Professional Education - Child and Adolescent Development

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from growth and development theories, stages, and principles discussed in the lecture notes.

Growth

Physical change and increase in size; quantifiable indicators include height, weight, bone size, and dentition.

Development

Increase in the complexity of function and skill; capacity to adapt to the environment; pertains to behavior.

Maturation

Changes that occur largely independent of the environment; usually genetically programmed.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Range of tasks a child can perform with guidance or collaboration from an adult or capable peer.

Heredity

Transmission of biological traits from parents to offspring through genes.

Environment

Surrounding conditions that influence growth and development.

Theory

Ideas based on observations and evidence organized to explain and predict behavior and development.

Ethological Theory

Views development in terms of evolutionary concepts.

Attachment

Emotional bond between individuals; lasting psychological connectedness and a survival mechanism; aids proximity, security, and emotion regulation.

Attachment (John Bowlby)

Emphasizes the importance of early emotional bonds and the transmission of attachment patterns across generations.

Psychosexual Theory

Freud’s theory of personality development focused on changing sites of sensual pleasure.

Psychosocial Theory

Erikson’s theory of personality development focusing on the individual’s interactions with society.

Ecological Theory

Bronfenbrenner’s view that development is a joint function of the person and all environmental systems.

Microsystem

The immediate settings in which the person lives (e.g., family, school).

Mesosystem

Connections and relations between microsystems (e.g., family–school interactions).

Exosystem

Settings in which the individual does not actively participate but which influence experiences (e.g., a parent’s workplace).

Macrosystem

The broader cultural context, including beliefs, values, and laws that shape development.

Chronosystem

Patterning of environmental events and transitions over the lifespan (sociohistorical context).

Sensorimotor Stage

Birth to about 2 years; learning through senses and motor actions; includes reflexive, primary/secondary circular reactions, coordination, and formation of basic mental representations.

Preoperational Stage

2–7 years; emergence of symbolic thought; egocentrism; lack of conservation; sub-stages include pre-conceptual (2–4) and intuitive (4–7).

Concrete Operational Stage

7–11 years; logical thinking about concrete events; understands cause/effect and classification; still limited to concrete ideas.

Formal Operational Stage

11+ years; abstract, systematic, and hypothetical reasoning.

Kohlberg Level 1: Pre-Conventional

Stage 1: Punishment and Obedience Orientation; Stage 2: Instrumental-Relativist Orientation.

Kohlberg Level 2: Conventional

Stage 3: Interpersonal Concordance; Stage 4: Law and Order Orientation.

Kohlberg Level 3: Post-Conventional

Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation; Stage 6: Universal Ethics Orientation.

Gilligan’s Theory (Level I)

Orientation of individual survival; self-centered focus.

Gilligan’s Theory (Level II)

Goodness and self-sacrifice; transitions toward responsibility.

Gilligan’s Theory (Stage II)

Morality of nonviolence; decisions consider self and others.

Fowler’s Intuitive-Projective Faith

Stage 1; early faith in which trust and imagination shape beliefs.

Fowler’s Mythical-Literal Faith

Stage 2; faith influenced by stories and concrete interpretations.

Fowler’s Synthetic-Conventional Faith

Stage 3; faith shaped by community and shared beliefs during adolescence.

Fowler’s Individuative-Reflective Faith

Stage 4; personal interpretation and responsibility for beliefs.

Fowler’s Conjunctive Faith

Stage 5; integrates diverse viewpoints and personal faith with others’ perspectives.

Fowler’s Universalizing Faith

Stage 6; faith expressed through universal principles and transcendent beliefs.

Havighurst’s Infancy/Early Childhood Tasks

Eat solid foods; walk; talk; control elimination; relate emotionally; develop conscience and independence; form basic concepts of reality.

Havighurst’s Middle Childhood/Adolescence Tasks

Learn physical skills for games; socialize; develop self-concept and independence; acquire basic reading, writing, and numeracy; form social roles and moral understanding.

Sullivan’s Infant Stage

Birth to 1/2 year; infant relies on caregivers to meet needs.

Sullivan’s Childhood Stage

1 1/2 to 6 years; learns delay of gratification and forms peer relationships.

Sullivan’s Juvenile/Preadolescent Stage

6 to 14 years; develops peer relationships and social connections.

Sullivan’s Early/Late Adolescence Stage

12–21 years; increasingly independent; forms intimate relationships.

Piaget – Overall Idea

Cognitive development proceeds through distinct stages from sensorimotor to formal operational.

Nature and Nurture

Development is influenced by heredity (nature) and environment (nurture); both contribute to traits.

Continuity of Growth and Development

Development is a continuous process; new skills build on earlier ones.

Cephalocaudal Principle

Development proceeds from head downward; head control precedes arm and leg control.

Proximodistal Principle

Development proceeds from the center of the body outward; trunk develops before limbs.

Maturation and Learning

Biological maturation occurs in sequence; learning adds new abilities beyond maturation.

Simple to Complex

Development moves from simple, concrete ideas to more complex thinking.

General to Specific

Early movements and skills are broad; refinement occurs later.

Individual Rates

Children have different rates of growth and development, though patterns may be similar.