Child Psych Test 1

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sensitive period

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a time when a certain type of development is most likely to happen and happens most easily. If that development does not occur during that sensitive period, it could still occur later. For example, early childhood is considered a sensitive period for language learning.

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scientific method

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a way to answer questions that requires empirical research and data-based conclusions.

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science of human development

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seeks to understand how/why people of all ages and circumstances change or remain the same over time

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empirical

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based on observation, experience, or experiment; not theoretical

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hypothesis

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a specific prediction that is stated in such a way that it can be tested and either confirmed or refuted.

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replication

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the repetition of a study, using different participants.

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nature

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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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nurture

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a general term for all the environmental influences that affect development after an individual is conceived.

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difference-equals-deficit error

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the mistaken belief that a deviation from some norm is necessarily inferior to behavior or characteristics that meet the standard.

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dynamic-systems approach

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a view of human development as an ongoing, ever-changing interaction between the physical and emotional being and between the person and every aspect of his or her environment, including the family and society.

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continuity

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Signifies developments over time that appear to persist, unchanging, from one age to the next. Parents might recognize the same personality traits in their grown children that they saw in them as infants.

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discontinuity

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Signifies developments that appear quite different from those that came before. A person, or a researcher, might believe that “everything changed” when school started or when puberty began, for instance.

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critical period

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A time when a particular type of developmental growth (in body or behavior) must happen. If the critical period passes without that growth, the person will never grow in that particular way.

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Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)

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The American Psychiatric Association's official guide to the diagnosis (not treatment) of mental disorders. (IV-TR means “fourth edition, text revision.”)

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ecological-systems approach

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The view that in the study of human development, the person should be considered in all the contexts and interactions that constitute a life.

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cohort

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A group of people who were born at about the same time and thus move through life together, experiencing the same historical events and cultural shifts at about the same age.

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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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ethnic group

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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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race

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A group of people who are regarded by themselves or by others as distinct from other groups on the basis of physical appearance.

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social construction

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An idea that is built on shared perceptions, not on objective reality. Many age-related terms, such as childhood, adolescence, yuppie, and senior citizen, are social constructions.

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mirror neurons

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Brain cells that respond to actions performed by someone else in the same way they would if the observer had done that action.

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plasticity

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The idea that abilities, personality, and other human traits can change over time. Plasticity is particularly evident during childhood, but even older adults are not always “set in their ways.”

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scientific observation

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A method of testing a hypothesis by unobtrusively watching and recording participants' behavior in a systematic and objective manner, in a natural setting, in a laboratory, or in searches of archival data.

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experiment

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A research method in which the researcher tries to determine the cause-and-effect relationships between two variables by manipulating one (called the independent variable) and then observing and recording the resulting changes in the other (called the dependent variable).

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independent variable

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In an experiment, the variable that is introduced to see what effect it has on the dependent variable. (Also called experimental variable.)

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dependent variable

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In an experiment, the variable that may change as a result of whatever new condition or situation the experimenter adds. In other words, the dependent variable depends on the independent variable.

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experimental group

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A group of participants in a research study who experience some special treatment or condition (the independent variable).

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comparison group/control group

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A group of participants in a research study who are similar to the experimental group in all relevant ways but who do not experience the experimental condition (the independent variable).

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survey

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A research method in which information is collected from a large number of people by interviews, written questionnaires, or some other means.

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case study

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A research method in which one individual is studied intensively.

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cross-sectional research

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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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longitudinal research

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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 (a cross-sectional approach) and then follow those groups over the years (a longitudinal approach). (Also called cohort-sequential research or time-sequential research.)

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correlation

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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). A correlation is not an indication that one variable causes the other, only that the two variables are related.

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quantitative research

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Research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers, such as ranks or scales.

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qualitative research

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Research that considers qualities instead of quantities. Descriptions of particular conditions and participants' expressed ideas are often part of qualitative studies.

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code of ethics

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A set of moral principles that members of a profession or group are expected to follow.