Chapter 1: An orientation to lifespan development

Question 1

lifespan development

Answer 1

the field of study that examines patterns of growth, change and stability in behavior that occur throughout the entire life span

Question 2

physical development

Answer 2

development involving the body’s physical makeup, including the brain, nervous system, muscles, and senses, and the need for food, drink, and sleep

Question 3

cognitive development

Answer 3

development involving the ways that growth and change in intellectual capabilities influence a person’s behaviors

Question 4

personality development

Answer 4

development involving the ways that the enduring characteristic that differentiate one person from another change over the life span

Question 5

social development

Answer 5

the way in which individuals’ interactions with others and their social relationships grow, change, and remain stable over the course of life

Question 6

cohort

Answer 6

a group of people born at around the same time in the same place

Question 7

continuous change

Answer 7

gradual development in which achievements at one level build on those of previous levels

Question 8

discontinuous change

Answer 8

development that occurs in distinct steps or stages, with each stage bringing about behavior that is assumed to be qualitatively different from behavior at earlier stages

Question 9

critical period

Answer 9

a specific time during development when a particular event has its greatest consequence and the presence of certain kinds of environmental stimuli is necessary for development to proceed normally

Question 10

sensitive period

Answer 10

a point in development when organisms are particularly susceptible to but the absence of those stimuli does not always produce irreversible consequence

Question 11

maturation

Answer 11

the predetermined unfolding of genetic information

Question 12

theories

Answer 12

explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of interest, providing a framework for understanding the relationships among an organized set of facts or principles

Question 13

psychodynamic perspective

Answer 13

the approach stating that behavior is motivated by inner forces, memories, and conflicts that are generally beyond people’s awareness and control

Question 14

psychoanalytic theory

Answer 14

the theory proposed by Freud that suggests that unconscious forces act to determine personality and behavior

Question 15

psychosexual development

Answer 15

according to Freud, a series of stages that children pass through in which pleasure, or gratification, focuses on a particular biological function and body part

Question 16

pyschosocial development

Answer 16

the approach that encompass changes in our interactions with and understandings of one another, as well as in our knowledge and understanding of ourselves as members of society

Question 17

behavioral perspective

Answer 17

the approach suggesting that the keys to understanding development are observable behavior and outside stimuli in the environment

Question 18

classical conditioning

Answer 18

a type of learning in which an organism responds in a particular way to a neutral stimulus that normally does not bring about that type of response

Question 19

operant conditioning

Answer 19

a form of learning in which a voluntary response is strengthened or weakened by its association with positive or negative consequences

Question 20

behavior modification

Answer 20

a formal technique for promoting the frequency of desirable behaviors and decreasing the incidence of unwanted ones

Question 21

social-cognitive learning theory

Answer 21

learning by observing the behavior of another person, called a model

Question 22

cognitive perspective

Answer 22

the approach that focuses on the processes that allow people to know, understand, and think about the world

Question 23

information processing approaches

Answer 23

models that seek to identify the ways individuals take in, use, and store information

Question 24

cognitive neuroscience approaches

Answer 24

approaches that examine cognitive development through the lens of brain processes

Question 25

humanistic perspective

Answer 25

the theory contending that people have a natural capacity to make decisions about their lives and control their behavior

Question 26

contextual perspective

Answer 26

the theory that considers the relationship between individuals and their physical, cognitive, personality, and social worlds

Question 27

bioecological approach

Answer 27

the perspective suggesting that different levels of the environment simultaneously influence individuals

Question 28

socialcultural theory

Answer 28

the approach that emphasizes how cognitive development proceeds as a result of social interactions between members of a culture

Question 29

evolutionary perspective

Answer 29

the theory that seeks to identify behavior that is a result of our genetic inheritance from our ancestors

Question 30

scientific method

Answer 30

the process of posing and answering questions using careful, controlled techniques that include systematic, orderly observation and the collection of data

Question 31

hypothesis

Answer 31

a prediction stated in a way that permits it to be tested

Question 32

correlational research

Answer 32

research that seeks to identify whether an association or relationship between two factors exists

Question 33

experimental research

Answer 33

research designed to discover causal relationships between various factors

Question 34

naturalistic observation

Answer 34

a type of correlational study in which some naturally occurring behavior is observed without intervention in the situation

Question 35

case studies

Answer 35

studies that involve extensive, in-depth interviews with a particular individual or small group of individuals

Question 36

survey research

Answer 36

a type of study where a group of people chosen to represent some larger population are asked questions about their attitudes, behavior, or thinking on a given topic.

Question 37

psychophysiological methods

Answer 37

research that focuses on the relationship between physiological processes and behavior

Question 38

experiments

Answer 38

a process in which an investigator, called an experimenter, devises two different experiences for participants and then studies and compares the outcomes

Question 39

independent variable

Answer 39

the variable that researchers manipulate in an experiment

Question 40

dependent variable

Answer 40

the variable that researches measure in an experiment and expect that change as a result of the experimental manipulation

Question 41

sample

Answer 41

the group of participants chosen for the experiment

Question 42

field study

Answer 42

a research investigation carried out in a naturally occurring setting

Question 43

laboratory study

Answer 43

a research investigation conducted in a controlled setting explicitly designed to hold events constant

Question 44

theoretical research

Answer 44

research designed specifically to test some developmental explanation and expand scientific knowledge

Question 45

applied research

Answer 45

research meant to provide practical solutions to immediate problems

Question 46

longitudinal research

Answer 46

research in which the behavior of one of more participants in a study is measured as they age

Question 47

cross-sectional research

Answer 47

Research in which people of different ages are compared at the same point in time

Question 48

sequential studies

Answer 48

research in which researches examine a number of different age groups over several points in time