Human Growth and Development Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about human growth and development.

Growth

Change in size.

Development

Change in skill level.

Physically

Changes in an individual’s physical nature

Socially

Changes in individual’s relationship with other people.

Emotionally

Changes in emotions and personality.

Morally

Changes in perceptions of difference between right and wrong.

Intellectually/cognitively

Changes in thought, intelligence, language.

Lifespan development

Pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through the life cycle (lifespan).

Lifespan

Max. # of years humans can live (currently 122 years)

Historical Perspective

Potentials providing by the organism’s gene (pre-existing) (nature)

Life expectancy

Impacted by an individual and their personal health history, genetics, and lifestyle.

Traditional Approach

Development emphasizes extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood and decline in late adulthood

Lifespan Approach

Development change during adulthood as well as childhood.

Original Sin View

Belief that children are born into the world as evil beings.

Tabula Rasa View

The idea, proposed by John Locke toward the end of the 17th century are born with a “BLANK SLATE.

Innate Goodness View

Idea presented by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, are born good.

Framework for Understanding Development

Psychologist attempt to describe and explain how and why developmental changes come about so they can optimize development

Development is contextual

Individuals are changing beings within a changing world.

Normative Development

Refers to the general change in behaviour that all children share as they grow

Individual Development

Individual variations around the normative course of development (individual talks or walks)

Maturation

Refers to a series of biological changes in a child providing new abilities

Nature (nativist)

Genetics, refers to roles of heredity and genetic inheritance in human development.

Nurture (behaviourist)

Environment, refers to the role of environmental factors in human development.

Code of Ethics - IRBs

Institutional review boards (IRBs) - must review and approve research project that are conducted at universities, hospitals, and all other institutions

Principle 1: Respect for persons

Participants choose to whether or not to participate given adequate information about the study

Principle 2: Beneficence

Researchers must do no harm to the participants, maximize possible benefits and minimize possible harm.

Principle 3: Justice

Researchers must allow equal benefits from the study

Informed Consent for Psychology Research

According to the APA< researchers must follow several steps to obtain informed consent from participants in psychology research

The Social Science Inquiry Model

Social scientists follow formal procedures when conducting research

Hypothesis

A possible answer to the problem

Primary research

First hand evidence from the time of the event or from people who have experienced the event or issue.

Secondary research

Second hand accounts of events or issues.

Descriptive

Has the purpose of observing and recording behaviour, is used to uncover new facts and the meaning behind research

Correlational

Goal is to describe the strength of the relationship between two or more events or characteristics, mathematical by nature

Experimental

Carefully regulated procedure in which one or more factors believed to influence the behavior being studied are manipulated, while all other factors are held constant: only method to determine cause and effect

Unstructured Observation

Studying people without a predetermined idea of what to look for

Structured Observation

Involve planning beforehand what will be observed and noted; a list of things to look for will be kept

Participant Observation

Researchers observe groups also participate in the group’s activities for short periods of time

Case Studies

Observation of an individual, a situation, or a group over a period of time

Official Statistics

Official depict the size, composition and demographics or distribution of human population

Standardized Test

Allows a person’s performance to be compared with the performance of other individuals

Historical Research (Life-History Records)

Records of information about a lifetime chronology of events and activities

Developmental Theory

A systematic statement of principles and generalizations that provides a coherent framework for studying and explaining development

Chronological Age

The # of years that has elapsed since a person’s birth

Biological Age

Is a person’s age in terms of biological health

Psychological Age

Is an individual’s adaptive capacities compared to those of other individuals of the same chronological age

Social Age

Refers to social roles and expectations to a person’s age

Social policy

Social policy – a national government’s course of action designed to influence the welfare of its citizens.

Context

Is the setting in which development occurs

Cross-cultural studies

Involve a comparison of a culture with one or more other cultures

Resilience

Ability to withstand adversity and “bounce back” from difficult life situations/events

Adversity

Adverse or unfavourable fortune or fate

Gelotology

The study of laughter and its effects on the human body both psychologically and physiologically

How nature vs. nurture affects success

Children are born as a blank slate and we help them and grow them in our society