The Scope and Methods of Developmental Psychology

These flashcards cover key concepts and terminology from the field of developmental psychology, based on the lecture notes.

Developmental Psychology

The discipline that attempts to describe and explain changes over time in thought, behavior, reasoning, and functioning due to biological, individual, and environmental influences.

Cohort Effect

Changes across generations in the characteristic studied; it can lead to misleading results when comparing different age groups.

Cross-sectional Design

A study where children of different ages are observed at a single point in time.

Longitudinal Design

A study where the same group of children is tested repeatedly as they grow older.

Microgenetic Method

A method that examines change as it occurs through repeated testing of individual children over a short period.

Organismic World View

The idea that individuals are active participants in their development, continually interacting with their environment.

Mechanistic World View

The concept that individuals behave in passive ways, responding to environmental stimuli, akin to a machine.

Behaviourism

The theoretical view that focuses on directly observable behavior as the proper focus of study and sees the developing child as a passive respondent to conditioning.

Developmental Functions

Patterns of change that characterize how humans grow and change over time, such as continuous or step-like changes.

Maturation

Aspects of development that are primarily under genetic control and uninfluenced by environmental factors.

Ecological Validity

The extent to which research findings can be generalized to real-world settings.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A score derived from standardized tests designed to measure human intelligence.