01 Introduction to Human Development

This set of flashcards covers vocabulary and key concepts from the lecture on Human Development, ranging from definitions of growth and development to periods of the life span and various influences on the developmental process.

Human Development

The scientific study of patterns of change and stability throughout the human lifespan.

Growth

Quantitative physical and physiological changes in structure and form.

Development

Qualitative, relatively predictable patterns of changes in organization and function.

Maturation

The unfolding of traits resulting from the interaction of heredity and environment, and the unfolding of a natural sequence of physical changes and behavioral patterns.

Risk Factor

Conditions or factors that increase the likelihood of negative developmental outcomes.

Protective Factor

Factors that reduce the likelihood of negative developmental outcomes.

Causal Factor

A factor that leads to a negative developmental outcome.

Life-Span Development

The concept of human development as a lifelong process, often described as "womb to tomb," which can be studied scientifically.

Multidimensionality

A principle of life-span development stating that development occurs along multiple interacting dimensions, including biological, cognitive, psychological, and social.

Multidirectionality

A principle of life-span development where as people gain in one area, they may lose in another, sometimes at the same time.

Resource Allocations

The investment of time, energy, talent, money, and social support for growth, maintenance, recovery, or dealing with loss.

Plasticity

The concept that many abilities can be improved significantly with training and practice, even late in life.

Physical Domain

The domain of development involving growth of the body and brain, sensory capacities, motor skills, and health, all bound by the rules of biology.

Cognitive Domain

The domain of development involving mental processes such as learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity.

Psychosocial Domain

Also called "socioemotional" development, this domain involves emotions, personality, and changes in relationships within a social environment.

Prenatal Period

The developmental period from conception to birth characterized by the rapid formation of basic body structures and organs.

Infancy and Toddlerhood

The developmental period from birth to $3$ years, primarily centering around attachment to parents and growth of cognitive and motor skills.

Early Childhood

The period from $3$ to $6$ years, also known as the preschool years, involving the acquisition of school readiness skills.

Egocentrism

The inability to differentiate between one's own perspective and the perspective of others, typical in early childhood.

Middle Childhood

The period from $6$ to $11$ years, or the elementary years, where achievement and the building of fundamental skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic are central themes.

Adolescence

The period from $11$ to $20$ years characterized by rapid physical changes due to puberty, identity formation, and logical, abstract thought.

Emerging and Young Adulthood

The period from $20$ to $40$ years involving a transition marked by exploration and experimentation of occupational, sexual, and ideological roles.

Middle Adulthood

The period from $40$ to $65$ years involving the expansion of personal and social responsibilities and maintaining career satisfaction.

Late Adulthood

The period from $65$ and over, involving life review, retirement, and adjustment to new social roles and declining health.

Centenarians

Individuals who are $\ge 100$ years of age.

Chronological Age

The number of years that have elapsed since an individual's birth.

Biological Age

Age measured in terms of an individual's biological health.

Psychological Age

The individual's adaptive capacities compared with those of other individuals of the same chronological age.

Social Age

Social roles and expectations related to a person's age.

Nature

The influence of heredity on development, based on the assumption that human characteristics are a product of evolution and unique genetic codes.

Nurture

Also called the empiricist approach, it suggests development is influenced by the environment and that the mind at birth is a tabula rasa.

Epigenetics

The study of how environment and other factors can influence gene expression.

Environment

The totality of non-hereditary or experiential influences from womb to tomb.

Nuclear Family

A household unit consisting of $1$ or $2$ parents and their children, most common in Western culture.

Extended Family

A multigenerational network of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other distant relatives, most common in Asian households.

Blended Family

A family unit consisting of two adults, the children they have together, and children from previous partners.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

A combination of social and economic factors describing an individual or family.

Culture

Behavior patterns, beliefs, and all other products of a particular group that are passed from generation to generation.

Ethnicity

A category rooted in cultural heritage, nationality, race, religion, and language.

Ethnic Gloss

An overgeneralization that obscures or blurs variation within an ethnic group.

Race

An identifiable biological category that is considered impossible to measure reliably.

Normative Age-Graded Influences

Significant events or influences that are similar for individuals in a particular age group, such as the age of retirement.

Normative History-Graded Influences

Similar events experienced by a historical generation at a formative time in their lives, such as a Pandemic.

Cohort

A group of people born at about the same time, such as Gen Z.

Nonnormative Influences

Unusual events that have a major impact on individual lives because they disturb the expected sequence of the life cycle.

Critical Period

A very short, well-defined timeframe when it is essential for a person to be exposed to specific stimuli for development; the effects are irreversible.

Sensitive Period

A timeframe without an exact duration where humans are highly responsive to certain experiences, such as language development.