Developmental Psychology — Lifespan, Heredity, & Infancy

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards generated from chapters 1 to 3 of the developmental psychology study material.

Developmental Psychology

The scientific study of ways in which people change, as well as stay the same, from conception to death.

Qualitative Difference

A difference in the type or kind of development; asks whether children think differently than adults or simply have less knowledge.

Quantitative Difference

A difference in amount or degree.

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

A developmental issue asking whether change is gradual and continuous or occurs in distinct stages.

Nature vs. Nurture

A developmental issue asking whether development is primarily innate/hereditary or influenced by the environment and experience.

Nature

The idea that heredity plays the most important role in development.

Nurture

The idea that one's environment is most significant in development.

Continuous Development

Development that occurs slowly and gradually.

Discontinuous Development

Development in which change often occurs in distinct stages.

Passive Development

The idea that people are largely shaped by genetic inheritance and environmental experiences.

Active Development

The idea that people play a role in constructing their own experiences and developmental path.

Stability vs. Change

The question of how similar a person remains to how they were as a child versus how much they change.

Lifespan Perspective

The view that development continues throughout the entire life span.

Plasticity

The capacity for development to change or adapt.

SES

Socioeconomic status; one context that can influence development.

Normative Age-Graded Influences

Changes that occur within certain age groups.

Normative History-Graded Influences

Changes experienced by people living during certain historical times.

Cohort

A group of people who experience historical events around the same time.

Non-Normative Life Influences

Individual experiences that are not shared by everyone in a particular age group or historical period.

Lifespan/Longevity

The maximum length of life possible under optimal conditions.

Life Expectancy

A predicted estimate of how long people are expected to live.

Chronological Age

How old a person is based on time since birth.

Biological Age

How quickly the body is aging.

Psychological Age

A person's psychologically adaptive capacity.

Social Age

Age based on social norms and expectations.

Preformationist View

The belief that a tiny, fully formed human is implanted in the sperm or egg at conception and grows in size until birth.

Tabula Rasa

The idea that a person is shaped by their environment and early experiences, associated with John Locke.

Maturational Theory

Arnold Gesell's theory that development is activated by genes and occurs in fixed sequences.

Psychosexual Theory

Sigmund Freud's theory emphasizing biological instincts and the transformation of those instincts into socially acceptable behaviors.

Psychosocial Theory

Erik Erikson's theory emphasizing unique psychosocial challenges or crises and how their resolution affects later development.

Psychosocial Crisis

A unique challenge that must be dealt with during development; resolution can have positive or negative effects later.

Learning Theory

A theory emphasizing observable behavior and the importance of the environment in affecting development.

Social Learning Theory

Albert Bandura's theory that development can occur through observation and imitation.

Bobo Doll Study

Albert Bandura's famous example demonstrating observational learning.

Reciprocal Determinism

The idea that the person and environment influence one another.

Mental Schemes/Schemas

Frameworks used to organize and understand the world.

Sociocultural Theory

Lev Vygotsky's theory that culture, social interaction, and proper guidance influence development.

Information Processing

The ability to notice stimuli, store information, and retrieve information.

Scientific Method

The set of assumptions, rules, and procedures scientists use to conduct research.

Research Design

The specific method a researcher uses to collect, analyze, and interpret data.

Descriptive Research

Research designed to describe behavior.

Correlational Research

Research that assesses the relationship between two or more variables.

Experimental Research

Research used to study cause-and-effect relationships and test hypotheses.

Sample

A subset of the population used as participants in research.

Population

The larger group from which a sample is taken.

Representative Sample

A sample containing the same percentages of relevant demographics as the population.

Case Study

An in-depth study of an individual or case.

Naturalistic Observation

Observing behavior in a natural setting.

Laboratory Observation

Observing behavior in a controlled laboratory setting.

Survey

A research method involving questions used to collect information from participants.

Social Desirability

The tendency to answer questions in ways believed to be socially acceptable.

Pearson Correlation Coefficient

The most common statistical measure of correlation, ranging from -1 to +1.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable manipulated or controlled by the researcher.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The measured outcome variable.

Experimental Group

The group that receives the treatment.

Control Group

The group that does not receive the treatment.

Random Assignment

Procedure where participants are randomly assigned to research groups.

Extraneous Variables

Other variables researchers control so they do not affect results.

Cross-Sectional Research

Research design that compares different groups that vary in age.

Longitudinal Research

Research design that studies one group repeatedly over time.

Sequential Research

Research design that studies multiple age groups over time.

Informed Consent

Ethics principle where participants are informed about the research and agree to participate.

Confidentiality

Ethics principle where participants' information is kept private.

Debriefing

Procedure where researchers explain the true purpose and details after participation when deception was used.

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

A group that reviews research involving human participants.

Gene

A recipe for making proteins.

Chromosome

Structure containing genes; humans have 46 chromosomes.

Genotype

A person's inherited genes.

Phenotype

The features that are actually expressed.

Homozygous

Having the same version of a gene.

Heterozygous

Having different versions of a gene.

Alleles

Different versions of a gene.

Dominant Gene

A gene version that is expressed when present according to the inheritance pattern.

Recessive Gene

A gene version that can be masked by a dominant version according to the inheritance pattern.

Down Syndrome / Trisomy 21

A chromosomal abnormality caused by having three copies of chromosome 21.

Turner Syndrome

A chromosomal abnormality involving loss of an X chromosome, producing an XO composition.

Klinefelter Syndrome

A chromosomal abnormality involving an extra X chromosome, producing an XXY composition.

Behavioral Genetics

The scientific study of the interplay between genetic and environmental contributions to behavior.

Genotype-Environment Correlation

The relationship between a person's genetic tendencies and the environments they experience.

Passive Genotype-Environment Correlation

Correlation occurring when a person's genotype is inherited and their environment is provided by the people raising them.

Evocative Genotype-Environment Correlation

Correlation occurring when a genetically influenced behavior causes other people to respond in particular ways.

Active Genotype-Environment Correlation

Correlation occurring when a person seeks out environments that support their genetic tendencies.

Epigenetics

The study of modifications in DNA that affect gene expression.

Germinal Period

The prenatal period from conception to implantation, lasting approximately the first 14 days.

Zygote

The organism formed when a single sperm fertilizes the egg.

Blastocyst

Developing structure that forms during the germinal period and attaches to the uterine lining during implantation.

Embryonic Period

The prenatal period beginning around week 3, in which the developing organism is called an embryo.

Placenta

Organ that provides nourishment and oxygen to the developing organism.

Cephalocaudal Development

Pattern of growth/development proceeding from the head toward the tail.

Proximodistal Development

Pattern of growth/development proceeding from the midline/center outward.

Fetal Period

The prenatal period extending from the ninth week until birth.

Age of Viability

The age at which a fetus may survive outside the womb, listed as approximately 24 weeks.

Neural Plate

Location of stem cells involved in early neural development during the third gestational week.

Neurogenesis

The formation of neurons, occurring largely during the first 5 months of gestation.

Teratogen

An environmental factor that can disrupt prenatal development and cause birth defects.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

Disorders associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Ectopic Pregnancy

A condition where a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus.

Placenta Previa

A condition where the placenta lies low in the uterus and covers all or part of the cervix.

Placental Abruption

A condition where the placenta separates prematurely from the uterine wall.

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

A condition associated with prenatal exposure to certain drugs before birth.