vocab

Human development

The process of growth and change from conception to death, including physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development.

Milestones

Key developmental stages or achievements that occur at specific ages, marking important progress in a child's growth.

Fine-motor skills

Skills involving small muscles, necessary for tasks like writing or buttoning a shirt.

Gross-motor skills

Skills involving larger muscle groups that enable movement and coordination, such as crawling or jumping.

Heredity

Genetic inheritance from parents to offspring that influences physical and psychological traits.

Continuity

The concept that development is gradual and cumulative, with smooth changes over time.

Discontinuity

The idea that development occurs in distinct stages, each representing a different way of thinking or behaving.

Andragogy

The method of teaching adult learners, emphasizing self-directed learning and relevance to personal experiences.

Pedagogy

The theory and practice of teaching children, focusing on instructional methods and learning processes.

Physical development

Changes in the body and its systems over time, including growth in height and weight.

Cognitive development

Growth in mental capabilities, such as thinking, problem-solving, and understanding.

Social development

The evolution of a person’s ability to interact with others and understand social norms.

Emotional development

The process of understanding, expressing, and managing emotions throughout life.

Cognition

The mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and understanding, including thinking and reasoning.

Environment

External conditions and influences that affect an individual’s development, including family and culture.

Nature

Genetic or hereditary factors that contribute to development and personality.

Nurture

Environmental factors and experiences that shape development, contrasting with genetic factors.

Theoretical perspective

A framework used to understand and interpret development and behavior.

Psychoanalytic theory

Freud's theory emphasizing the influence of unconscious desires and childhood experiences on behavior.

Classical conditioning

A learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus.

Operant conditioning

A learning theory focusing on how behavior is influenced by rewards and punishments.

Genes

Basic units of heredity that carry genetic information and determine individual traits.

Genetics

The study of genes, heredity, and variation of traits among organisms.

Scientific method

A systematic approach to research involving observation, hypothesis formation, and experimentation.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables or the outcome of an experiment.

Psychosocial stages

Erikson's theory describing eight developmental stages characterized by specific conflicts.

Observable behaviors

Actions or responses that can be directly seen and measured in behavioral research.

Ethological theory

A perspective studying behavior in natural contexts, emphasizing evolutionary significance.

Descriptive studies

Research methods providing detailed accounts of characteristics without manipulating variables.

Longitudinal studies

Research tracking the same individuals over time to observe changes and developments.

Cross-sectional studies

Research comparing different groups at a single point in time to identify differences.

Naturalistic experiments

Research conducted in natural settings without manipulating variables, observing behavior in context.