Introduction to Child and Developmental Psychology

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering foundational theories, key historical figures, research methodologies, and core issues in child and developmental psychology.

Child Psychology

The branch of psychology that focuses specifically on human growth, behavior, and development from birth through adolescence.

Developmental Psychology

The branch of psychology that examines physical, cognitive, and social change across the entire lifespan, from conception to death.

Etiology

The study of the causes or origins of medical conditions or psychological disorders, such as genetic mutations or environmental influences.

Telegraphic Speech

An early form of language utterance in young children that uses basic essential words to convey meaning while omitting non-essential connecting words, such as saying "want cookie".

Active Child Model

The perspective in child development stating that children actively seek out information, explore their environment, and shape their own developmental experiences.

Bidirectional Relationship

A model of parent-child interaction where the child's behavior actively influences the caregiver's discipline and attitude, which in turn influences the child's subsequent development.

Continuity versus Discontinuity

The debate over whether developmental change occurs gradually and smoothly over time (continuity) or through distinct, abrupt qualitative shifts and stages (discontinuity).

Normative Development

An approach in developmental research that focuses on identifying universal patterns, average milestones, and typical behaviors common to most children.

Idiographic Development

An approach in developmental research that focuses on individual differences, unique variations, and distinct single-case profiles.

John Locke

An early philosopher who proposed that children are born as a blank slate (tabula rasa) and that development is entirely shaped by environmental experiences.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

An early philosopher who proposed that human development is a natural, biological unfolding of innate potential that occurs without environmental intervention.

Cultural Relativism

The practice of evaluating and interpreting a child's behavior and psychological development within the specific context and values of their own culture.

Recapitulation

The theoretical concept suggesting that the individual developmental process of a child mimics the historical evolutionary timeline of the human species.

Baby Biography

A historical research method consisting of detailed, informal observational journal entries recorded by a caregiver tracking their own child's development.

G. Stanley Hall

A psychologist known as the father of child psychology who established developmental psychology as a scientific field, founded academic journals, and served as the first president of the APA.

James Mark Baldwin

The first Canadian psychology researcher at the University of Toronto who advocated for stage theories and the concept of discontinuity in development.

Behaviorism

A theoretical approach pioneered by John B. Watson that rejects internal mental states and focuses exclusively on observable environmental factors, rewards, and punishments that shape behavior.

Arnold Gesell

A developmental psychologist who stressed the importance of biological maturation and developed developmental age norms by observing children behind one-way screens.