Development and Learning Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards based on themes and methods in developmental psychology.

Developmental psychology

The branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change across the lifespan.

Stability and change

A major developmental issue that asks which human traits remain consistent over time and which change with age or experience.

Nature vs. nurture

The debate over the relative contributions of heredity and environment to behavior and development.

Continuous development

The idea that development happens gradually and smoothly over time, like a steady upward slope.

Discontinuous development

The idea that development occurs through distinct stages, with qualitative shifts in abilities or understanding.

Stages of development

Clearly defined phases of growth in which people show similar patterns of physical, cognitive, or social behavior.

Cross-sectional research

A research method that compares people of different ages at the same time to identify age-related differences.

Longitudinal research

A research method that follows the same group of people over a long period of time to observe developmental change.

Teratogens

Harmful substances or environmental agents that can damage the developing embryo or fetus.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A disorder caused by heavy alcohol use during pregnancy, resulting in cognitive impairments and growth deficiencies.

Gross motor development

The progression of large-muscle skills, such as rolling over, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking.

Infant reflexes

Inborn, automatic responses that infants display in reaction to certain stimuli.

Development of depth perception

The process by which infants gain the ability to judge distance and see objects in three dimensions.

Imprinting

A biologically programmed form of attachment in some animals, forming a strong bond with the first moving object seen.

Adolescence

The transitional period between childhood and adulthood.

Puberty

The stage of sexual maturation during which the body becomes capable of reproduction.

Primary sex characteristics

The reproductive organs and body structures directly involved in sexual reproduction.

Dementia

A broad category of cognitive decline involving severe memory, reasoning, and functioning problems.

Cognition

All mental activities involved in thinking, knowing, remembering, problem-solving, and communicating.

Jean Piaget

A developmental psychologist who proposed that children actively construct knowledge through four stages of cognitive development.

Schema

A mental framework or concept used to organize and interpret information.

Assimilation

The process of incorporating new experiences into existing schemas.

Concrete operational stage

Piaget’s third stage, from ages 7 to 11, where children can think logically about concrete events.

Formal operational stage

Piaget’s fourth stage, beginning around age 12, where individuals can think abstractly and solve complex problems.

Scaffold / scaffolding

Support given by a more knowledgeable person that helps a learner accomplish a task just beyond their current ability.

Crystallized intelligence

Accumulated knowledge, vocabulary, and verbal skills that tend to increase or remain stable with age.

Language

A system of spoken, written, or signed symbols and rules used to communicate meaning.

Phonemes

The smallest distinctive sound units in a language.

Morphemes

The smallest meaningful units in a language, including words and meaningful parts of words.

Grammar

The system of rules that governs how language is structured and used.

Telegraphic speech

Early speech that uses mostly nouns and verbs, leaving out less essential words.

Aphasia

An impairment of language that affects speaking, understanding, reading, or writing.

Bronfenbrenner’s theory

Ecological systems theory that states development is shaped by multiple interacting environmental systems.

Secure attachment

A healthy attachment style where the child uses the caregiver as a safe base and is comforted by their return.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

Potentially traumatic events in childhood that raise the risk of later mental and physical health problems.

Classical conditioning

A type of learning in which an organism learns to associate two stimuli, predicting one based on the other.

Operant conditioning

A type of learning in which behavior is shaped by its consequences.

Vicarious conditioning

Learning a response by watching another person experience consequences for a behavior.

Socioemotional development

The development of emotions and social interactions throughout the lifespan.

Instinctive drift

The tendency for learned behavior to revert to biologically predisposed patterns.

Reinforcement

Any consequence that strengthens or increases a behavior.

Punishment

Any consequence that weakens or decreases a behavior.

Modeling

The process of learning through observation and imitation of others.