Unit 1/2 terms

Question 1

adolescence

Answer 1

developmental period of transition from childhood to early adulthood, beginning at approximately 10 to 12 years of age and ending at about 18 to 19 years of age

Question 2

Biological processes

Answer 2

produce changes in an individual’s body. Genes inherited from parents, the development of the brain, height and weight gains, growth in motor skills, and hormonal changes during puberty

Question 3

brain plasticity

Answer 3

while our brains are shaped by early experiences and genetics, they have the capacity to change throughout life. The extent to which change is possible still remains a significant question.

Question 4

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory

Answer 4

holds that development reflects the influence of several environmental systems. The theory identifies five environmental systems

Question 5

Bronfenbrenner’s 5 environmental systems

Answer 5

Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
Chronosystem

Question 6

Case study

Answer 6

is an in-depth look at a single individual

Question 7

Classical conditioning

Answer 7

a neutral stimulus produces a response originally produced by another stimulus. eg. dogs salivating to the sound of the bell

Question 8

Cognitive processes

Answer 8

involving changes in an individual’s thoughts, intelligence, and language.

Question 9

Socioemotional processes

Answer 9

produce changes in relationships with other people, emotions, and personality.

Question 10

Context

Answer 10

refers to the settings in which development occurs

Question 11

Culture

Answer 11

encompasses the behaviour patterns, beliefs, and all other products of a specific group of people that are passed on from generation to generation. (interaction of people over many years)

Question 12

continuity-discontinuity issue

Answer 12

focuses on the extent to which development involves gradual, cumulative change (continuity) or distinct stages (discontinuity).

Question 13

Correlation coefficient

Answer 13

a number based on a statistical analysis that is used to describe the degree of association between two variables.

Question 14

Correlational research

Answer 14

to describe the strength of the relationship between two or more events or characteristics. The more strongly the two events are correlated (or related or associated), the more effectively we can predict one event from the other

Question 15

Cross-cultural studies

Answer 15

compare aspects of two or more cultures and measures the degree to which development is similar, or universal, across cultures, or is instead culture-specific

Question 16

Cross-sectional approach

Answer 16

a research strategy which individuals of different ages are compared at one time.
The groups can be compared with respect to a variety of dependent variables: intelligence, memory, peer relations, attachment to parents, hormonal changes, and so on.

Question 17

Defence Mechanisms

Answer 17

Denial
Repression
Denial
Projection
Displacement
Regression

Question 18

Development

Answer 18

is the pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through the life span.

Question 19

Developmental neuroscience

Answer 19

understand how and why experience interacts with biology to shape the development of a child.

Question 20

differential susceptibility

Answer 20

refers to the idea that some children are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of negative developmental experiences than others.

Question 21

Periods of developement

Answer 21

Prenatal period
Infancy
Early Childhood
Middle to late Childhood
Adolescence

Question 22

eclectic theoretical orientation

Answer 22

does not follow any one theoretical approach but rather considers how each theory might be best suited to understand a particular aspect of a child’s development.

Question 23

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Answer 23

we develop in psychosocial stages

Question 24

Erikson’s Psychosocial stages

Answer 24

1.Trust versus mistrust
2.Autonomy versus shame and doubt
3.Initiative versus guilt
4.Industry versus inferiority
5.identity versus identity confusion
6.Intimacy versus isolation
7.Generativity versus stagnation
8.Integrity versus despair

Question 25

Ethnic gloss

Answer 25

using an ethnic label such as Indigenous in a superficial way that portrays an ethnic group as being more homogeneous than it really is

Question 26

Ethnicity

Answer 26

Greek word for “nation” and is rooted in cultural heritage, nationality, race, religion, and language

Question 27

Ethology

Answer 27

stresses that behaviour is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution, and is characterized by critical or sensitive periods.

Question 28

hypothesis

Answer 28

a specific, testable assumption or prediction.

Question 29

Infancy

Answer 29

developmental period that extends from birth to about 18 to 24 months of age. Infancy is a time of extreme dependence on adults.

Question 30

Early childhood

Answer 30

the developmental period that extends from the end of infancy to about 5 or 6 years of age; sometimes called the preschool years. Young children learn to become more self-sufficient.

Question 31

Middle and late childhood

Answer 31

the developmental period between about 6 and 11 years of age; the elementary school years. Children master the fundamental skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Question 32

Adolescence

Answer 32

the developmental period of transition from childhood to early adulthood, beginning at approximately 10 to 12 years of age and ending at about 18 to 19 years of age. Rapid physical changes and the development of sexual characteristics. The pursuit of independence and an identity, more time is spent outside the family with peers, becomes more abstract and idealistic.

Question 33

Information-processing theory

Answer 33

Vygotsky’s theory, which emphasizes that individuals manipulate information, monitor it, and strategize about it.
Does not describe development as happening in stages, individuals develop a gradually increasing capacity for processing information, complex knowledge and skills.

Question 34

The longitudinal approach

Answer 34

a research strategy in which the same individuals are studied over time, usually several years or more.

Question 35

nature-nurture

Answer 35

involves an old debate about whether development is primarily influenced by nature or by nurture.

Question 36

Nature

Answer 36

refers to the child’s biological inheritance,

Question 36

Nurture

Answer 36

to their environmental experiences.

Question 36

Negative reinforcement

Answer 36

involves taking away something unpleasant to encourage behaviour.

Question 37

Operant conditioning

Answer 37

the consequences of a behaviour produce changes in the future probability of the behaviour.

Question 38

neurotransmitters

Answer 38

chemical messengers that facilitate communication between neurons in the brain and nervous system.

Question 39

Piaget’s theory

Answer 39

states that children actively construct their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development.

Question 40

Piaget’s 4 Theories

Answer 40

sensorimotor stage
preoperational stage
concrete operational stage
formal operational stage

Question 41

Sensorimotor stage

Answer 41

1st Piaget stage, from birth to about 2 years of age In this stage, infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences (such as seeing and hearing) with physical motor actions

Question 42

Preoperational stage

Answer 42

2nd Piaget stage, approximately 2 to 7 years of age. In this stage, children begin to represent the world with words, images, and drawings.

Question 43

Concrete operational stage

Answer 43

the third Piagetian stage, approximately 7 to 11 years of age. Children perform operations that involve objects, and they can reason logically as long as reasoning can be applied to specific or concrete examples.

Question 44

Formal operational stage

Answer 44

Piaget’s fourth and final stage, between the ages of 11 and 15 and continues through adulthood. In this stage, individuals move beyond concrete experiences and think in abstract and more logical terms.

Question 45

Psychoanalytic theories

Answer 45

describe development as primarily unconscious (beyond awareness) and as heavily coloured by emotion, emphasize that behaviour is merely a surface characteristic and that a true understanding of development requires analyzing the symbolic meanings of behaviour and the deep inner workings of the mind. Psychoanalytic theorists also stress that early experiences with parents extensively shape development.

Question 46

resilience

Answer 46

a capacity that can be developed and involves having access to resources and the opportunities to practice coping skills in the presence of supportive relationships.

Question 47

scientific method

Answer 47

a four-step process:
(1) conceptualize a process or problem to be studied
(2) collect research information (data)
(3) analyze data
(4) draw conclusions

Question 48

Social cognitive theory

Answer 48

states that behaviour, environment, and cognition are the key factors in development.

Question 49

Socioemotional processes

Answer 49

produce changes in relationships with other people, emotions, and personality.

Question 50

Active (niche-picking) genotype-environment

Answer 50

correlations occur when children seek out environments that they find compatible and stimulating.

Question 51

Niche-picking

Answer 51

refers to finding a setting that is suited to one’s genetically influenced abilities.

Question 52

amnion

Answer 52

a “sac” bag or an envelope and contains a clear fluid in which the developing embryo floats.

Question 53

Behaviour genetics

Answer 53

is the field that seeks to discover the influence of heredity and environment on individual differences in human traits and development.