Lifespan Development - Chapter 1 Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Chapter 1 of a Lifespan Development course.

Lifespan Development

The study of how people grow, change, and stay the same from conception to death.

Three major domains of development

Physical, cognitive, and psychosocial.

Key principles of the lifespan perspective

Development is lifelong, multidirectional, multidimensional, multidisciplinary, plastic, and multicontextual.

Normative age-graded influence

Typical changes associated with a specific age group.

Cohort

A group of people born around the same time experiencing similar historical events.

SES

Socioeconomic status; it influences health, parenting, stress, and access to resources.

Ethnocentrism

Belief that one's own culture is superior.

Lifespan vs. Life Expectancy

Lifespan is the max years a species can live; life expectancy is the average expected life for a population.

Types of Age

Chronological, biological, psychological, and social age.

Periods of Development

Prenatal, infancy/toddlerhood, early childhood, middle/late childhood, adolescence, emerging, established, middle, and late adulthood.

Nature vs. Nurture

Whether heredity or environment has a greater influence on development.

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

Continuity is gradual development; discontinuity involves distinct stages.

Freud's Theory

Psychosexual development and unconscious drives.

Erikson's Theory

Psychosocial development with 8 life stages/crises.

Piaget's Theory

Cognitive development in 4 stages based on age and mental ability.

Bandura's Contribution

Social Learning Theory: learning through observation (modeling).

Bronfenbrenner's Theory

Ecological systems theory - multiple layers of influence.

Descriptive vs Correlational vs Experimental research

Descriptive = observe, Correlational = relationship, Experimental = cause-effect.

Cross-sectional Study

Studies different age groups at one time.

Longitudinal Study

Follows the same group over time.

Sequential Design

Combines cross-sectional and longitudinal methods.

Main Ethical Research Principles

No harm, informed consent, confidentiality, debriefing.

COVID-19 Impact on Development

Reduced life expectancy, especially among minorities; affected health and social development.