Chapter 2 - Lifespan Development

change

key indicator of growth and development; can be quantitative and/or qualitative; when something is different than it was before

areas of development

three broad types of change in development across time, includes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial

research

a methodical investigation that advances our understanding of behavior, including what is happening, how and why it is happening, and what to do about it

nature

focus of developmental change is "inside" the person, i.e., biologically programmed

nurture

focus of developmental change is "outside" the person, i.e., influenced by environment

interaction

focus of developmental change is how internal and external factors influence each other

physical development

changes in body structure and function across time

individual differences

deviations from normative developmental changes

cognitive development

changes in thinking across the lifespan

stage theory

descriptions of how thinking changes as we age, often seen as coming from within the person due to biological factors

social interactions

explanation of how interpersonal relationships affect the development of thinking

information processing theory

theories of cognitive development that describe thinking using a computer model

language development

a timeline for acquisition of benchmarks in verbal communication

attachment

special relationship shared between a child and his/her everyday caregivers

parenting

social relationship that affects psychosocial development throughout the lifespan

psychosocial development

changes in relationships and their effects

Lifespan view

comprehensive lifespan view that encompasses multiple explanations of development, includes four main concepts

quantitative

change that can be objectively measured, when there is more or less of something

qualitative

when the character or properties of something has changed

age groups

divisions across the lifespan that reflect change over time

physical development

changes in the body's structure and function across time

cognitive development

changes in thinking

psychosocial development

changes in relationships and their effects

prenatal period

from conception to birth, includes three stages

infancy

the first year of life

childhood

ranges from age one until about age 11

adolescence

the teenage years, ages 12-20

early adulthood

period that begins in early 20s

emerging adulthood

period between adolesence and early adulthood, characterized by role transitions and identity exploration

middle adulthood

period in your 40s and 50s

late adulthood

period that begins around age 65

descriptive research

type of research that focuses on what is happening at each age

correlational research

type of research that focuses on how a behavior of one group of people varies in relation to a behavior of another group of people

experimental research

type of research that can determine cause, uses random assignment of participants to experimental and control groups

research designs

ways of studying development

cross-sectional

research design that compares the behavior of multiple age groups at one point in time

longitudinal

research design that compares the behavior of one age group at multiple points across time

genes

the biological inheritance of an organism

experiences

external factors and events in one's life that influence development

B = f (P + E + PE)

behavior is best understood as a function of things about the person (inside), things about the environment (outside), and the complex interaction of person and environment

prenatal period

from conception to birth, includes three stages

conception

microscopic sperm and egg unite to mix the genetic material from the mother and father

zygote

fertilized egg cell, 1st stage (two weeks) in prenatal development

embryo

2nd stage of prenatal development, from 2nd to 8th week

placenta

life-support system for developing embryo and fetus

fetus

3rd stage of prenatal development, from 8th week to birth at 40 weeks

neural tube

part of the embryo from which the brain and spinal cord arise

teratogens

chemical, drug, or illness

critical period

a sensitive time during which a person or organism is particularly receptive to input from the environment

infancy

the first year of life

motor skills

set of abilities to control muscles

childhood

period that ranges from age one until about age 11

motor skills

set of abilities to control muscles

adolescence

the teenage years, ages 12-20

puberty

surge of sex hormones that signal a change from childhood to adolescence

menarche

the start of menstrual periods in females

adolescent brain

period during which the neurons of the frontal cortex develop myelin and the corpus callosum increases in size and myelin

adulthood

period that begins in early 20s

early adulthood

period that begins in early 20s

middle adulthood

period in your 40s and 50s

menopause

ending of menstrual periods

late adulthood

period that begins around age 65

Piaget's stage theory

theory of cognitive development, describes how children develop logical thought

sensory motor stage

Piaget's 1st stage, starts at birth and continues to age two, child thinks through sensing and moving

object permanence

cognitive ability to believe that things exist, even if they cannot be seen

preoperational stage

Piaget's 2nd stage, starts at age two and continues to age seven, describes how children have not yet developed logical thought

egocentrism

child's failure to be able to take another person's perspective, characteristic of children in preoperational stage

conservation

child's ability to understand that changing the shape of a liquid or solid does not alter its quantity

concrete operational stage

Piaget's 3rd stage, starts at age seven and continues to age 11, describes how children have developed basic logic

formal operational stage

Piaget's 4th stage, starts at age 12 and continues through adulthood, describes the ability to reason about hypothetical situations

abstract reasoning

highest type of thinking characterized by the ability to reason about hypothetical situations

post formal thinking

process of thinking that continues beyond logical thought , includes understanding that there is not always a clear right or wrong answer

Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory

theory of cognitive development that emphasizes how factors "outside" the child interact with factors "inside" the child to influence how the child thinks

scaffolding

hints or instructions that allow children (and adults) to think about and do things they could otherwide not do on their own

input

taking information in

storage

holding on to information as in memory

output

getting information out

cooing

infants' first language-like sounds

babbling

infants uttering a combination of consonant and vowel sounds

infant directed speech

adults speaking to infants in a stereotypic tone of voice, by raising the pitch of voice and speaking in very simple, short, repetitive phrases

telegraphic speech

contains only the most essential words to convey a short fast message

statistical learning

the ability to use probabilities to recognize the boundaries between words

critical period

a sensitive time during which a person or organism is particularly receptive to input from the environment

internal working model

Bowlby's model that describes how the quality of early attachment relationships predict the quality of relationships across the lifespan

strange situation

Ainsworth's research protocol to study attachment

basic types of attachment

four styles of attachment identified by Mary Ainsworth that describe the relationship and bond between a primary caregiver and child

secure

in the "strange situation," child is upset when parent leaves, easily soothed when parent returns, prefers parent over lab assistant

avoidant

in the "strange situation," child is does not get upset when parent leaves, avoids parent when parent returns, does not prefer parent over lab assistant

ambivalent

in the "strange situation," child is very upset when parent leaves, unsure how to respond when parent returns, may be aggressive toward parent

disorganized

in the "strange situation," child is confused or disoriented when parent leaves and returns

warmth

dimension of parenting that describes degree of affection and positive feelings expressed to the child

control

dimension of parenting that describes degree and fairness of rules and consequences for breaking rules

parenting styles

four styles of parenting identifed by Baumarind that describe the level of warmth and control the parent shows toward the child

authoritative

type of parenting that is high in warmth and medium in control, correlated with better social and academic adjustment in child

authoritarian

type of parenting that is very low in warmth and very high in control

permissive

type of parenting that is very high in warmth and very low in control

indifferent/uninvolved

type of parenting that is low in warmth and low in control, most damaging effect on children

ecological systems theory

Bronfenbrenner's model that describes how child is simultaneously "acted upon" by environments that are both near (proximal) and far (distal)

microsystem

part of Ecological Systems Theory, people and their systems who interact directly with the child

mesosystem

part of Ecological Systems Theory, primary influences in the micro system that interact with each other