psychological development

Integrity

The commitment to searching for knowledge and understanding with honest reporting of all results and information.

Justice

The moral obligation to ensure fair consideration of competing claims and fair distribution of access and benefits.

Beneficence

The commitment to maximizing benefits and minimizing the risks and harms involved.

Non-maleficence

The principle of avoiding the causation of harm in research.

Respect

Consideration of the value of living things regarding beliefs, customs, and cultural heritage.

Confidentiality

The privacy, protection, and security of a participant’s personal information.

Voluntary participation

Participants freely choose to partake in an experiment without coercion or pressure.

Informed consent

Participants understand the nature, purpose, and risks involved before agreeing to participate.

Withdrawal rights

Participants can discontinue their involvement at any time without penalty.

Debriefing

Participants must leave with an understanding of the aim, results, and conclusion of the study.

Use of deception in research

Concealing the true purpose of the experiment if it affects the validity of results.

Random sampling

Every member of the population has an equal chance to be selected to participate.

Advantages of random sampling

Should obtain a true representation of the population for generalized results.

Limitations of random sampling

Requires a large sample and complete list of the target population, which is time-consuming.

Stratified sampling

Every subgroup of a characteristic is represented in the sample in the same proportions as in the population.

Advantages of stratified sampling

Highly representative of the population and allows for accurate comparisons.

Limitations of stratified sampling

Time-consuming and potentially expensive.

Random allocation

All participants have an equal chance of being chosen for each group.

Non-random allocation

Participants do not have an equal chance of being chosen for each group, often for convenience.

Cognitive development

Changes in an individual's mental abilities over time.

Emotional development

Changes in how a person experiences, interprets, and expresses emotions.

Social development

Changes in an individual's relationships and interactions with others.

Nature

Transmission of characteristics from biological parents to their offspring via genes at conception.

Nurture

All experiences, objects, and events that an individual is exposed to throughout their lifetime.

Biopsychosocial model

Describes how biological, psychological, and social factors influence development and mental well-being.

Schizophrenia

A mental disorder characterized by hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking.

Two-hit hypothesis

Proposes that genetic vulnerability and environmental stress are necessary for developing schizophrenia.

Secure attachment

A baby uses the caregiver as a safe base; caregiver meets the infant's needs consistently.

Insecure avoidant attachment

Infant rarely cries when caregiver leaves and ignores them upon return due to neglect.

Insecure resistant attachment

results from caregivers who aren’t so responsive to the infants needs. Anxious when the caregiver is near and also when separated.

Disorganized attachment

Inconsistent response to caregiver reunions, often due to trauma or abuse.

Schemas

Mental ideas about what something is and how to act on it.

Assimilation

The process of incorporating new information into existing schemas.

Accommodation

Changing pre-existing schemas to fit new information.

Sensorimotor stage

0-2 years; involves goal-directed behavior and object permanence.

Pre-operational stage

2-7 years; involves reversibility, transformation, symbolic thinking, animism, centration and egocentrism.

Concrete operational stage

7-12 years; involves conservation and classification.

Formal operational stage

12+ years; involves abstract and idealistic thinking.

Maturation

Biologically programmed growth process that facilitates development.

Principle of readiness

Humans cannot complete a new skill until physically and mentally developed enough.

Plasticity

The brain's ability to change shape in response to experience and learning.

Critical periods

Narrow periods where a specific function must be learned.

Sensitive periods

Time when an individual is more responsive to learning experiences.

Typical development

Behaviors or skills fall within the expected range for a similar age group.

Atypical development

Development that significantly differs from what is usual or appropriate.

Normality

State of having common and acceptable thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Abnormality

State of deviating from the norm in an undesirable way.

Adaptive behavior

Ability to adjust to the environment and function effectively.

Maladaptive behavior

Inability to adapt to the environment appropriately.

Socio-cultural approach

Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors accepted in a particular society or culture.

Functional approach

Behavior that allows independence in society.

Historical approach

Judgment based on the era or period in which it occurs.

Situational approach

Behavior relevant to a particular circumstance.

Medical approach

Abnormality viewed as having an underlying biological cause.

Statistical approach

Where majority behavior in a large group defines what is typical.

Neurotypicality

Describes typical neurological and cognitive functioning.

Neurodivergent

Individuals with variations in neurological development and functioning.

Neurodiversity

Variations in neurological development within groups of people.