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Introduction to Children's Mental Health (5th edition) > Ch 2. Theories of development > Flashcards

Ch 2. Theories of development Flashcards

(58 cards)

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1
Q

Accommodation

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development

A

A cognitive process in which we adjust our understanding of our surroundings based on new experiences

This term is often used in the context of cognitive development.

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2
Q

Adaptive behavior

A

Thoughts, feelings, and actions that allow children to develop social, emotional, and behavioral competence over time and meet the changing demands of the environment

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3
Q

Allele

A

A variant of a gene or DNA segment that is inherited or arises by mutation

Alleles can influence traits and characteristics.

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4
Q

Assimilation

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development

A

A cognitive process in which we take in information from our experiences and use this information to build models to understand our surroundings

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5
Q

Attachment

A

The affective bond between caregiver and child that serves to protect and reassure the child in times of danger or uncertainty

Attachment is crucial for emotional development.

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6
Q

Basal ganglia

A

Brain regions located under the cortex; they help to control movement, filter incoming information, relay information to other regions, and regulate attention and emotions

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7
Q

Behavioral epigenetics

A

A scientific field of study that examines the ways environmental experiences can affect genetic expression and be passed from one generation to the next

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8
Q

Behavioral genetics

A

An area of scientific study that examines the relationship between genes and behavior; chiefly interested in determining the heritability of traits or mental health problems

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9
Q

Brain stem

A

An evolutionarily old region of the brain responsible for many basic life-sustaining functions; consists of the medulla, pons, and midbrain

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10
Q

Cerebellum

A

A brain region located posteriorly (in the back); chiefly responsible for balance and coordination

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11
Q

Cerebral cortex

A

The outermost layer of the brain, consisting of the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes

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12
Q

Classical conditioning

A

A type of learning in which two stimuli are paired together in time, and a previously neutral stimulus comes to elicit an automatic, unconditioned response

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13
Q

Cognitive development

A

Changes in a person’s capacity for perception, thought, language, and problem-solving

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14
Q

Concordance

A

In the field of behavioral genetics, the probability that two people will both have a certain characteristic or disorder given that one has the characteristic

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15
Q

Developmental pathways

A

Possible courses or trajectories of children’s behavioral, cognitive, or social–emotional development over time, ranging from adaptation to maladaptation

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16
Q

Developmental psychopathology

A

A multidisciplinary approach to studying adaptive and maladaptive development across the lifespan, shaped by the complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social–cultural factors over time

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17
Q

Developmental tasks

A

Behavioral, cognitive, or social–emotional challenges that children face at each age or developmental level

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18
Q

Diathesis–stress model

A

A broad theory that posits that a child will exhibit a disorder when she has both (1) an underlying genetic risk for the disorder and (2) an environmental experience or life event that triggers its onset

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19
Q

Ecological systems theory

A

A theory of child development that consists of concentric nested systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem

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20
Q

Emotional development

A

The emergence and refinement of a person’s experience, expression, understanding, and regulation of feelings

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21
Q

Emotion regulation

A

The processes that people use to recognize, label, and control our feelings and our expression of these feelings

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22
Q

Equifinality

A

The phenomenon in which children with different developmental histories show a similar developmental outcome

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23
Q

Equilibration

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development

A

A state of balance between our experiences and our cognitive understanding of our surroundings

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24
Q

Gene

Study These Flashcards
A

Thousands of nucleotides that form part of a chromosome; they are transferred from parent to offspring and influence the characteristics of those offspring

25
Gene–environment correlation
The idea that our environments are partially influenced by our genotypes; includes passive, evocative, and active types
26
Genotype
The genetic code that we inherit from our parents
27
Goodness-of-fit
The compatibility of a child’s temperament with the features of his or her environment, especially parenting behavior
28
Heterotypic continuity
The phenomenon in which overt symptoms change over time, but their underlying pattern remains the same
29
Histones
Proteins that provide structural support for chromosomes and regulate the expression of genes
30
Homotypic continuity
The phenomenon in which disorders persist over time relatively unchanged
31
Internal working model
A mental representation of a caregiver that helps an individual cope with psychosocial stress
32
Learning theory
A broad explanation for the causes of behavior relying on classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and modeling
33
Limbic system
Located deep within the brain, responsible for emotional processing and memory; consists of the amygdala, hippocampus, and several other structures
34
Maladaptive behaviors
Thoughts, feelings, and actions that interfere with children’s social, emotional, and behavioral competence
35
Metacognition
Awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes
36
Molecular genetics
An area of scientific study that examines the relationship between specific genes and the presence or absence of characteristics and disorders
37
Multifinality
The phenomenon in which children with similar early experiences show different social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes
38
Neural plasticity
The brain’s capacity to change its structure or functioning in response to environmental experience
39
Neurons
Nerve cells that consist of dendrites, a cell body, an axon, and terminal endings; relay information using electrical signals
40
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that allow neurons to communicate with each other; examples include dopamine and serotonin
41
Nonshared environmental factors
Experiences that differ between siblings, such as different age, gender, friends, sports, or hobbies
42
Operant conditioning
A type of learning in which an action is associated with an environmental consequence, either reinforcement or punishment
43
Parenting types
A four-part classification of parenting behavior based on its degree of responsiveness and demandingness: authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, uninvolved
44
Phenotype
The observable expression of our genetic endowment
45
Probabilistic epigenesis
A principle of developmental psychopathology; refers to the interaction of genetic, biological, and social–cultural factors over time
46
Protective factors
Influences that buffer the negative effects of risks on children’s development and promote adaptive functioning
47
Punishment
In operant conditioning, an environmental consequence that decreases the likelihood of future behavior
48
Reinforcement
In operant conditioning, an environmental consequence that increases the likelihood of future behavior
49
Resilience
The tendency of some children to develop social, emotional, and behavioral competence despite the presence of multiple risk factors
50
Risk factors
Influences on development that interfere with the acquisition of competencies or compromise children’s ability to adapt to their environments
51
Scaffolding
Assistance provided to the child by a more knowledgeable other person to help the child successfully complete a task
52
Shared environmental factors
Environmental experiences common to siblings, such as same parents, house, or school
53
Social cognition
A person’s capacity to think about social situations and to perceive, interpret, and solve interpersonal problems
54
Social learning theory
The idea that people learn from one another through observation, imitation, and modeling
55
Strange situation
A laboratory-based test of infant–caregiver attachment used to determine attachment security
56
Synaptogenesis
An increase in the number of neurons and connections between neurons that arises from maturation and experience
57
Temperament
An inborn tendency to organize and react to behavior in response to environmental stimuli
58
Zone of proximal development
In Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development, the difference in knowledge and skills that a child can demonstrate independently versus with the help of another person

Introduction to Children's Mental Health (5th edition) (16 decks)

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