Child Development Unit 1: Theories and Research Methods

Acceptance

Caregiver's approval of infant's emotions.

Accessibility

Caregiver's availability to the infant.

Active development

Children shape their own development through experiences.

Active Information Processors

Children actively interpret and process information.

Active Participants

Children engage actively in their own development.

Age as IV in Quasi-experimental Designs

In quasi-experimental designs, age is often treated as if it is the independent variable.

Albert Bandura

Introduced social learning theory emphasizing observational learning.

Amniotic sac

Fluid-filled membrane protecting the developing embryo.

Animal research

Studies on animals to identify teratogens.

Application questions

Questions requiring practical application of concepts.

Attachment

Emotional bond between infant and caregiver.

Attention problems

Difficulty focusing and maintaining attention.

Attractive Features for Adults

Cuteness, crying, and reflexes draw adults to babies.

Auditory abilities

Prewired to hear and discriminate human sounds.

Auditory Stimulation

Sound interaction aids in forming attachments.

B.F. Skinner

Pioneer of operant conditioning in behaviorism.

Baby biographies

Early method of documenting child development.

Behavior problems

Secure attachment correlates with fewer behavior issues.

Behavioral Genetics

Study of genetic influences on behavior.

Behavioral research

Direct observation of behavior in natural or controlled settings.

Behaviorism

Focus on observable behavior over internal processes.

Between-subjects Design

A research design where different participants are assigned to different conditions.

Blank Slate

View that children are born without innate knowledge.

Blastocyst

Stage of development before implantation.

Bobo Doll Study

Experiment demonstrating children's imitation of aggression.

Bowlby's Phases

Four stages of human attachment development.

Bowlby's Theory

Attachment develops gradually through reciprocal relationships with caregiver.

Bowlby's view

Attachment as universal adaptive characteristic.

Bright Noisy Tasty Water Experiment

Rats learn to avoid water associated with sickness.

Brofenbrenner's Ecological Systems

Framework considering multiple environmental influences on development.

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory

Emphasizes multiple environmental influences on development.

Causation

The relationship where one event causes another event to occur.

Central tendency

Value that is central or representative of the whole group

Classical conditioning

Learning through association of stimuli.

Cleavage

Early cell division of the zygote.

Cognitive development

Growth of thinking and reasoning abilities.

Cognitive Revolution

Shift towards understanding children as active learners.

Cognitive-Developmental Theory

Focus on children's mental processes and stages.

Cohort effect

Effects due to the year (generation, cohort) in which one was born

Complex faces preference

Infants prefer looking at intricate facial patterns.

Complex human behavior

Behavior influenced by both biology and experience.

Complexity Preference

Babies favor visually intricate stimuli.

Concrete Operational Stage

Logical reasoning develops but lacks flexibility.

Confound

An uncontrolled variable that changes along with the independent variable and can affect the outcome of the study.

Congenital heart disease

Heart defect present at birth.

Consequences of secure attachment

Positive social and emotional outcomes in children. Leads to social competence and good self-esteem.

Contingencies

Events following behavior that influence future actions. Parents manage rewards and punishments for behavior.

Converging evidence

Similar results from different methods of data collection.

Cooperation

Caregiver's willingness to engage with infant.

Coping with novelty

Secure attachment helps children handle new situations.

Correlation

A statistical measure that describes the extent to which two variables change together.

Correlational Research Design

A method where two or more variables are simply measured or observed.

Critical Period

Time when organ systems are sensitive to damage.

Cross-cultural work

Research comparing behaviors across different cultures.

Cross-sectional design

2 or more age groups compared at a single point in time

Cultural context

Environment shaped by shared beliefs and practices.

Cultural Contextual Theories

Focus on how culture influences child development.

Curiosity in secure attachment

Securely attached children are more curious.

Cuteness Factor

Physical traits that elicit nurturing responses from adults.

Darwin's theory

Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny; evolution analogy.

Dependent measures

Indicators reflecting renewed interest in stimuli.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that is measured or observed in response to the manipulation of the independent variable.

Depth perception

Ability to perceive distance and spatial relationships.

Descriptive statistics

Statistics that summarize or describe characteristics of a data set

Developmental psychology emergence

Late 1800s, influenced by industrial revolution.

Differential reinforcement

Reinforcing different responses to stimuli.

Discriminating Social Responsiveness

Differentiating responses to familiar vs. unfamiliar people. Baby focuses attention on familiar individuals.

Discriminating sounds

Ability to differentiate between sounds like 'pa' and 'ba'.

Dishabituation

Renewed attention when stimulus changes.

Disorganized attachment

Child lacks consistent strategy for stress management. Type D; inconsistent behavior towards caregiver.

Distal care

Indirect interaction, less physical presence.

Distal mode group

Eye contact and talking without physical contact.

Ectodermal layer

Develops nervous system and sensory organs.

Ego

Component of personality balancing reality and desires.

Embryo

Developing organism from 2 to 8 weeks gestation.

Endodermal layer

Forms internal organs and glands.

Environmental hazards

Non-genetic factors affecting fetal development.

Ethology

Biological study of innate behavior patterns. Study of behavior in natural environments.

Experimental Research Design

A method where the experimenter manipulates one or more independent variables (IVs) and observes/measures the impact on dependent variables (DVs).

Experimenter bias

Researcher's expectations influence study outcomes.

Facial abnormalities

Physical features affected by teratogens, especially alcohol.

Factors Promoting Attachment

Features attracting adults and babies to each other.

Familiar Adult Preference

Baby begins favoring known adults over strangers.

Familiarization-Novelty Paradigm

Combines familiarization with novelty to assess recognition.

Feeding hypothesis

Misconception linking attachment to breastfeeding.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Disorder caused by alcohol exposure in pregnancy.

Fetal Development

Growth and maturation of organs from 8 weeks.

Fetal heart rate

Heartbeat monitored to study fetal responses.

Fetus

Developing organism from 8 weeks to birth.

Field settings

Natural environments for observing behaviors.

First 2 months

Most critical period for fetal development.

First Trimester

First 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Formal Operational Stage

Ability to think abstractly and hypothetically.

Friendly Towards Strangers

Baby remains approachable to unfamiliar people.

Full term

38 weeks post-conception, 40 weeks pregnancy.

G. Stanley Hall

Considered the founder of developmental psychology.

Gender categorization

Identifying gender differences in presented stimuli.

Gestational Age

Duration of pregnancy measured from last menstrual period.

Growth retardation

Slower than normal growth rate.

Habituation

Decreased response to repeated stimuli over time.