Chapter 1: The Life-Span Perspective

Question 1

biological processes

Answer 1

Processes that produce changes in an individual’s physical nature

Question 2

bronfenbrenners ecological theory

Answer 2

Bronfenbrenner’s environmental systems theory that focuses on five environmental systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.

Question 3

case study

Answer 3

An in-depth look at a single individual.

Question 4

cognitive processes

Answer 4

Processes that involve changes in an individual’s thought, intelligence, and language.

Question 5

cohort effects

Answer 5

Characteristics attributable to a person’s time of birth, era, or generation but not to actual age.

Question 6

continuity - discontinuity issue

Answer 6

Debate that focuses on the extent to which development involves gradual, cumulative change (continuity) or distinct stages (discontinuity)

Question 7

correlational coefficient

Answer 7

A number based on a statistical analysis that is used to describe the degree of association between two variables

Question 8

correlational research

Answer 8

A type of research that strives to describe the strength of the relationship between two or more events or characteristics.

Question 9

cross-cultural studies

Answer 9

Comparisons of one culture with one or more other cultures. These provide information about the degree to which development is similar, or universal, across cultures, and the degree to which it is culture-specific.

Question 10

cross-sectional approach

Answer 10

A research strategy in which individuals of different ages are compared at one time.

Question 11

culture

Answer 11

The behavior, patterns, beliefs, and all other products of a group of people that are passed on from generation to generation

Question 12

descriptive research

Answer 12

A type of research that aims to observe and record behavior.

Question 13

development

Answer 13

The pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and continues through the human life span.

Question 14

eclectic theoretical orientation

Answer 14

An orientation that does not follow any one theoretical approach but rather selects from each theory whatever is considered best in it.

Question 15

emerging adulthood

Answer 15

The developmental time frame occurring from approximately 18 to 25 years of age; this transitional period between adolescence and adulthood is characterized by experimentation and exploration.

Question 16

eriksons theory

Answer 16

Theory that proposes eight stages of human development. Each stage consists of a unique developmental task that confronts individuals with a crisis that must be resolved.

Question 17

ethnic gloss

Answer 17

Use of an ethnic label such as African American or Latino in a superficial way that portrays an ethnic group as being more homogeneous than it really is.

Question 18

ethnicity

Answer 18

Categorization of an individual based on cultural heritage, nationality characteristics, race, religion, and language.

Question 19

ethology

Answer 19

Theory stressing that behavior is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution, and is characterized by critical or sensitive periods

Question 20

experiment

Answer 20

Carefully regulated procedure in which one or more factors believed to influence the behavior being studied are manipulated while all other factors are held constant

Question 21

gender

Answer 21

Characteristics related to femininity and masculinity based on social and cultural norms.

Question 22

hypotheses

Answer 22

Specific assumptions and predictions that can be tested to determine their accuracy.

Question 23

information-proccessing theory

Answer 23

Theory emphasizing that individuals manipulate information, monitor it, and strategize about it. Central to this theory are the processes of memory and thinking.

Question 24

laboratory

Answer 24

A controlled setting from which many of the complex factors of the “real world” have been removed.

Question 25

life-span perspective

Answer 25

View of development as being lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual; involving growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss; and constructed through biological, sociocultural, and individual factors working together.

Question 26

longitudinal approach

Answer 26

A research strategy in which the same individuals are studied over a period of time, usually several years or more

Question 27

naturalistic observation

Answer 27

Observing behavior in real-world settings

Question 28

nature-nurture issue

Answer 28

Debate about whether development is primarily influenced by nature or nurture. Nature refers to an organism’s biological inheritance, nurture to its environmental experiences. The “nature proponents” claim biological inheritance is the more important influence on development; the “nurture proponents” claim that environmental experiences are more important.

Question 29

non normative life events

Answer 29

Unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an individual’s life.

Question 30

normative age-graded influences

Answer 30

Influences that are similar for individuals in a particular age group.

Question 31

normative history-graded influences

Answer 31

Influences that are common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances

Question 32

Pieget’s theory

Answer 32

Theory stating that children actively construct their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development.

Question 33

psychoanalytic theories

Answer 33

Theories that describe development as primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion. Behavior is merely a surface characteristic, and the symbolic workings of the mind must be analyzed to understand behavior. Early experiences with parents are emphasized.

Question 34

social cognitive theory

Answer 34

Theoretical view that behavior, environment, and cognition are the key factors in development.

Question 35

social policy

Answer 35

A government’s course of action designed to promote the welfare of its citizens

Question 36

socioeconomic status (SES)

Answer 36

Classification of a person’s position in society based on occupational, educational, and economic characteristics.

Question 37

socioemotional processes

Answer 37

Processes that involve changes in an individual’s relationships with other people, emotions, and personality

Question 38

stability-change issue

Answer 38

Debate as to whether and to what degree we become older renditions of our earlier selves (stability) or whether we develop into someone different from who we were at an earlier point in development (change).

Question 39

standardized test

Answer 39

A test with uniform procedures for administration and scoring. Many standardized tests allow a person’s performance to be compared with the performance of other individuals.

Question 40

Vygotskys theory

Answer 40

Sociocultural cognitive theory that emphasizes how culture and social interaction guide cognitive development