#16
Developmental science - correct answer A field of study devoted to understanding
constancy and change throughout the lifespan
Theory - correct answer An orderly, integrated set of statements that describes,
explains, and predicts behavior. Vital bc (1) provide organizing frameworks for our
observations of people and (2) theories that are verified by research provide basis for
practical action
Organize theories based on three basic issues - correct answer (1) Is the course of
development continuous or discontinuous? (2) Does one course of development
characterize all people or are there many possible courses? (3) What are the roles of
genetic and environmental factors-nature and nurture-in development?
Continuous - correct answer A process of gradually augmenting the same types of skills
that were there to begin with
Discontinuous - correct answer A process in which new ways of understanding and
responding to the world emerge at specific times
Stages - correct answer Qualitative changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving that
characterize specific periods of development
Contexts - correct answer Unique combinations of personal and environmental
circumstances that can result in different paths of change
Nature vs. Nurture - correct answer Hereditary info we receive from our parents vs.
Complex forces of the physical and social world that influence our biological makeup
and psychological experiences before and after birth
Plasticity - correct answer As open to change in response to influential experiences
Lifespan perspective - correct answer (1) Lifelong, (2) multidimensional and
multidirectional, (3) highly plastic, and (4) affected by multiple, interacting forces
Multidimensional - correct answer Affected by an intricate blend of biological,
psychological, and social forces
Multidirectional - correct answer (1) Development is not limited to improved
performance and (2) change is multidirectional within each domain of development
Resilience - correct answer The ability to adapt effectively in the face of threats to
development
, Age-graded influences - correct answer Events that are strongly related to age and
therefore fairly predictable in when they occur and how long they last
History-graded influences - correct answer Explain why people born around the same
time - called a cohort - tend to be alike in ways that set them apart from people born at
other times
Normative - correct answer Typical or average bc affects many people in similar way
Nonnormative - correct answer Events that are irregular: they happen to just one person
or a few people and do not follow a predictable timetable
Normative approach - correct answer Measures of behavior are taken on large numbers
of individuals, and age-related averages are computed to represent typical development
Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale - correct answer Predict school achievement
The Psychoanalytic Perspective - correct answer How conflicts are resolved determines
the person's ability to learn, to get along w others, and to cope w anxiety
Freud's psychosexual theory - correct answer Emphasizes that how parents manage
their child's sexual and aggressive drives in the first few years is crucial for healthy
personal development
Erikson's psychosocial theory - correct answer Emphasized that in addition to mediating
id impulses and superego demands, the ego acquires attitudes and skills that make the
individual an active, contributing member of society
Social learning theory - correct answer Albert Bandura - emphasizes modeling (imitation
or observational learning) as a powerful source of development
Social-cognitive perspective - correct answer Strong emphasis on how we think about
ourselves and other people
Behavior modification - correct answer Consists of procedures that combine
conditioning and modeling to eliminate undesirable behaviors and increase desirable
responses
Piaget's Cognitive-Developmental Theory - correct answer Sensorimotor stage (birth-2
years) - use of senses and movements explore the world
Preoperational stage (2-7 years) - symbolic but illogical thinking
Concrete operational stage (7-11 years) - organized, logical reasoning
Formal operational stage (11+ years) - abstract thought, systematic reasoning