Developmental Psychology: Life Span and Theoretical Models

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the full developmental psychology curriculum across the lifespan, including prenatal factors, attachment styles, Helberg's relational and sensory models, childhood play, parenting styles, moral reasoning, adult transitions, aging theories, creative-agogic interventions, and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems.

Prenatal

The period before birth.

Teratogenic effects

Harmful influences on the development of the unborn child.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A condition caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy that can affect growth, brain development, and physical appearance.

Premature birth

A baby born before $37$ weeks of pregnancy.

Low birth weight

A baby that weighs less than expected at birth.

Attachment

The emotional bond between a child and a familiar caregiver.

Bowlby

A theorist who emphasizes that attachment is essential for safety, trust, and development.

Ainsworth

A researcher who investigated attachment styles using the Strange Situation procedure.

Strange Situation procedure

An observational procedure examining how a child responds to brief separations from and reunions with the caregiver.

Attachment behavior

Behavior through which a child seeks proximity, such as crying, following, or reaching out their arms.

Internal working model

Expectations that a child develops about themselves and others through prior relationships.

Sensitive responsiveness

Noticing, understanding, and appropriately responding to a child's signals.

Social referencing

A baby looking at an adult's reaction to determine how to react to an unfamiliar or ambiguous situation.

Joint attention

Two individuals directing their attention toward the same object or event.

Goodness of fit

The degree to which upbringing and environment align with the child's temperament and needs.

Object permanence

Understanding that an object or person continues to exist even when it is no longer visible.

Basic trust versus mistrust

According to Erikson, the psychosocial stage in which an infant develops trust when their needs are answered safely and predictably.

Erikson

A theorist who describes psychosocial development across distinct life stages.

Protective coats (Beschermjassen)

Familiar relationships, habits, culture, and rituals that provide safety, recognition, and protection.

Body-oriented senses

In Helberg's sensory model, the senses directed inward toward the physical self: touch, life sense, movement, and balance.

Environment-oriented senses

In Helberg's sensory model, the senses directed toward the external physical world: smell, taste, sight, and warmth.

Social and spiritual senses

In Helberg's sensory model, the higher senses used for interpersonal connection: hearing, word sense, thought sense, and ego/I-sense.

Parallel play

Playing side by side without genuinely cooperating or working together.

Onlooker play

Watching other children play without actively joining in.

Substitution

Using an object during pretend play as if it were something entirely different.

Magical thinking

The developmental tendency where a child cannot yet clearly distinguish fantasy from reality.

Authoritative parenting style

A parenting approach characterized by high warmth, clear boundaries, and reasoned explanations.

Authoritarian parenting style

A parenting approach characterized by low warmth, strict rules, and unquestioned obedience.

Permissive parenting style

A parenting approach characterized by high warmth but few rules or limits.

Laissez-faire parenting style

A parenting approach characterized by low involvement, minimal guidance, and a lack of structure.

Multiple intelligences

Gardner's theory stating that individuals possess distinct, varied modalities of intelligence and talents rather than a single general ability.

SSKK model

A diagnostic assessment framework analyzing support (steun), stress, strength (kracht), and vulnerability (kwetsbaarheid).

Theory of Mind (ToM)

The cognitive capacity to understand that other individuals hold their own unique thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.

Egocentrism

Experiencing difficulty viewing situations or thinking from the perspective of another person.

Co-regulation

A process where an adult assists a child in identifying and regulating their emotional states.

Bullying according to Olweus

Repeated hurtful or aggressive behavior directed against a victim who cannot easily defend themselves due to an imbalance of power.

Transition

The passage from an old state or situation to a new one, progressing through separation, liminality, and reintegration.

Liminal phase

The transitional intermediate state where a person has detached from the old situation but has not yet entered or stabilized in the new one.

Intergenerational transmission

The transfer of behavioral patterns, values, and practices across generations within families or groups.

Rite de passage

A cultural ritual or ceremony marking a crucial transition from one life stage to another.

Kohlberg

A developmental psychologist who delineated the progression of moral reasoning across preconventional, conventional, and postconventional levels.

Preconventional level

The first level of moral reasoning, in which moral judgments are guided primarily by external punishment and rewards.

Conventional level

The second level of moral reasoning, in which adherence to social rules, approval, and societal expectations dominates.

Postconventional level

The advanced level of moral reasoning, where ethical judgments stem from universal moral principles, human rights, and justice.

Josselson

A theorist who describes four phases of adolescent autonomy development: differentiation, practicing, rapprochement, and consolidation.

Toxic memory

A damaging past experience that persists in exerting adverse effects on an individual's self-concept, emotional state, and behavior.

Sankofa principle

The philosophy of retrieving knowledge from the past to guide forward progress into the future.

Ubuntu

The philosophy emphasizing interconnectedness, shared humanity, and mutual responsibility toward one another.

Burnout

A state of severe mental and physical exhaustion resulting from chronic, unmanaged work-related stress.

Ethnocentrism

Evaluating other cultures solely by the standards and customs of one's own culture, presupposing one's own norms are natural or superior.

Socioemotional selectivity theory

A life-span theory positing that as individuals perceive remaining time to be limited, they prioritize emotionally meaningful relationships and goals.

SOC model

A life-span adaptation framework formulated by Baltes and Baltes consisting of selection, optimization, and compensation.

Domotics

Smart home automation technologies designed to sustain safe, independent living for older adults or individuals requiring care.

Creative-agogic work

Employing creative, experiential methods to facilitate rapport, explore life experiences, and foster personal development.

Experiential expertise (Ervaringsdeskundigheid)

The methodical and purposeful deployment of personal experiential knowledge to support, guide, and empower others.

Bronfenbrenner

A developmental psychologist who created the ecological systems model explaining how multiple environmental layers shape human development.

Microsystem

The immediate environment directly experienced by the developing person, including family, peers, school, and intimate relationships.

Mesosystem

The interactions and connections between two or more of an individual's microsystems, such as the relationship between parents and teachers.

Exosystem

External environmental settings in which the individual does not directly participate, but which still affect their immediate environment.

Macrosystem

The overarching cultural values, societal belief systems, legal structures, and economic patterns that influence all lower systems.

Chronosystem

The temporal dimension encompassing life transitions, environmental events, and historical shifts across the life course.