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| science of human development |
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Definition
| the science that seeks to understand how and why people change or remain the same over time |
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| based on observation, experience, or experiment; not theoretical |
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| ecological-systems approach |
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| a vision of how human development should be studied with the person considered in all the contexts and interactions that constitute life |
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| a view of human development as always changing; life is the product of ongoing interaction between the physical and emotional being; flux is constant and each change affects all others |
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| the idea that a small effect or thing can have a large impact if it happens to tip the balance, causing other changes that create a major event |
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| a group of people who were born about the same time and thus move through life together, experiencing the same historical events and cultural shifts |
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| socioeconomic status (SES) |
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| a person's position in society as determined by income, wealth, occupation, education, place of residence, and other factors |
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| people whose ancestors were born in the same region and who often share a language, culture, and religion |
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| a group of people who are regarded as genetically distinct from other groups on the basis of physical appearance |
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| an idea that is built more on shared perceptions than on objective reality; many age-related terms are social constructions (childhood, senior citizens) |
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| brain cells that respond to actions performed by someone else, as if the observer had done that action |
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| a way to answer questions that requires empirical research and data-based conclusions |
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| the repetition of a scientific study, using the same procedures on a similar group of participants, in order to verify the study |
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| a method of testing hypotheses by unobtrusively watching and recording participant's behavior in a systematic and objective manner |
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| a research method in which the researcher tries to determine cause and effect relationship between two variables by manipulating one of the variables |
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| the variable that is introduced to see what effect it has on the dependent variable |
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| the variable that may change as a result of whatever new condition or situation the experimenter adds |
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| a group of participants who experience some special treatment or condition |
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| a group of participants in a research study who do not experience the experimental condition |
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| a research method in which information is collected from a large number of people |
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| a research method in which one individual is studied intensively |
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| a research design that compares groups of people who differ in age but are similar in other important characteristics |
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| a research design in which the same individuals are followed over time and their development is repeatedly assessed |
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| cross-sequential research |
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| a hybrid research method in which researchers first study several groups of people of different ages and then follow those groups over the years |
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| a number indicating the degree of relationship between two variables, expressed in terms of the likelihood that one variable will or will not occur when the other variable does or does not |
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| research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers such as ranks or scales |
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| research that considers qualities instead of quantities |
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| a set of moral principles that members of a profession or group are expected to follow |
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| a group of ideas that interpret the thousands of observations that have been made about human growth |
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| comprehensive theories of psychology which have traditionally inspired and directed psychologist's thinking about child development (psychoanalytic theory, behaviorism, and cognitive theory) |
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| theories that bring together information from many disciplines in addition to psychology and that are becoming comprehensive and systematic; not yet established and detailed enough to be considered grand theories |
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| a grand theory of human development that holds that irrational, unconscious drives and motivates, often originating in childhood, underlie human behavior |
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| a grand theory of human development that studies observable behavior; also called learning theory because it describes the laws and processes by which behavior is learned |
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| the processed by which responses become linked to particular stimuli and learning takes place; repetition |
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| the learning process that connects a meaningful stimulus with a neutral stimulus that had no special meaning before conditioning |
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| the learning process by which a particular action is followed by something desired or by something unwanted |
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| a technique for conditioning behavior in which that behavior is followed by something desired |
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| an extension of behaviorism that emphasizes the influence that other people have over a person's behavior |
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| the central process of social learning by which a person observes the actions of others and then copies them |
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| in social learning theory, the belief of some people that are able to change themselves and effectively alter the social context |
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| a grand theory of human development that focuses on changes in how people think over time; our thoughts shape our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors |
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| in cognitive theory, a state of mental balance in which people are not confused because they can use their existing thought processes to understand current experiences and ideas |
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| an emergent theory that holds that developmental results from the dynamic interaction between each person and the surrounding social and cultural forces |
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| in sociocultural theory, a technique in which skilled mentors help novices learn not only by providing instruction but also by allowing direct, shared involvement in the activity |
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| zone of proximal development |
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| in sociocultural theory, a metaphorical are or zone surrounding a learner that includes all the skills, knowledge, and concepts that the person is close to acquiring but cannot yet master without help |
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| an emergent theory of development that considers both the genetic origins of behavior and the direct, systematic influence that environmental forces have over time on genes |
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| the process by which humans and other organisms gradually adjust to their environment; the frequency of a particular genetic trait in a population increases or decreases over generations |
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| the approach taken by most developmentalists in which they apply aspects of each of the various theories of development rather than adhering to one theory |
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| a general term for the traits, capacities, and limitations that each individual inherits genetically from his or her parents at the moment of conception |
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| a general term for all the environmental influences that affect development after an individual is conceived |
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| a person's impulses and internal direction regarding sexual interest |
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| the molecule that contains the chemical instructions for cells to manufacture various proteins |
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| one of the 46 molecules of DNA that each cell of the human body contains and that, together, contain all the genes |
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| a section of a chromosome and the basic unit for the transmission of heredity, consisting of a string of chemicals that code for the manufacture of certain proteins |
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| the full set of genes that are the instructions to make an individual member of a certain species |
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| a reproductive cell that can produce a new individual if it combines with a gamete from the other sex to make a zygote |
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| the single cell formed from the fusing of two gametes, a sperm and an ovum |
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| an organism's entire genetic inheritance, or genetic potential |
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| a slight, normal variation of a particular gene |
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| the chromosome pair that, in humans, determine the zygote's sex |
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| 23rd pair of chromosomes that become a female |
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| 23rd pair of chromosomes that become a male |
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| the naturally occurring termination of a pregnancy before the embryo or fetus is fully developed |
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| the intentional termination of a pregnancy |
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| the observable characteristics of a person, including the appearance, personality, intelligence, and all other traits |
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| referring to a trait that is influenced by many genes |
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| referring to a trait that is affected by many factors, both genetic and environmental |
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| an international effort to map the complete human genetic code |
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| a gene that has several alleles, each of which contributes to the final phenotype (such as skin color or height) |
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| dominant-recessive pattern |
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| the interaction of a pair of alleles in such a way that the phenotype reveals the influence of one allele (dominant) more than that of the other (recessive) |
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| referring to a gene carried on the x chromosome; girls are more likely to be carriers |
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| twins who originate from one zygote that splits apart very early in development (identical twins) |
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| twins who are formed when two sperate ova are fertilized by two sperate sperm at roughly the same time |
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| an organism that is produced from another organism through artificial replication of cells and is genetically identical to that organism |
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| fertilization that takes place outside a woman's body and inserted into the woman's uterus |
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| the inability to produce a baby after at least a year of trying to conceive via sexual intercourse |
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| assisted reproductive technology (ART) |
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| a general term for the techniques designed to help infertile couples conceive and then sustain a pregnancy |
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| a person whose genotype includes a gene that is not expressed in the phenotype |
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| a chronic disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin to adequately metabolize carbohydrates (glucose) |
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| having a condition (mosaicism) that involves having a mixture of cells, some normal and some with an odd number of chromosomes or a series of missing genes |
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| a condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46 (three on the 21st position); typically have distinctive characteristics including facial features, heart abnormalities, and language difficulties |
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| a genetic disorder in which part of the x chromosome seems to be attached to the rest of it by a very thin string of molecules, actual cause is too many repetitions of a particular part of a gene's code |
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| consultation and testing by trained experts that enable individuals to learn about their genetic heritage, including harmful conditions that they might pass along to any children they may conceive |
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| a genetic disorder in which a child's body is unable to metabolize an amino acid called phenylalanine; it must be eliminated from the child's diet |
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| the first two weeks of prenatal development after conception, characterized by rapid cell division and the beginning of cell differentiation |
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| the stage of prenatal development from approximately the third through the eight week after conception, during which the basic forms of all body structures, including internal organs, develop |
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| the stage of prenatal development from the ninth week after conception until birth, during which the organs grow in size and mature functioning |
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| a cell mass that develops from the zygote in the first few days after conception, during the germinal period, and forms a hollow sphere in preparation for implantation |
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| the organ that surrounds the developing embyro and fetus, sustaining life via the umbilical cord; attached to wall of uterus |
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| the process, beginning about 10 days after conception, in which the developing organism burrows into the placenta that lines the uterus, where it can be nourished and protected as it continues to develop |
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| the name for a developing organism from about the third through the eight week after conception |
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| the name for a developing organism from the ninth week after conception until birth |
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| the age (about 22 weeks after conception) at which a fetus might survive outside the mother's uterus if specialized medical care is available |
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| agents and conditions, including viruses drugs and chemicals, that can impair prenatal development and result in birth defects or even death |
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| agents and conditions that can harm the prenatal brain, impairing the future child's intellectual and emotional functioning |
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