Lifespan Psychology and Developmental Theories

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, theoretical perspectives, developmental stages, contexts, and research methods in Lifespan Development.

Developmental Psychology

A subfield of psychology, also known as lifespan development, dedicated to the study of human growth and development from birth to death across physical, cognitive, and psychological domains.

Maturation

The process of physical growth (such as changes in height and weight during transition to adolescence) as well as growth in psychological characteristics.

Domains of Development

The overlapping areas of individual development that include biological/physical, cognitive, and social and emotional processes.

Continuous Development

A view of development conceptualized as a gradual, cumulative, ongoing process over time where skills build upon previous abilities.

Discontinuous Development

A view of development marked by distinct, stepped stages, where each stage has unique characteristics.

Epigenetics

The study of how environmental factors (such as stress, nutrition, and exposure to toxins) affect gene activity and expression without altering the DNA sequence.

Critical Period

A limited timeframe during which specific developmental milestones must occur; if missed, development may not happen normally.

Sensitive Period

An optimal timeframe for development when learning is easier and more efficient, though development can still occur later with more difficulty.

Reaction Range

The concept illustrating how genetics and environmental quality (restricted, average, or enriched) interact to determine where an individual's measured IQ score falls within a defined range.

Theoretical Perspective

A framework used to explain how development occurs and to organize ideas about growth, behavior, and change over time.

Trust versus Mistrust

Stage 1 (ages 0–1) of Erikson's Psychosocial Development, where infants form trust (or mistrust) that basic needs such as nourishment and affection will be met, achieving trust upon successful mastery.

Autonomy versus Shame/Doubt

Stage 2 (ages 1–3) of Erikson's Psychosocial Development, where toddlers develop a sense of independence in many tasks, achieving autonomy upon successful mastery.

Initiative versus Guilt

Stage 3 (ages 3–6) of Erikson's Psychosocial Development, where children take initiative on activities but may develop guilt when unsuccessful or boundaries are overstepped, achieving initiative upon successful mastery.

Industry versus Inferiority

Stage 4 (ages 7–11) of Erikson's Psychosocial Development, where children develop self-confidence in abilities when competent or a sense of inferiority when not, achieving industry upon successful mastery.

Identity versus Confusion

Stage 5 (ages 12–18) of Erikson's Psychosocial Development, where adolescents experiment with and develop identity and roles, achieving identity upon successful mastery.

Intimacy versus Isolation

Stage 6 (ages 19–29) of Erikson's Psychosocial Development, where young adults establish intimacy and relationships with others, achieving intimacy upon successful mastery.

Generativity versus Stagnation

Stage 7 (ages 30–64) of Erikson's Psychosocial Development, where adults focus on contributing to society and being part of a family, achieving generativity upon successful mastery.

Integrity versus Despair

Stage 8 (ages 65+) of Erikson's Psychosocial Development, where older adults assess and make sense of life and the meaning of contributions, achieving integrity upon successful mastery.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's cognitive stage (ages 0–2) where the world is experienced through senses and actions, associated with object permanence and stranger anxiety.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's cognitive stage (ages 2–6) where children use words and images to represent things but lack logical reasoning, associated with pretend play, egocentrism, and language development.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's cognitive stage (ages 7–11) where children understand concrete events and analogies logically and perform arithmetical operations, associated with conservation and mathematical transformations.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's cognitive stage (ages 12+) characterized by formal operations and abstract reasoning, associated with abstract logic and moral reasoning.

Classical Conditioning

A behavioral learning process in which a neutral stimulus (such as a bell) is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus (such as food) until the neutral stimulus alone triggers the conditioned response (salivation).

Microsystem

The innermost level of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Model, consisting of direct environments experienced by the individual such as home, family, schools, peers, healthcare, faith community, and local playgrounds.

Mesosystem

The level of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Model involving interactions between microsystems, such as parent-teacher communication or peer-to-school interactions.

Exosystem

The level of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Model involving indirect influences that affect the individual, such as a caregiver's workplace, local/regional politics, and the school board.

Macrosystem

The outermost environmental layer in Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Model representing cultural beliefs and ideologies such as national politics, cultural values, and social conditions.

Chronosystem

The dimension of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Model that accounts for changes over time and history, such as a pandemic, economic crisis, or the creation of new technologies like smartphones.

Cohort Context

A group of individuals born in the same time period who share historical and social experiences at similar life stages (such as experiencing the Great Depression, 9/11, or COVID-19 virtual schooling).

Naturalistic Observation

A research method involving observing behavior in real-life settings without any experimental manipulation or control.

Longitudinal Design

A research design that follows and tests the same individuals over an extended period of time, strong for assessing individual development, tracking early to later life events, and studying change versus stability.

Cross-Sectional Design

A research design that compares different age groups at the same point in time, strong for assessing age-normative development and historical/cohort data.

Cross-Sequential Design

A research design that combines cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches to assess development across time and age groups.

Inductive Reasoning

A scientific reasoning process in which general premises or hypotheses are derived from empirical observations.

Deductive Reasoning

A scientific reasoning process in which empirical observations are gathered to test hypotheses or general premises derived from theory.

Reliability and Validity

Key standards in research design; reliability refers to the consistency of measurements, whereas validity refers to whether a tool measures what it is intended to measure.

Correlational Patterns

Statistical relationships between variables depicted on scatterplots, categorized as positive correlation, negative correlation, or no correlation.

Tuskegee Syphilis Study

A historical study cited as an unethical research practice where male participants and their families were harmed due to lack of informed consent and withholding of medical treatment.