Chapter 1 Flashcards
science of human development
-the science that seeks to undertand how and why people of all ages and circumstances change or remain the same over time
scientific method
-a way to anser questions using empirical research and data-based conclusions
Steps of Scienfitic Method
- Begin with curiosity
- Develop a hypothesis
- Test the hypothesis
- Draw conclusions
- Report the results
theory
-a comprehensive set of ideas
hypothesis
-a specific prediction that can be tested
empirical
-based on observation, experience, or experiment; not theoretical
replication
-repeating a study, usually using different participants, perhaps of another age, SES, or culture
SIDS
- 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
nature
-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
nurture
-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
critical period
-a time when a particular type of developmental growth (in body or behavior) must happen for normal development to occur
sensitive period
- 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
plasticity
- 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”
difference-equals-deficit error
-the mistaken belief that a deviation from some norm is necessarily inferior to behavior or characteristics that meet the standard
social construction
- 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
culture
-a system of shared beliefs, norms, behaviors, and expectations that persist over time and prescribe social behavior and assumptions
ethnic group
-people whose ancestors were born in the same region and who often share a language, culture, and religion
race
- 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
SES
- socioeconomic status
- a person’s position in society as determined by income, occupation, education, and place of residence
dynamic systems
- 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
ecological-systems approach
- aka bioecological theory
- Urie Bronfenbrenner
- a perspecitve on human development that considers all the influences from the various contexts of development
cohort
- 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
biopsychosocial
- a term emphasizing the internaction of the three developmental domains–biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial
- all development is this although the domains are studied separately
mirror neurons
-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
scientific observation
-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
independent variable
- the variable that is introduced to see what effect it has on the dependent variable
- also called experimental variable
dependent variable
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
survey
-a research method in which information is collected from a large number of people by interviews, written questionaires, or some other means
cross-sectional research
-a research design that compares groups of people who differ in age but are similar in other important characteristics
longitudinal research
-a research design in which the same individuals are followed over time, as their development is repeatedly assessed
cohort-sequential research
- 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
correlation
- 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
quantitative research
-research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers, such as ranks or scales
qualitative research
- research that considers qualities, not quantities
- narrative accounts and individual variations are often stressed in qualitative research
code of ethics
-a set of moral principles or guidelines that members of a profession or group are expected to follow
IRB
- 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
