Chapter 7- Human Development Across The Lifespan

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developmental psychology

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The study of the changes that occur in people from conception to death.

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cross-sectional approach

Back 2

A method of studying developmental changes by comparing people of different ages at about the same time.

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cohort

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A group of people born during the same period in historical time.

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longitudinal approach

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A method of studying developmental changes by evaluating the same people at different points in their lives.

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prenatal development

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Development from conception to birth.

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embryo

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A developing human between 2 weeks and 3 months after conception.

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fetus

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A developing human between 3 months after conception and birth.

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critical period

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A time when certain internal and external influences have a major effect on development; at other periods, the same influences will have little or no effect.

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fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

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A disorder that occurs in children of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy; this disorder is characterized by facial deformities, heart defects, stunted growth, and cognitive impairments.

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neonates

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Newborn babies.

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temperament

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Characteristic patterns of emotional reactions and emotional self-regulation.

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developmental norms

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The average ages at which specific skills, such as walking, are achieved.

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maturation

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The automatic biologically programmed unfolding of development in an organism that occurs with the passage of time.

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sensory-motor stage

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In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development between birth and 2 years of age in which the individual develops object permanence and acquires the ability to form mental representations.

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object permanence

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The concept that things continue to exist even when they are out of sight.

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mental representations

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Mental images or symbols (such as words) used to think about or remember an object, a person, or an event.

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preoperational stage

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In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development between 2 and 7 years of age in which the individual becomes able to use mental representations and language to describe, remember, and reason about the world, though only in an egocentric fashion.

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egocentric

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Unable to see things from another's point of view.

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concrete-operational stage

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In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development between 7 and 11 years of age in which the individual can attend to more than one thing at a time and understand someone else's point of view, though thinking is limited to concrete matters.

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principles of conservation

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The concept that the quantity of a substance is not altered by reversible changes in its appearance.

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formal-operational stage

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In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development between adolescence and adulthood in which the individual becomes capable of abstract thought.

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babbling

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A baby's vocalizations, consisting of repetition of consonant-vowel combinations.

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holophrases

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One-word sentences commonly used by children under 2 years of age.

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imprinting

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The tendency in certain species to follow the first moving thing (usually its mother) it sees after it is born or hatched.

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attachment

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Emotional bond that develops in the first year of life that makes human babies cling to their caregivers for safety and comfort.

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autonomy

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Sense of independence; a desire not to be controlled by others.

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socialization

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Process by which children learn the behaviors and attitudes appropriate to their family and culture.

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peer group

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A network of same-aged friends and acquaintances who give one anohter emotional and social support.

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nonshared environment

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The unique aspects of the environment that are experience differently by siblings, even though they are reared in the same family.

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gender identity

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A little girl's knowledge that she is a girl, and a little boy's knowledge that he is a boy.

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gender constancy

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The realization that gender does not change with age.

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gender-role awareness

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Knowledge of what behavior is appropriate for each gender.

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gender stereotypes

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General beliefs about characteristics that men and women are presumed to have.

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gender-typed behavior

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Socially prescribed ways of behaving that differ for boys and girls.

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growth spurt

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A rapid increase in height and weight that occurs during adolescence.

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puberty

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The onset of sexual maturation, with accompanying physical development.

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menarche

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First menstrual period.

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imaginary audience

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Elkind's term for adolescents' delusion that they are constantly being observed by others.

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personal fable

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Elkind's term for adolescents' delusion that they are unique, very important, and invulnerable.

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identity formation

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Erickson's term for the development of a stable sense of self necessary to make the transition from dependence on others to dependence on oneself.

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identity crisis

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A period of intense self-examination and decision making; part of the process of identity formation.

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cliques

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Groups of adolescents with similar interests and strong mutual attachment.

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menopause

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The time in a woman's life when menstruation ceases.

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midlife crisis

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A time when adults discover they no longer feel fulfilled in their jobs or personal lives and attempt to make a decisive shift in career or lifestyle.

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midlife transition

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According to Levinson, a process whereby adults assess the past and formulate new goals for the future.

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Alzheimer's disease

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A neurological disorder, most commonly found in late adulthood, characterized by progressive losses in memory and cognition and by changes in personality.