Chapter 3 Principles and Practices of Developmental Psychopathology Flashcards
Psychopathology
Intense, frequent, and persistent maladaptive patterns of emotion, cognition, and behavior that are associated with significant distress and impairment in functioning.
Developmental psychopathology
The study of the way individuals develop over the course of a lifetime. Developmental psychopathology focuses on how and when psychological disorders develop and how they affect the outcome or totality of the life.
Developmental pathways
Trajectories that reflect children’s adjustment, maladjustment, or both in the context of growth and change over a lifetime.
Equifinality
Refers to developmental pathways in which differing beginnings and circumstances lead to similar outcomes.
Multifinality
Refers to developmental pathways in which similar beginnings and circumstances lead to different outcomes.
Continuity
The unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over time.
Discontinuity
The state of having intervals or gaps; lack of continuity.
Coherence
From a developmental perspective, reflects the logical and meaningful links between early developmental variables and later outcomes.
Competence
From a developmental perspective, reflects effective functioning related to relevant age-related tasks and issues; evaluations of competence are embedded in the environment within which development occurs.
Risk
The individual, family, and social characteristics that are associated with increased vulnerability, or risk.
Risk factors
The individual, family, and social characteristics that are associated with increased vulnerability, or risk.
Resilience
Adaptation (or competence) despite adversity.
Protective factors
The individual, family, and social characteristics that are associated with positive adaptation or resiliency.
Child maltreatment
Not a diagnosis that is assigned to a child, but a broad category including physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect.
Cross-sectional research
Research that collects data at a single point in time, with comparisons made among groups of participants (e.g., four-year-olds versus eight-year-olds versus 12-year-olds).
