Ch. 2

Front 1

theory

Back 1

coherent set of logically related concepts that seek to organize, explain, & predict data

Front 2

hypothesis

Back 2

possible explanations of phenomena, used to predict the outcome of research

Front 3

mechanistic model

Back 3

model that views human development as a series of predictable responses to stimuli

Front 4

organismic model

Back 4

model that views human development as internally initiated by an active organism and as occurring in a sequence of qualitatively different stages

Front 5

quantitative change

Back 5

changed in number or amount, such as in height, weight, size of vocabulary, or frequency of communication

Front 6

qualitative change

Back 6

discontinuous changes in kind, structure, or organization

Front 7

psychoanalytic perspective

Back 7

view of human development as shaped by unconscious forces that motivate human behavior

Front 8

psychosexual development

Back 8

in Freudian theory, an unvarying sequence of stages of childhood personality development in which gratification shifts from the mouth to the anus then genitals

Front 9

psychosocial development

Back 9

in eriksons eight-stage theory the socially and culturally influenced process of development of the ego, or self

Front 10

learning perspective

Back 10

view of human development that holds that changes in behavior result from experience or from adaptation to the environment

Front 11

behaviorism

Back 11

learning theory that emphasizes the predictable role of the environment in causing observable behavior

Front 12

classical conditioning

Back 12

learning based on associating a stimulus that does not ordinarily elicit a response with another stimulus that does elicit the response

Front 13

operant conditioning

Back 13

learning based on association of behavior with its consequences

Front 14

reinforcement

Back 14

the process by which a behavior is strengthened, increasing the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated

Front 15

punishment

Back 15

the process by which a behavior is weakened, decreasing the likelihood of repetition

Front 16

social learning theory

Back 16

theory that behaviors are learned by observing and imitating models

Hint 16

also called social cognitive theory

Front 17

reciprocal determinism

Back 17

Banduras term for bidirectional forces that affect development

Front 18

observational learning

Back 18

learning through watching the behavior of others

Front 19

self-efficacy

Back 19

sense of ones capability to master challenges and achieve goals

Front 20

cognitive perspective

Back 20

view that thought processes are central to development

Front 21

cognitive-stage theory

Back 21

piagets theory that children's cognitive development advances in a series of four stages involving qualitatively distinct types of mental operations

Front 22

organization

Back 22

Piaget's term for he creation of categories or systems of knowledge

Front 23

schemes

Back 23

Piaget's term for organized patterns of thought and behavior used in particular situations

Front 24

adaptation

Back 24

Piaget's term for adjustment to new information about the environment, achieved through processes of assimilation and accommodation

Front 25

assimilation

Back 25

Piaget's term for incorporation of new information into an existing cognitive structure

Front 26

equilibration

Back 26

Piaget's term for the tendency to seek a stable balance among cognitive elements; achieved through a balance between assimilation and accommodation

Front 27

accommodation

Back 27

Piaget's term for changes in cognitive structure to include new information

Front 28

sociocultural theory

Back 28

Vygotsky's theory of how contextual factors affect children's development

Front 29

zone of proximal development (ZPD)

Back 29

Vygotsky's term for the difference between what a child can do alone and what the child can do with help

Front 30

scaffolding

Back 30

temporary support to help a child master a task

Front 31

Information-processing approach

Back 31

approach to the study of cognitive development by observing and analyzing the mental processes involved in perceiving and handling information

Front 32

contextual perspective

Back 32

view of human development that sees the individual as inseparable from the social context

Front 33

bioecological theory

Back 33

Bronfenbrenner's approach to understanding processes and contexts of human development that identifies five levels of environmental influence

Front 34

evolutionary/sociobiological perspective

Back 34

view of human development that focuses on evolutionary and biological bases of behavior

Front 35

ethology

Back 35

study of distinctive adaptive behaviors of species of animals that have evolved to increase survival of the species

Front 36

evolutionary psychology

Back 36

application of Darwinian principles of natural selection and survival of the fittest to individual behavior