section 2 vocab the field of child development / section 3 how and why we study child development

Child study movement

Organized effort around the turn of the 20th century that advocated scientific research on child and adolescent development and the improvement of conditions for children and adolescents in the family, school, and workplace

Psychosexual theory

Freud’s theory proposing that sexual desire is the driving force behind psychological development

Menarche

A girl’s first menstrual period

Emerging adulthood

New life stage in developed countries, lasting from the late teens through the mid 20s, in which people are gradually making their way toward taking on adult responsibilities in love and work

Cultural development model

The study of development within and across cultures in order to understand both what is universal and what is culturally distinctive

Scientific method

Process of scientific investigations, involving a series of steps from identifying a research question through forming a hypothesis, selecting research measurements and designs, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions

hypothesis

A researcher’s idea about one possible answer to the question proposed for investigation

Research measurement

The approach to collecting data; examples of common measurements in the field of child development are observations, questionnaires, and interviews

Sample

The people included in. Given study, who are intended to represent the population of interest

Population

The entire group of people the sample aims to represent

Procedure

The step-by-step order in which a study is conducted and data are collected

Peer-review

In scientific research, the system of having other scientists review a manuscript to judge its merits and worthiness for publication

Theory

Framework that presents a set of interconnected ideas in an original way and inspires further research

Informed consent

Standard procedure in social scientific studies that entails informing potential participants of what their participation would involve, including any possible risks

Questionaire

Written questions where participants typically select among answers chosen by the researcher

Quantitative data

Data that are collected in numerical form

Interviews

Spoken questions where participants typically are free to provide their own answers

Qualitative data

Data that are collected in non numerical form, usually in interviews or observations

Observations

Observations and recording of people’s behavior either on video or through written records

Biological measurements

Includes measures of genetic, hormonal, and brain activity

Electroencephalogram ( EEG)

Measure of the electrical activity of the cerebral cortex and its specific partd

Functional magnetic resonance imagining ( fmri)

Methods that use a magnetic field to record changes in blood flow and oxygen use in the brain in response to different kinds of stimulation

Reliability

The extent to which a measurement generates consistent results

Validity

The extent to which a measurement assesses what it claims to measure

Ecological validity

The extent to which there is a fit between the measurement approach and the everyday life of the people being studied

Experimental design

Entails comparing an experimental group that receives a treatment of some kind to control group that receives no treatment

Independent variable

In an experiment, the variable that is different for the experimental group than for the control groyp

Dependent variable

In an experiment, the outcome that is measured to calculate the results of the experiment by comparing the experimental group to the control group

Interventions

Programs intended to change the attitudes and/or behavior of the participants

Natural experiment

A situation that occurs naturally but that provides interesting scientific information to the perceptive observer

Ethnographic research

Research design that involves spending extensive time among the people being studied

Case study

The detailed examination of a particular person, group, or situation over time

Correlational design

Data collected on naturally occurring variables

Correlation

Statistical relationship between two variables such that knowing one of the variables makes it possible to predict the other. A statistical value of 0 indicates no correlation. Values of 1 and -1 indicate the strongest possible positive and negative correlations

Cross-sectional design

Data with people of different ages are collected at a single point in time

Longitudinal design

The same persons are followed over time and dats are collected on two or more occasions

Cohort effect

In scientific research, an explanation of group differences among people of different ages based on the fact that they grew up in different cohorts, or historical periods

Nomothetic

Research aimed at providing universal knowledge

Idiographic

Research aimed for providing knowledge of individual development

Sociocultural

Research aimed at providing knowledge of particular cultural and social groups

Globalization

Increasing world wide technological and economic integration, which is making different parts of the world increasingly connected