Human Growth and Development- Chapter 1
and 2
science of human development -
☑️ the science that seeks to understand how and why people of all ages and circumstances
change or remain the same over time
scientific method -
☑️ a way to answer questions that requires empirical research and data-based conclusions
replication -
☑️ the repetition of a study, using different participants
nature -
☑️ a general term for the traits, capacities, and limitations that each individual inherits
genetically from his or her parents at the moment of conception
nurture -
☑️ a general term for all the environmental influences that affect development after an
individual is conceived
critical period -
☑️ a time when a particular type of development growth (in the body or behavior) must
happen if it is ever going to happen
sensitive period -
☑️ a time when a certain type of development is most likely to happen or happens most
easily, although it may still happen later with more difficulty. For example, early childhood is
considered a sensitive period for language learning
difference-equals-deficit error -
☑️ the mistaken belief that a deviation to behavior or characteristics that meet the standard
life-span approach -
☑️ an approach to the study of human development that takes into account all phases of life,
not just childhood or adulthood.
cohort -
☑️ a group defined by the shared age of its members, who, because they were born at about
the same time, move through life together, experiencing the same historical events and cultural
shifts
socioeconomic status -
☑️ a person's position in society as determined by income, wealth occupation, education,
and place of residence.
ethnic group -
☑️ people whose ancestors were born in the same region and who often share a language,
culture, and religion
, social construction -
☑️ an idea that is based on shared perceptions, not on objective reality. Many age-related
terms, such as childhood, adolescence, yuppie, and senior citizen are examples
epigenetic -
☑️ referring to to the effects of environmental forces on the expression of an individual's, or
a species', genetic inheritance
mirror neurons -
☑️ cells in an observer's brain that respond to an action performed by someone else in the
same way they would if the observer had actually performed that action
developmental theory -
☑️ a group of ideas, assumptions, and generalizations that interpret and illuminate the
thousands of observations that have been made about human growth; provides a framework for
explaining the patterns and problems of development
psychoanalytic theory -
☑️ a theory of human development that holds that irrational, unconscious drives and
motives, often originating in childhood, underlie human behavior
behaviorism -
☑️ a theory of human development that studies observable behavior; also called the learning
theory, because it describes the laws and processes by which behavior is learned
conditioning -
☑️ according to behaviorism, the processes by which responses become linked to a
particular stimuli and learning takes place; also used to emphasize the importance of repeated
practice, as when an athlete conditions his or her body to perform well by training for a long time
classical conditioning -
☑️ a learning process in which a meaningful stimulus (such as the smell of food to a hungry
animal) gradually comes to be connected with a neural stimulus (such as a particular sound) that
had no special meaning before the learning process began; also called respondent conditioning
operant conditioning -
☑️ the learning process in which a particular action is followed either by something desired
(which makes the person or animal more likely to repeat the action) or by something unwanted
(which makes the action less likely to be repeated); also called instrumental conditioning
reinforcement -
☑️ a technique for conditioning behavior in which that behavior is followed by something
desired, such as food for a hungry animal or a welcoming smile for a lonely person
social learning theory -
☑️ an extension of behaviorism that emphasizes the influence that other people have over a
person's behavior. The theory's basic principle is that even without specific reinforcement, every
individual learns many things through observation and imitation of other people
cognitive theory -
and 2
science of human development -
☑️ the science that seeks to understand how and why people of all ages and circumstances
change or remain the same over time
scientific method -
☑️ a way to answer questions that requires empirical research and data-based conclusions
replication -
☑️ the repetition of a study, using different participants
nature -
☑️ a general term for the traits, capacities, and limitations that each individual inherits
genetically from his or her parents at the moment of conception
nurture -
☑️ a general term for all the environmental influences that affect development after an
individual is conceived
critical period -
☑️ a time when a particular type of development growth (in the body or behavior) must
happen if it is ever going to happen
sensitive period -
☑️ a time when a certain type of development is most likely to happen or happens most
easily, although it may still happen later with more difficulty. For example, early childhood is
considered a sensitive period for language learning
difference-equals-deficit error -
☑️ the mistaken belief that a deviation to behavior or characteristics that meet the standard
life-span approach -
☑️ an approach to the study of human development that takes into account all phases of life,
not just childhood or adulthood.
cohort -
☑️ a group defined by the shared age of its members, who, because they were born at about
the same time, move through life together, experiencing the same historical events and cultural
shifts
socioeconomic status -
☑️ a person's position in society as determined by income, wealth occupation, education,
and place of residence.
ethnic group -
☑️ people whose ancestors were born in the same region and who often share a language,
culture, and religion
, social construction -
☑️ an idea that is based on shared perceptions, not on objective reality. Many age-related
terms, such as childhood, adolescence, yuppie, and senior citizen are examples
epigenetic -
☑️ referring to to the effects of environmental forces on the expression of an individual's, or
a species', genetic inheritance
mirror neurons -
☑️ cells in an observer's brain that respond to an action performed by someone else in the
same way they would if the observer had actually performed that action
developmental theory -
☑️ a group of ideas, assumptions, and generalizations that interpret and illuminate the
thousands of observations that have been made about human growth; provides a framework for
explaining the patterns and problems of development
psychoanalytic theory -
☑️ a theory of human development that holds that irrational, unconscious drives and
motives, often originating in childhood, underlie human behavior
behaviorism -
☑️ a theory of human development that studies observable behavior; also called the learning
theory, because it describes the laws and processes by which behavior is learned
conditioning -
☑️ according to behaviorism, the processes by which responses become linked to a
particular stimuli and learning takes place; also used to emphasize the importance of repeated
practice, as when an athlete conditions his or her body to perform well by training for a long time
classical conditioning -
☑️ a learning process in which a meaningful stimulus (such as the smell of food to a hungry
animal) gradually comes to be connected with a neural stimulus (such as a particular sound) that
had no special meaning before the learning process began; also called respondent conditioning
operant conditioning -
☑️ the learning process in which a particular action is followed either by something desired
(which makes the person or animal more likely to repeat the action) or by something unwanted
(which makes the action less likely to be repeated); also called instrumental conditioning
reinforcement -
☑️ a technique for conditioning behavior in which that behavior is followed by something
desired, such as food for a hungry animal or a welcoming smile for a lonely person
social learning theory -
☑️ an extension of behaviorism that emphasizes the influence that other people have over a
person's behavior. The theory's basic principle is that even without specific reinforcement, every
individual learns many things through observation and imitation of other people
cognitive theory -
