Unit 6 - Developmental Psychology

developmental psychology

the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives

nature versus nurture

a long-standing debate in biology and society about the relative influence on human beings of their genetic inheritance and the environmental conditions of their development

cross-sectional study

a type of observational study that analyzes data from a population, or a representative subset, at a specific point in time—that is, cross-sectional data

longitudinal study

a research design that involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time

primitive reflex

a reflex action originating in the central nervous system that is exhibited by normal infants, but not neurologically intact adults, in response to particular stimuli

secure attachment

a type of attachment that is classified by children who show some distress when their caregiver leaves but are able to compose themselves quickly when the caregiver returns

Erikson’s stages of psychological development

a comprehensive psychoanalytic theory that identifies a series of eight stages that a healthy developing individual should pass through from infancy to late adulthood

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development

a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence of how humans gradually come to acquire, construct, and use it

schema

a pattern of thought or behavior that organizes categories of information and the relationships among them

assimilation

a theory that suggests that learners do not passively acquire knowledge through direct instruction and instead, construct their understanding through experiences and social interaction by integrating new information with their existing knowledge

sensorimotor stage

the first stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development that “extends from birth to the acquisition of language” where infants progressively constructs knowledge and understanding of the world by coordinating experiences from physical interactions with objects

object permanence

the understanding that whether an object can be sensed has no effect on whether it continues to exist

preoperational stage

the second stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development that starts when the child begins to learn to speak and lasts up until the age of seven

egocentrism

the difficulty differentiating between self and other

concrete operational stage

the third stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development that is characterized by the appropriate use of logic, meaning a child’s thought processes become more mature and “adult like”

conservation

a logical thinking ability that allows a person to determine that a certain quantity will remain the same despite adjustment of the container, shape, or apparent size, according to the psychologist Jean Piaget

formal operational stage

the fourth and final stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development that intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts

metacognition

an awareness of one’s thought processes and an understanding of the patterns behind them

pre-conventional level of moral reasoning

the first stage in Kohlberg’s theory of stages of moral development that is especially common in children and is expected to occur in animals, although adults can also exhibit this level of reasoning

conventional level of moral reasoning

the second stage in Kohlberg’s theory of stages of moral development that is characterized by an acceptance of society’s conventions concerning right and wrong

post-conventional level of moral reasoning

the third and final stage in Kohlberg’s theory of stages of moral development that is marked by a growing realization that individuals are separate entities from society, and that the individual’s own perspective may take precedence over society’s view