development: Foundational Issues in Human Growth and Development

Question 1

10 Stages of Human Development:

Answer 1

• Prenatal period (conception to birth) Infancy (birth to 2 years)
• Toddlerhood (2–3 years) Early childhood (3–5 years)
• Middle childhood (6–12 years)
• Adolescence (13–19 years)
• Young adulthood (19–30 year)s
• Middle adulthood (about 30–60 years)
• Late adulthood (about 60–75 years)
• Old age (about 75+ years)

Question 2

Three types of Aging:

Answer 2

biological, psychological, social

Question 3

biological ageing

Answer 3

Categorization of aging as biological (how the body functions and changes over time).

Question 4

psychological ageing

Answer 4

Categorization of aging based on one’s perception of personal age

Question 5

social ageing

Answer 5

Categorization of aging based on how one’s chronological age is viewed within the societal, or cultural context.

Question 6

8 Categories of Theories of Human Development:

Answer 6

learning,
cognitive,
psychoanalytic, humanistic,

ethological,
language,
physical,
moral

Question 7

nature vs. nurture

Answer 7

A controversial debate concerning the importance of nature innate qualities) versus nurture (environmental characteristics) in determining individual differences in human development

Question 8

continuous development

Answer 8

Emphasizes the small shifts or gradual, sequential, changes that occur in behaviors and abilities over time and that are difficult to separate

Question 9

discontinuous development

Answer 9

Portrays changes in behaviors and abilities as qualitatively different from previous or subsequent behaviors and abilities. Theorists who endorse this view of human development categorize developmental changes into distinct stages.

Question 10

active theories

Answer 10

Developmental theories that portray people as active in regulating or governing their behavior

Question 11

reactive theories

Answer 11

Theories of human development, such as Skinner’s operant conditioning, that propose that people are passive and react to environmental stimuli to accommodate to changes.

Question 12

7 Special Designs in Human Development Research:

Answer 12

• case study
• naturalistic study
• survey research
• correlational research design
• cross-sectional design studies
• longitudinal design studies
• time-lag studies

Question 13

case study

Answer 13

(a) Used in human development research to collect data on a developmental change from a single individual, or a single group of individuals experiencing a similar developmental phenomenon. (b) A qualitative research approach that describes a case, a distinct system of an event, process, setting, or individuals or small group of individuals

Question 14

naturalistic study

Answer 14

A type of study in which the researcher observes and documents a behavior or phenomenon in its natural setting.

Question 15

survey research

Answer 15

A method of collecting quantitative data, in which a researcher selects a sample of participants and administers a series of questions to them. Survey research can be conducted via interviews or through administration of questionnaires and involves sampling a pool of participants to assess and understand their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions regarding the variable(s) under study

Question 16

correlational research design

Answer 16

A type of nonexperimental research design that allows the researcher to describe the relationship between two variables. The variables are not experimentally manipulated; therefore, the researcher cannot determine a causal relationship. Instead, this design computes a correlation coefficient that describes the strength and direction of a relationship.

Question 17

cross-sectional design studies

Answer 17

A research method that allows the researcher to simultaneously compare several groups from differing levels of development (e.g., 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds) with respect to the independent variable(s).

Question 18

longitudinal design studies

Answer 18

A research method that involves repeated observations of a population over long periods of time. Longitudinal designs can be categorized further as trend (i.e., involves assessing the general population over time), where new individuals are sampled each time data is collected, cohort (i.e., involves assessing the same population over time), or panel studies (i.e., involves studying the same individuals over time).

Question 19

time-lag studies

Answer 19

A type of study commonly used in developmental research; involves replications of previous studies on a modern-day cohort using the same parameters as the previous study