Perspectives (Ch. 1) Flashcards
This term describes how some dimensions expand and others shrink as we age
Multidirectional
This term describes the human capacity for change
Plastic (or Plasticity)
Many fields of study (e.g., education, psychology, medicine) have an interest in the field of human development
Multidisciplinary
This term describes how all development occurs with a context or setting. This includes all social, cultural, and historical factors. It also includes normative age-graded, normative history-graded, and nonnormative influences.
Contextual
This term illustrates how development occurs in three dimensions: biological, cognitive, and socioemotional ((CBS)). This term also describes how these three dimensions interact with one another throughout our lifespan.
Multimensional
In the nature vs nuture argument, this term refers to our biological inheritance:
Nature
In the nature vs nuture argument, this term refers to our environmental experiences:
Nurture
Much of human development involves gradual, cumulative changes like learning to walk. This term refers to gradual, cumulative growth.
Continuity
Sometimes development happens abruptly and distinctly, like a female’s first menstrual cycle.
Discontinuity
This theory proposed that child development focuses on unconscious desires and that these early experiences shape our behaviors later in life:
Psychoanalytic
This theory proposed that individuals face 8 social-based crises and that these experiences will shape later behaviors:
Psychosocial
This theory proposed that we gradually increase capacity for processing information and that this increase allows for more complex knowledge and skills:
Information Processing Theory
This theory proposed that consequences of behavior produce changes in the probability of the behavior’s occurrence. Rewards and punishment shape our development!
Operant Conditioning
This theory holds that behavior, environment, and cognition are the key factors in development. We can learn through observing and imitating what others do!
Social Cognitive Theory
This theory stresses that behavior is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution, and is characterized by critical and sensitive periods. (Hint: a famous example involves geese and imprinting!)
Ethology
This theory holds that development reflects the influence of several environmental systems like the setting where the person lives (microsystem) and the culture in which they live (macrosystem):
Ecological Theory
This research approach is an in-depth look a single individual:
Case Study
In this kind of research, researchers aim to observe and record behaviors. This research method includes case studies and naturalistic observation.
Descriptive Research
This research approach describes the relationships between two or more characteristics.
((Relationships only, NO CAUSE & EFFECT!))
Correlational Research
This research approach is very carefully regulated! Here, one or more of the factors believed to influence behavior is manipulated (i.e., participants are randomly assigned to different treatments) while all other factors are held constant.
Experimental Research
This research approach allows determination of cause and effect relationships.
Experimental Research
This term describes research that compares two different age groups at one time like a snapshot in time. For example, comparing self-esteem levels in adolescents and young adults in 2022.
Cross-sectional Research
This term describes research that is done with the same group of individuals over a long period of time. Examples from the text include the Seattle ___ Study and the Berkeley ____ Study
Longitudinal
