Lifespan Development and Theoretical Perspectives

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the foundational concepts of lifespan development, psychodynamic theories, behaviorism, and cognitive perspectives as detailed in the lecture notes.

Lifespan Development

The study of change across the entire lifespan, from conception through death.

Lifelong Development

A feature of development asserting that all age groups are important, contrary to early research that believed development stopped at adulthood.

Multidirectional Development

The concept that development (change) can be both good and bad simultaneously; for example, an adult may experience physical decline while maturing emotionally.

Aging

The process of becoming old; a term typically used for adults and distinct from physical growth.

Maturation

Physical, emotional, or cognitive change involving becoming more developed and advanced; for example, the brain maturing across the lifespan.

Nature

Developmental influences that are genetic and biological, often described as a 'domino effect' from one's genetic makeup.

Nurture

Developmental influences that are learned and environmental, including the impact of caregivers, teachers, peers, and society.

Continuous Development

A view of development as a gradual process where transitions blend together without distinct stages, often favored by behaviorists.

Discontinuous Development

A view of development characterized by discrete beginnings and endings with a clear stage progression, favored by stage theorists.

Id

An unconscious aspect of personality that emerges at birth, consisting of wild, needy impulses that demand immediate fulfillment based on the pleasure principle.

Ego

A conscious aspect of personality emerging in infancy that operates on the reality principle, balancing the impulses of the id with social reality.

Superego

The final function of personality that develops at school age, representing the child's internalization of social norms, standards, and conscience.

Psychosexual Stages

Freud’s developmental theory where each stage involves a conflict and fixation with an area of the body related to sexual gratification/pleasure.

Oral Stage

A psychosexual stage from birth to $18$ months where children derive pleasure through their mouths; fixation can lead to dependency or habits like smoking.

Anal Stage

A psychosexual stage from $18$ months to $3$ years focused on toilet training and control of the body and environment; fixation leads to anal retentive or expulsive personalities.

Phallic Stage

A psychosexual stage from $3$ to $6$ years involving the exploration of anatomical differences and conflicts such as the Oedipal and Electra complexes.

Castration Anxiety

A boy's fear during the phallic stage that his father will take his penis because of the boy's affection toward his mother.

Latency Stage

A psychosexual period from age $6$ to puberty where no new challenges emerge and the focus is on same-sex friendships and interests.

Genital Stage

A psychosexual stage from puberty to adulthood focused on mutual genital pleasure and healthy adult relationships.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Erikson's first psychosocial stage (0-1 year) where the developmental goal is to develop hope that basic needs will be met.

Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt

Erikson's stage from ages $1$ to $3$ where the goal is to develop a sense of independence in tasks (Will).

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Erikson's adolescent stage ($12$-$18$ years) where individuals experiment with and develop roles and identity (Fidelity).

Ego Integrity vs. Despair

Erikson's final stage during old age ($65$ onwards) where individuals assess and make sense of their life's meaning (Wisdom).

Classical Conditioning

A learning process associated with Pavlov where a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus until it elicits a behavioral response.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that elicits a reflexive, natural response in an organism, such as meat powder causing a dog to salivate.

Operant Conditioning

A learning process associated with B.F. Skinner where behaviors are shaped by consequences, such as rewards (positive reinforcement) or punishment (negative reinforcement).

Social Learning

A theory by Albert Bandura suggesting that people learn by observing and modeling others, often described as 'monkey see, monkey do.'

Schemes (Schemas)

Organized patterns of behavior or internal mental representations of the world which serve as building blocks for cognitive functioning.

Assimilation

The cognitive process of adding new knowledge to existing mental structures without making substantial changes to those structures.

Accommodation

The cognitive process where mental representations change in response to learning and interacting with the environment.

Sensorimotor Period

Piaget's first stage (Birth - $2$ Years) where children understand the world through physical interactions and the development of motor skills.

Preoperational Period

Piaget's stage from $2$ to $7$ years where children use logic-governed symbols, gestures, and simple imagery to understand the world.

Concrete Operational

Piaget's stage from $7$ to $11$ years involving abstract and reversible internalized actions and a strict logical framework applied to real objects.

Information-Processing Theory

A continuous cognitive theory that likens the human brain to a computer, focusing on the processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval.

Ethological Perspective

A theory focused on animal behavior, such as Konrad Lorenz's study of imprinting and critical periods, and how behavior is adaptive.

Sociocultural Theory

Lev Vygotsky's theory that cognitive development is shaped by social interaction and the transmission of culture and knowledge.

Ecological Systems Theory

Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory identifying five environmental systems—Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, and Chronosystem—that influence development.

Microsystem

The immediate environments of an individual, such as family and school, within Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory.

Chronosystem

The dimension in Bronfenbrenner's theory that accounts for historical changes and the period of history in which an individual exists.