Life Span Development

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering the major theories, milestones, domains, and concepts of lifespan development.

Lifespan Development

The scientific study of how people change as well as how they remain the same over the course of their lives.

Physical Development

A domain of lifespan development that involves growth and changes in the body and brain, senses, motor skills, and health and wellness.

Cognitive Development

A domain of lifespan development encompassing learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity.

Psychosocial Development

A domain of lifespan development involving emotions, personality, and social relationships.

Normative Approach

An approach in developmental psychology where large numbers of children are studied to determine norms, or average ages, at which most reach specific developmental milestones.

Continuous Development

A view that development is a cumulative process characterized by gradually improving upon existing skills, such as steadily adding inches to height each year.

Discontinuous Development

A view that development occurs in unique, distinct stages that take place at specific times or ages.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate investigating how biological and genetic factors (nature) interact with environmental and cultural factors (nurture) to shape development and personality.

Psychosexual Theory

Sigmund Freud's theory claiming that adult personality is shaped by childhood experiences and that pleasure-seeking urges are focused on distinct erogenous zones across five stages: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.

Psychosocial Theory

Erik Erikson's theory proposing that personality development occurs across the entire lifespan through eight stages, each presenting a specific psychosocial task that must be mastered to achieve a sense of competence.

Trust vs. Mistrust

The first stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory (ages 0–1 year), where infants develop trust or mistrust that basic needs, such as nourishment and affection, will be met.

Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt

The second stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory (ages 1–3 years), in which toddlers strive to develop a sense of independence in performing many tasks.

Initiative vs. Guilt

The third stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory (ages 3–6 years), where children take initiative on activities and may develop guilt when unsuccessful or when boundaries are overstepped.

Industry vs. Inferiority

The fourth stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory (ages 7–11 years), during which children develop self-confidence in their abilities when competent or a sense of inferiority when they feel inadequate.

Identity vs. Confusion

The fifth stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory (ages 12–18 years), in which adolescents experiment with and develop their personal identity and social roles.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

The sixth stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory (ages 19–29 years), where young adults focus on establishing intimacy and meaningful relationships with others.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

The seventh stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory (ages 30–64 years), where middle adults strive to contribute to society and be part of a family.

Integrity vs. Despair

The eighth stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory (ages 65+ years), in which late adults assess and make sense of their lives and the overall meaning of their contributions.

Schemata

Mental concepts or categories used by children and adults to organize and interpret information to understand the world.

Assimilation

The cognitive process of incorporating new information and experiences into existing schemata without altering them.

Accommodation

The cognitive process of changing or adjusting existing schemata based on new information.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's first cognitive stage (ages 0–2 years), during which infants experience the world through senses and actions; key issues include object permanence and stranger anxiety.

Object Permanence

The cognitive understanding that an object continues to exist even when it is out of sight, typically developing around 8 months of age.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second cognitive stage (ages 2–6 years), in which children use words and images to represent objects but lack logical reasoning; marked by pretend play, egocentrism, and language development.

Egocentrism

The preoperational cognitive limitation where a child is unable to take the perspective or viewpoint of others.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's third cognitive stage (ages 7–11 years), where children understand concrete events, perform arithmetical operations, and think logically about analogies and conservation.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's fourth cognitive stage (ages 12+ years), characterized by the development of abstract reasoning, abstract logic, and moral reasoning.

Pre-conventional Morality

Lawrence Kohlberg's first level of moral development, comprising Stage 1 (Obedience and punishment: avoiding punishment) and Stage 2 (Individual interest: self-interest and rewards).

Conventional Morality

Lawrence Kohlberg's second level of moral development, comprising Stage 3 (Interpersonal: social approval) and Stage 4 (Authority: obeying authority and conforming to social order).

Post-conventional Morality

Lawrence Kohlberg's third level of moral development, comprising Stage 5 (Social contract: balancing social order and individual rights) and Stage 6 (Universal ethics: internal moral principles).

Germinal Stage

The prenatal developmental stage spanning Weeks 1–2, beginning at conception when a sperm fertilizes an egg to create a zygote, which divides via mitosis.

Zygote

A one-cell structure formed at conception when a sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell.

Mitosis

The process of cell division through which the zygote divides into specialized cells to form organs and body parts.

Embryonic Stage

The prenatal developmental stage spanning Weeks 3–8, beginning after the 150-cell organism implants into the uterus lining; basic structures and functioning organs develop.

Placenta

A specialized structure connected to the uterus that provides nourishment and oxygen from the mother to the embryo via the umbilical cord.

Fetal Stage

The prenatal developmental stage spanning Weeks 9–40, during which the baby's brain develops and the body gains size and weight until reaching full-term development.

Teratogen

Any environmental agent (biological, chemical, or physical) that causes damage to a developing embryo or fetus.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A collection of physical and cognitive birth defects—including small head size, abnormal facial features, poor impulse control, and lower IQ—caused by heavy maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Rooting Reflex

An inborn newborn reflex where an infant turns its head toward a stimulus touching its cheek.

Sucking Reflex

An automatic newborn reflex where a baby sucks on objects placed in or by its mouth.

Grasping Reflex

An inborn newborn reflex where an infant instinctively clings to objects placed into its hands.

Moro Reflex

An inborn newborn reflex where a baby spreads its arms out and then pulls them back in when startled or experiencing a falling sensation.

Blooming Period

The developmental period during infancy and toddlerhood when neural pathways rapidly form thousands of new synaptic connections.

Pruning Period

The developmental phase during childhood and adolescence in which unused neural connections are reduced, allowing the brain to operate more efficiently.

Fine Motor Skills

Physical abilities focusing on the small muscles of the fingers, toes, and eyes that enable the coordination of precise actions such as gripping a pencil.

Gross Motor Skills

Physical abilities focusing on large muscle groups that control the arms and legs, facilitating large movements such as balancing and running.

Attachment

A long-standing emotional connection or bond formed with others, representing one of the major psychosocial milestones of infancy.

Secure Base

A parental presence that provides an infant with a sense of safety and security as they explore their environment.

Strange Situation

A laboratory procedure developed by Mary Ainsworth in 1970 to observe and categorize attachment styles by placing an infant through brief separations and reunions with the caregiver and a stranger.

Secure Attachment

An attachment style where a child uses the parent as a secure base to explore, shows distress when the parent departs, and is happy and easily comforted upon their return.

Avoidant Attachment

An attachment style characterized by unresponsiveness to the caregiver, failure to use the caregiver as a secure base, and minimal reaction to the caregiver's departure or return.

Resistant Attachment

An attachment style where children show clingy behavior, become extremely distressed and angry when the mother leaves, and reject comfort or remain difficult to soothe upon reunion.

Disorganized Attachment

An attachment style characterized by odd, erratic behavior upon separation and reunion—such as freezing or running away—most commonly observed in children who have been abused.

Self-Concept

An individual's awareness and development of a positive sense of self, which constitutes the primary psychosocial milestone of childhood.

Authoritative Style

A parenting style described by Baumrind where parents establish reasonable demands and consistent limits, express warmth and affection, and listen to the child's perspective.

Authoritarian Style

A parenting style described by Baumrind that places high value on conformity and strict obedience, is rigid, and displays little warmth.

Permissive Style

A parenting style described by Baumrind in which parents make very few demands, rarely administer punishment, and take on a nurturing, indulgent role.

Uninvolved Style

A parenting style described by Baumrind where parents are indifferent, uninvolved, or neglectful, making few demands and failing to respond to the child's needs.

Temperament

Innate, biologically based traits that influence how an individual thinks, behaves, and reacts with their environment.

Adrenarche

A biological process during puberty characterized by the maturing of the adrenal glands.

Gonadarche

A biological process during puberty marked by the maturation of the sex glands.

Menarche

The beginning of menstrual periods in females, typically occurring around ages 12 to 13.

Spermarche

The first occurrence of ejaculation in males, usually happening around ages 13 to 14.

Cognitive Empathy

Also referred to as theory of mind, the ability to take the perspective of others and feel concern for them, which substantially increases during adolescence.

Emerging Adulthood

A newly defined period of lifespan development spanning from 18 years to the mid-20s, during which identity exploration is intensely focused on work and love.

Crystallized Intelligence

Knowledge, skills, and strategies acquired through experience, which remain steady or improve throughout adulthood.

Fluid Intelligence

Information processing abilities, reasoning, and working memory, which gradually begin to decline as adulthood progresses.

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

A theory stating that as people age, their total number of social contacts and friendships dwindles, but remaining relationships become as close or closer than in earlier years.

Stages of Grief (Kübler-Ross)

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross's 1969 five-stage model of coping with death and dying: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.