Lifespan canvas notes chapter 1

Human Development

The ways people grow and change across the life span, which includes biological, cognitive, psychological, and social functioning.

Culture

The total pattern of a group’s customs, beliefs, art, and technology.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

A measure of an individual's social class based on education level, income, and occupational status.

Natural Selection

The process by which species change through variations that affect survival and reproduction, proposed by Charles Darwin.

Upper Paleolithic Period

The period from approximately 50,000 to 10,000 years ago characterized by evidence of early human culture including art and tool development.

Freud’s Psychosexual Theory

A theory proposing that sexual desire is the driving force behind human development and is structured in stages from infancy through adulthood.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

A theory proposing eight stages of human development characterized by distinct challenges or 'crises' that need to be resolved.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory

A systems approach to understanding human development through the interaction of five interrelated social systems.

Individualistic Culture

Cultures that emphasize independence and self-expression.

Collectivistic Culture

Cultures that value group harmony and obedience.

Emerging Adulthood

A new life stage between adolescence and young adulthood characterized by continued education and delayed marriage and parenthood.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

The average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime.

Globalization

The increasing connections between different parts of the world in terms of trade, travel, migration, and communication.

Quantitative Research

Research that involves collecting data in numerical form that can be quantified and analyzed statistically.

Qualitative Research

Research that involves collecting non-numerical data, focusing on understanding meanings and experiences.

Cross-sectional Design

A research design that compares different age groups at one point in time.

Longitudinal Design

A research design that follows the same group of individuals over an extended period.

Informed Consent

The process of ensuring that participants are fully aware of the research and its risks before agreeing to participate.

Ecological Validity

The extent to which findings from research can be generalized to real-world settings.

Case Study

A detailed examination of a single individual or a small group in a real-life context.

Correlation

A statistical relationship between two variables, indicating how one may predict the other.

Psychological Ethics

Guidelines that govern the conduct of psychologists to ensure the safety and well-being of participants in research.

Ethnographic Research

A qualitative research method focused on studying cultures through direct observation and participation.

Cohort Effect

Differences in development that stem from the historical or social time period in which individuals were born.

Majority Culture

The culture of the dominant group in a society that sets most of the norms and standards.