Chapter 1: History, Theory, and Research Strategies Flashcards
What 3 types of patterns does lifespan development study?
Growth, change, and stability
Lifespan development psychology seeks to understand how and why people _____________ over the course of their entire lives
change or stay the same
to say that the lifespan is continuous would mean that…
change is steady and gradual
to say that the lifespan is discontinuous would mean that….
there are rapid stages of change with stable periods in between.
Nature vs Nurture means
The argument as to whether personality is inborn and biological or if it is formed by physical and social influences
the lifespan perspective says that change is… (5 traits)
lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, highly plastic, and influenced by multiple, interacting forces.
correlational research reveals…
relationships between variables
experimental research reveals…
cause and effect relationships
a weakness of correlational research is…
that it does not reveal cause-effect relationships
a weakness of experimental research is…
that it may not have real-world application
infancy and toddlerhood lasts
from birth to 2 years
early childhood lasts
from 2-6 years
late childhood lasts
from 6-11 years
adolescence lasts
From 11 to 18 years
early adulthood lasts
from 18-40 years
middle adulthood lasts
from 40-65 years
late adulthood lasts
from 65-death
the variable that the experimentor changes between groups in an experiment is
the independent variable
what is naturalistic observation?
a method of systematic observation where behavior is observed in natural contexts
a strength of naturalistic observation is
that it reflects participants’ everyday lives
a limitation of naturalistic observation
is that conditions cannot be controlled
___________ Is a type of systematic observation that takes place in a lab, where conditions are the same for all participants
structured observation
a strength of structured observation
is that it grants each participant has an equal opportunity to display the behavior of interest
weakness of structured observation
is that it may not yield observations typical of everyday life
what is a clinical interview?
type of self-reporting method where researchers use a flexible, conversational style to probe the participant’s point of view.
strength of the clinical interview…
it comes as close as possible to the way participants really think. a great deal of info is obtained in a short time
weakness of clinical interview…
flexible procedure makes it difficult to compare individuals’ responses and it may not result in accurate info.
what is the clinical/case study?
a method that brings together a wide range of information on one individual obtained by combining interviews, observations, and test scores
what is a strength/weakness of the clinical/case study?
strength: rich, complete description of development.
weakness: may be biased, findings cannot be widely applied.
define: stages
qualitative changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving that characterize specific periods of development.
what is ethnography?
participant observation of a culture or distinct social group; by making extensve field notes, the researcher tries to capture the culture’s unique values and social processes
strength/weakness of ethnography?
strength: rich, complete description of the culture studied.
weakness: may be biased, findings cannot be widely applied.
What does it mean that lifespan is multidimensional?
it is affected by an intricate blend of biological, psychological, and social forces
what does it mean that lifespan is multidirectional?
development is a joint expression of growth and decline over time and within each domain of development
what does it mean that development is plastic?
As we age, we can adapt to new roles.
What are history-graded influences?
factors that explain why people born around the same time tend to be alike in ways that set them apart from other generations.
what are nonnormative influences?
events that are irregular: they happen to just one or a few people and do not follow a predictable timetable
what are age-graded influences?
events that are strongly related to age and are fairly predictable in when they occur and how long they will last
what is information processing theory?
a theory inspired by computers that states that the human mind might also be viewed as a symbol-manipulating system through which information flows and is coded, transformed, and organized
ethiology is…
concerned with the adaptive or survival value of behavior and its evolutionary history
what is a sensitive period?
a time that is optimal for certain capacities to emerge and in which the individual is especially responsive to environmental influences.
what is sociocultural theory
values, beliefs, customs, and skills of social groups are transmitted from one generation to the next. social interaction (esp. with more knowledgeable members of society) is essential for children to acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that make up that community’s culture.
Ecological systems theory views an individual as developing….
within a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of surrounding environment.
in ecological systems theory, family, school, and neighborhood playgrounds may be within a child’s ____________
microsystem
in ecological system’s theory, the exosystem contain what types of social settings?
settings that do not contain the developing person but nevertheless affect experiences in the immediate setting, such as formal organizations, work places, religious institutions, ect.
what does the mesosystem refer to?
connections between microsystems
what is the macrosystem
cultural values, laws, customs, and resources
the method of research that combines longitudinal and cross-sectional studies are called…
sequential studies
individuals born in the same time period are called
cohorts
what are the 5 rights of research participants?
Protection from harm, informed consent, privacy, knowledge of results, and beneficial treatments.
