Terminology

Question 1

Systematic observation

Answer 1

Naturalistic, structured/lab based

Question 2

Self-report

Answer 2

Structured interview, clinical interview, tests, questionnaires

Question 3

Correlational

Answer 3

Examines the relationship between x and y

Question 4

Experimental

Answer 4

Directly manipulates independent variable and examines its effect on the dependent variable

Question 5

Longitudinal

Answer 5

Same group of people repeatedly at different ages

Question 6

Cross-sectional

Answer 6

Investigator studies group of participants differing in age at the same point in time

Question 7

Cohort effect

Answer 7

People of a given generation are affected by factors unique to their generation

Question 8

Continuous development

Answer 8

Views development as a cumulative process, gradually improving on existing skills

Question 9

Discontinuous development

Answer 9

Pass through stages of life that are qualitatively different from each other

Question 10

Ethological theory

Answer 10

Adaptive value and evolutionary history of behaviour

Question 11

Critical period

Answer 11

Limited time span during which the individual is biologically prepared to acquire certain behaviours

Question 12

Sensitive period

Answer 12

A time period most conductive to aspect of development

Question 13

Imprinting

Answer 13

Rapid and innate learning that involves attachment to first moving object seen

Question 14

Teratogens

Answer 14

Environmental agents that cause damage during prenatal period

Question 15

Preferential looking

Answer 15

Simultaneously present two stimuli to infants. Infant’s longer looking time at one of the stimuli implies their ability to discriminate between the two as well as preference towards a particular stimulus

Question 16

Gross-motor development

Answer 16

Involve larger muscles in the arms, legs and torso

Question 17

Fine-motor development

Answer 17

Small muscles in the areas such as hands, fingers, lips, tongue, and eyes

Question 18

Schema

Answer 18

A cognitive framework that allows interpretation of information

Question 19

Lateralisation

Answer 19

The tendency for some brain functions and processes to be specialised to one side of the brain

Question 20

Neural Plasticity

Answer 20

The ability for the brain to re-wire itself by re-organising its brain structure, functions, and connections

Question 21

Intelligence

Answer 21

Both lay people and experts view it as being made up of three different components: verbal ability, problem solving, social competence

Question 22

False memory

Answer 22

A semantic memory that did not occur

Question 23

Eyewitness testimony

Answer 23

A legal term referring to an account given by a person who witnessed an event

Question 24

Flashbulb memory

Answer 24

A highly vivid and detailed memory of a moment in which an emotionally arousing piece of news was learned

Question 25

Fast mapping

Answer 25

Where children learn language by inferring the meaning of a new word by creating the context for that word using a process of elimination

Question 26

Under extension

Answer 26

When a child learns a word for a particular thing and fails to extend it to other things in the same category e.g. only calling the family dog ‘dog’ and not referring to other dogs as such

Question 27

Overextension

Answer 27

When a child uses a single word to refer to multiple things, instead of using the correct terms e.g. after learning the word ‘dog, the child calls all for legged creatures ‘dog’

Question 28

Over regularisation

Answer 28

When children extend regular grammatical patterns to irregular words e.g. tooths instead of teeth

Question 29

Universal grammar

Answer 29

The theory of innate biological component of language, credited to Chomsky