Child Development Theories and Concepts

A collection of flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from child development theories and practices.

Ossification

This is the process of cartilage hardening into bone.

Cephalocaudal

This Latin term means 'from head to tail'.

25%

A 2-year-old's head makes up roughly this percentage of their entire body.

Tabula Rasa

John Locke said that children are born like this Latin term, implying their personality will form by what they experience.

Plato

Philosopher who said your blood determines who you will become.

Early Learning for Every Child Today (ELECT)

A chart of domains, skills, and indicators of child development can be found in this important document for educators.

Looksee Checklist

This tool, formerly known as 'The Nippising', is a list of yes/no questions to help monitor a child's development.

Early Development Instrument (EDI)

This developmental screen is used by kindergarten teachers in Ontario.

Positive Punishment

A consequence used by B.F. Skinner where an undesirable action results in an unfavorable outcome to discourage the behavior.

Negative Punishment

A consequence used by B.F. Skinner where an undesirable action results in the removal of a pleasant element to discourage the behavior.

Sigmund Freud

This psychoanalyst developed theories based on the recollections of the childhood memories of his patients.

Classical Conditioning

Pavlov's study involving the conditioning of reflex responses.

Id, Ego, and Superego

According to Sigmund Freud, our personalities are made up of these three components.

Positive Reinforcement

B.F. Skinner would suggest giving a sticker to a child for sharing a toy as this kind of consequence.

Indiscriminate Attachment

John Bowlby said that children in this stage of development don’t mind who cares for them as long as somebody does.

Smoking

This caregiver or household habit has been shown to have a negative effect on children's height.

Proximodistal

Another Latin term that means 'from the center to the outside'.

American Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (ASPCA)

This organization was responsible for bringing forward the first child abuse case before such laws existed.

Genetics

This factor affecting growth has a strong influence over a person's height and is entirely on the 'nature' side.

Bobo doll

This childhood toy was mercilessly beaten during Bandura's experiment on learning through imitation.

Konrad Lorenz

Zoologist who coined the term 'imprinting', when newly hatched goslings began following him around.

Negative Reinforcement

B.F. Skinner would suggest reducing the number of assigned questions on the homework as a consequence for good performance.

Arnold Gesell

This psychologist was one of the first to use motion picture cameras to document children's development.

Mesosystem

In Bronfenbrenner's theory model, this ring involves family and school interaction affecting the individual.

Trust/Mistrust

Erikson proposed that children in this first stage of life must learn the basic virtue of hope.