systematic and objective manner—in a natural setting, laboratory, or in searches of archival data

26
Q

independent variable

A
  • the variable that is introduced to see what effect it has on the dependent variable
  • also called experimental variable
27
Q

dependent variable

A

the variable that may change as a result of whatever new condition or situation the experimentor adds—the d. variable DEPENDS on the independent variable

28
Q

survey

A

-a research method in which information is collected from a large number of people by interviews, written questionaires, or some other means

29
Q

cross-sectional research

A

-a research design that compares groups of people who differ in age but are similar in other important characteristics

30
Q

longitudinal research

A

-a research design in which the same individuals are followed over time, as their development is repeatedly assessed

31
Q

cohort-sequential research

A
  • a research design in which researchers first study several groups of people of different ages (cross sectional approach) and then follow those groups over the years (longitudinal approach)
  • aka cross-sequential or time-sequential research
32
Q

correlation

A
  • a number between +1.0 and -1.0 that indicates the degree of relationship betwwen two variables, expressed in terms of the likelihood that one variable will/will not occur when the other variable does/does not
  • indicates only that two variables are somehow related—not that one variable causes the other to occur
33
Q

quantitative research

A

-research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers, such as ranks or scales

34
Q

qualitative research

A
  • research that considers qualities, not quantities
  • narrative accounts and individual variations are often stressed in qualitative research
35
Q

code of ethics

A

-a set of moral principles or guidelines that members of a profession or group are expected to follow

36
Q

IRB

A
  • Institutional Review Board
  • a group within most educational and medical institutions who ensure that research follows established ethical guidelines
  • unlike in prior decades, most research in human development cannot begin without IRB approval