Lifespan Development

Flashcards for Lifespan Development Lecture Review

Developmental Psychology

Scientific study of how people change and stay the same from conception to death.

Lifelong Development

Change is apparent across the lifespan; no single age is more crucial.

Multidirectional Development

Gains in some areas, losses in others; every change entails both growth and loss.

Multidimensional Development

Changes across physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains, which influence each other.

Physical Domain

Changes in height, weight, sensory capabilities, and nervous system.

Cognitive Domain

Changes in intelligence, wisdom, perception, problem-solving, memory, and language.

Psychosocial Domain

Changes in emotion, self-perception, and interpersonal relationships.

Plasticity in Development

Ability to change; many characteristics are malleable.

Normative Age-Graded Influences

Specific age groups share similar experiences and developmental changes.

Normative History-Graded Influences

Time period of birth shapes experiences; cohorts experience similar circumstances.

Non-Normative Life Influences

Unique experiences that shape development.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Identifies families based on education, income, and occupation.

Culture

Shared language, knowledge, material objects, and behavior of a group.

Ethnocentrism

Belief that one's own culture is superior.

Cultural Relativity

Appreciation for cultural differences, understanding practices from the culture's standpoint.

Lifespan (longevity)

Length of time a species can exist under optimal conditions.

Life Expectancy

Predicted years a person born in a particular time period can reasonably expect to live.

Chronological Age

Years since birth.

Biological Age

How quickly the body is aging; determined by nutrition, activity, and genetics.

Psychological Age

Adaptive capacity compared to others of chronological age.

Social Age

Based on social norms and cultural expectations for an age group.

Prenatal Development

Conception to birth; major body structures form.

Infancy and Toddlerhood

First two years; dramatic growth and change.

Early Childhood

Two to six years (preschool years); language learning, gaining independence.

Middle and Late Childhood

Six to puberty; involvement in early grades of school, learning academic skills.

Adolescence

Puberty to 18; physical and cognitive change (abstract thinking).

Emerging Adulthood

18 to 25; transition between adolescence and adulthood; identity exploration.

Early Adulthood

Twenties and thirties; intimate relationships, establishing families, work.

Middle Adulthood

Forties to mid-sixties; aging becomes noticeable, peak of productivity.

Late Adulthood

Mid-sixties onward; increased risk of diseases.

Nature and Nurture

Heredity vs. environmental factors in development.

Continuity versus Discontinuity

Gradual process vs. abrupt change in development.

Active versus Passive

Role in one's developmental path; active vs. passive.

Stability versus Change

Similarity to childhood self; stability vs. change.

Preformationist View

Children were thought of as little adults with abilities unfolding on a predetermined schedule. Environment was thought to have no affect.

John Locke

Mind as a tabula rasa (blank slate); environment exerts effects.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Children develop according to a natural plan in different stages.

Arnold Gesell

Child's development activated by genes (maturation).

Sigmund Freud

Early childhood experiences shape personality and behavior.

Erik Erikson's Psychosocial Theory

Eight developmental stages encompassing entire lifespan.

Trust versus Mistrust

The child develops a feeling of trust in caregivers.

Autonomy versus Shame/Doubt

The child learns what can and cannot be controlled and develops a sense of free will.

Initiative versus Guilt

The child learns to become independent by exploring, manipulating, and taking action.

Industry versus Inferiority

The child learns to do things well or correctly according to standards set by others, particularly in school.

Identity versus Role Confusion

The adolescent develops a well-defined and positive sense of self in relationship to others.

Intimacy versus Isolation

The person develops the ability to give and receive love and to make long-term commitments.

Generativity versus Stagnation

The person develops an interest in guiding the development of the next generation, often by becoming a parent.

Ego Integrity versus Despair

The person develops acceptance of how one has lived.

Learning Theory (Behaviorism)

Focus on study of behavior, stimulus and response, rewards/reinforcements.

Social Learning Theory (Albert Bandura)

Learning by watching others (modeling).

Cognitive Theory

Focus on how mental processes change over time.

Sensorimotor Stage

Children experience the world through their fundamental senses of seeing, hearing, touching, and tasting.

Preoperational Stage

Children acquire the ability to internally represent the world through language and mental imagery. They also start to see the world from other people’s perspectives.

Concrete Operational Stage

Children become able to think logically. They can increasingly perform operations on objects that are real.

Formal Operational Stage

Adolescents can think systematically, can reason about abstract concepts, and can understand ethics and scientific reasoning.

Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky)

Importance of culture and interaction in cognitive abilities.

Zone of Proximal Development

Potential abilities realized with guidance

Information Processing

How individuals perceive, analyze, use, and remember information.

Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner)

Framework for understanding the many influences on human development.

Microsystem

Immediate environment/those who have direct, significant contact with the person, such as parents or siblings

Mesosystem

Includes the larger organizational structures, such as school, the family, or religion

Exosystem

includes the larger contexts of community.

Macrosystem

includes the cultural elements, such as global economic conditions, war, technological trends, values, philosophies, and a society’s responses to the global community.

Chronosystem

the historical context in which these experiences occur.

Descriptive Research

Observing, collecting, and reporting data about a phenomenon or population without manipulating variables. To accurately and systematically describe a phenomenon, situation, or population. Often using methods like surveys, observations, or case studies.

Correlational Research

Measurement of two or more relevant variables and an assessment of the relationship between or among those variables. It focuses on observing and measuring variables as they naturally occur, aiming to determine if there is a statistical relationship between them. This type of design is often used when it's impractical, unethical, or impossible to manipulate variables, such as in studies of social media use and loneliness. 

Experimental Research

Manipulating one or more independent variables to observe their effect on a dependent variable, while carefully controlling other factors to ensure the observed changes are due to the manipulated variable. To provide more definitive conclusions about the causal relationships among the variables in a research hypothesis.

Independent variable

Variable that is created or manipulated by the experimenter.

Dependent variable

Variable that is expected to be influenced by the experimental manipulation.

Cross-Sectional Research

Compares samples that represent a cross-section of the population who vary in age.

Longitudinal Research

Involves studying a group of people who are the same age, and measuring them repeatedly over a period-of-time.

Sequential research

Includes elements of both longitudinal and cross-sectional research designs.

Quasi-Experimental Research

Instead of randomly assigning participants to a control or experimental group, quasi-experiments use existing groups or conditions, to find the cause and effect of variables. This design is often used when it is not possible or ethical to randomly assign participants, such as in natural experiments or when dealing with pre-existing groups.