Chapter 1 - Intro to Lifespan KEY TERMS

PSY 2314 UTD

Bronfrenbrenner's Ecological Theory

A theory focusing on the development of a child based on their external environment, including the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem

case study

a in depth study and research conducted on an individual case, used to research conditions/disorders or unusual circumstances on an individual

cognitive processes

processes that involve changes in an individual's thought, intelligence, and language

cohort effects

Effects of a person's development based on a situation, time period, or event that is shared amongst other people who experienced the same

continuity-discontinuity issue

Debate to which aspects of development are either gradual/continuous or abrupt/discontinuous

correlation coefficient

A statistical measure of how correlated two variable are, measured by a number between -1 and 1 (1/-1 being the strongest correlation)

correlational research

A measure of the relation between to instances, that of which are correlated, and description of how two variables are linked

cross-cultural studies

Research conducted across several cultures to identify differences and similarities,

cross-sectional approach

Research conducted across certain age groups, used to identify differences based on where they are in development

culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

descriptive research

Research used to describe certain phenomena, collected by observation, case studies, and surveys

development

Process of growth in humans, happening in different stages, processes, and structures

eclectic theoretical orientation

No one theory or explanation can explain development in our lives; Theories are simply an attempt to explain certain phenomena's found at different stages

emerging adulthood

Time period before early adulthood that is characterized by major changes into individuality, such as moving out and living alone, as well as newly gained responsibilities (around age 18 for some cultures)

Erikson's thoery

Erikson's theory has 8 Stages within our life span that help explain some of the aspects about ourselves we gain throughout (mainly) childhood and adolescent years (starting with Trust v. Mistrust)

ethnic gloss

Overgeneralizations and stereotypes of ethnic groups that portray certain behaviors simply based off of race

ethnicity

Identity and nationality associated with an individual, shaped by culture and skin color that categorizes you with a certain ethnic group

ethology

study of animal behavior

experiment

A research method in which an investigator manipulates one or more factors to observe the effect on some behavior or mental process

gender

Characteristics of people being males, females, or neither

hypotheses

Prediction made to prove a theory, that of which is testable and can be proven or disproven

information-processing theory

Theory that human cognition is related to that of computer processing, and that we process information in sequence of events

laboratory

a workplace for the conduct of scientific research

life-span perspective

Changes and development occur throughout your entire life rather than just in your adolescent years

longitudinal approach

Study approach that conducts a long term experiment on one more more individuals over a prolong amount of years, set out to explain development stages and how changes occur

naturalistic observation

Observing and recording behavior in a naturally occurring environment, that of which has no manipulation to ensure no bias happens

nature-nurture issue

Debate about the influence and impact of both biological aspects and environmental impacts has on our development

non-normative life events

Life events that are unusual and extreme, that of which can heavily influence development in an unusual way (compared to that of an individual who did not experience the event)

normative age-graded influences

Normal influences on development found commonly among individuals of the same age groups

normative history-graded influences

influences on development found in cohorts, or found in a specific time period amongst all individuals in that said time period

Piaget's theory

Theory stating that children actively construct their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development. When all stages are complete, peak human intelligence is achieved

psychoanalytic theories

describe development as primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion

social cognitive theory

The view of psychologists who emphasize behavior, environment, and cognition as the key factors in development.

social policy

Governments courses of action which is meant to influence the life and well being of its citizens, shaped by the cultures beliefs and values

socioeconomic status (SES)

Status within society that is characterized by an individuals education, occupation, and opportunities

socioemotional processes

development within someones relationships, emotional intelligence, and personality

stability-change issue

the debate about the degree to which early traits and characteristics persist through life or change

standardized test

A test that is the same for everyone and is meant to gather data or gauge where an individual's knowledge of a specific topic is at

theory

an explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes observations and predicts behaviors or events

Vgostky's theory

We are born with 4 elementary functions; attention, sensation, perception, and memory...We use these 4 elements in our own ways to develop, through our social interactions