Leture 1 Introduction to Lifespan Human Development

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, theories, developmental stages, and research methodologies introduced in Chapter 1 through Chapter 7.

Human Development

The changes and continuities that occur in individuals between conception and death.

Physical Development

The growth of the body and the physiological changes that take place across the lifespan, such as puberty.

Cognitive Development

Changes and continuities in mental processes, including perception of the environment, language, learning, memory, and problem solving.

Psychosocial Development

Changes in personal and interpersonal aspects of life, including motives, emotions, personality traits, and societal roles.

Biological Aging

The physical deterioration of organisms over time that eventually leads to their death.

Age Grade

A socially defined age group in society assigned specific roles, responsibilities, statuses, or privileges.

Rite of Passage

A ritual that marks a person's passage or transition from one social status to another, such as crossing from childhood into adulthood.

Age Norms

Societal expectations that dictate how individuals should act according to their specific age.

Social Clock

A person's personal sense of when life events should be accomplished and whether they are ahead of or behind schedule based on age norms.

Ethnicity

A person's affiliation with a group based on shared heritage and cultural traditions.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

An individual's standing in society based on their occupation, education level, and income.

Emerging Adulthood

A developmental period emerging in the early $21^{\text{st}}$ century, spanning the twenties, characterized by identity exploration and personal decision-making before settling down.

Lifespan Perspective

A theoretical framework viewing development as lifelong, multidirectional, involving gains and losses, characterized by plasticity, and shaped by historical and cultural contexts.

Nature

Biological influences on development, including heredity, genetics, biological maturation, and innate predispositions.

Nurture

Environmental influences on development, including personal environment, learning experiences, and cultural conditions.

Baby Biographies

Observational journals written by early scholars, such as Charles Darwin, recording the daily development of their own children.

G. Stanley Hall

The founder of developmental psychology and first president of the American Psychological Association (APA), who formulated the storm and stress model of adolescence and developed the questionnaire.

Storm and Stress Model

A model framed by G. Stanley Hall depicting adolescence as an inherently stormy, stressful, and unstable period of emotional upheaval.

Paul Baltes

A German developmental psychologist known for proposing lifespan developmental theories, theories on wisdom, and highlighting lifelong plasticity.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's structural and functional capacity to change and adapt in response to experience and environmental changes.

Scientific Method

A systematic process of observation and experimentation used to generate ideas, formulate hypotheses, and test empirical predictions.

Hypothesis

A specific, narrow prediction or educated guess about an outcome that can be empirically tested.

Theory

A set of concepts and propositions supported by extensive evidence and data intended to describe and explain specific phenomena.

Falsifiable

The quality of a hypothesis or scientific theory being capable of being proven false through observational or experimental data.

Research Sample

A smaller, selected group of individuals drawn from a larger population to participate in a research study.

Population

The well-defined larger group from which a research sample is selected.

Random Sampling

A sample selection method where every individual in a population has an equal chance of selection, increasing the confidence that the sample represents the larger population.

Verbal Reports

Data collection techniques that involve directly asking participants questions about themselves or others, including interviews, questionnaires, and surveys.

Naturalistic Observation

A research method involving observing and recording the behavior of individuals or animals in their everyday, real-world surroundings without interference.