Chapter 1: Key Terms

Question 1

amygdala

Answer 1

An area in the brain involved with emotional reactions.

Question 2

clinical interview

Answer 2

A procedure in which questions are adjusted in accord with the answers the interviewee provides.

Question 3

cognitive development

Answer 3

The development of thinking and reasoning.

Question 4

continous development

Answer 4

The idea that changes with age occur gradually, in small increments, like that of a pine tree growing taller and taller.

Question 5

control group

Answer 5

A group of participants in an experimental design who are not presented the experience of interest but in other ways are treated identically.

Question 6

correlation

Answer 6

The association between two variables.

Question 7

correlational designs

Answer 7

Studies intended to indicate how two variables are related to each other.

Question 8

cross-sectional design

Answer 8

A research method in which participants of different ages are compared on a given behaviour or characteristic over a short period.

Question 9

cumulative risk

Answer 9

The accumulation of disadvantages over years of development.

Question 10

dependent variable

Answer 10

A behaviour that is measured to determine whether it is affected by exposure to the independent variable.

Question 11

direction-of-causation problem

Answer 11

The concept that a correlation between two variables does not indicate which, if either variable, is the cause of the other.

Question 12

discontinuous development

Answer 12

The idea that changes with age include occasional large shifts, like the transition from caterpillar to cocoon butterfly.

Question 13

epigenetics

Answer 13

The study of stable changes in gene expression that are mediated by the environment.

Question 14

experimental control

Answer 14

Te ability of researchers to determine the specific experiences of participants during the course of an experiment.

Question 15

experimental designs

Answer 15

A group oof approaches that allow inferences about causes and effects to be drawn.

Question 16

experimental group

Answer 16

The group of participants in an experimental design who are presented the experience of interest.

Question 17

external validity

Answer 17

The degree to which results can be generalized beyond the particulars of the research.

Question 18

genome

Answer 18

Each persons complete set of hereditary information; the complete set of DNA of any organism, including all od its genes.

Question 19

hypothesis

Answer 19

Testable predictions of the presence or abscence of phenomena or relations.

Question 20

independent variable

Answer 20

The experience that participants in the experimental group receive and that those in the control group do not receive.

Question 21

internal validity

Answer 21

The degree to which effects observed within experiments can be attributed to the factor that the researcher is testing.

Question 22

interrater reliability

Answer 22

The amount of agreement in the observations of different raters who witness the same behaviour.

Question 23

longitudinal design

Answer 23

A method of study in which the same participants are studies twice or more over a substantial length of time.

Question 24

methylation

Answer 24

A biochemical process that influences behaviour by suppressing gene activity and expression.

Question 25

meta-analysis

Answer 25

A method for combining the results from independent studies to reach conclusions based on all of them; statistical method used to summarize average effect size and statistical significance across several studies.

Question 26

micro-genetic design

Answer 26

A method of study in which the same participants are studied repeatedly over a short period.

Question 27

naturalistic observation

Answer 27

Examination of ongoing behaviour in an environment not controlled by the researcher.

Question 28

nature

Answer 28

Our biological endowment; the genes we receive from our parents.

Question 29

neurotransmitters

Answer 29

Chemicals involved in communication amongst brain cells.

Question 30

nurture

Answer 30

The environments, both physical and social, that influences our development.

Question 31

prefrontal cortex

Answer 31

Corticol region associated with planning, reasoning, problem solving, and other high-level mental functions.

Question 32

questionnaire

Answer 32

A method that allows researchers to gather information from a large number of participants simultaneously by presenting them a uniform set of printed questions.

Question 33

random assignment

Answer 33

A procedure in which each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to each group within an experimental.

Question 34

reliability

Answer 34

The degree to which independent measurements of a given behaviour are consistent.

Question 35

replicability

Answer 35

The degree to which subsequent studies using the same procedure yield the same results as the original study.

Question 36

scientific method

Answer 36

An approach to testing beliefs that involves choosing a question, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and drawing a conclusion.

Question 37

sociocultural context

Answer 37

The physical, social, cultural, political, economic, and historical circumstances that make up any child's environment.

Question 38

stage theories

Answer 38

Approaches proposing that development involves a series of large, discontinuous, age related phases.

Question 39

socioeconomic status (SES)

Answer 39

A measure of social class based on income and education.

Question 40

structured observation

Answer 40

A method that involves presenting an identical situation to each participant and recording the participants behaviour.

Question 41

structured interview

Answer 41

A research procedure in which all participants are asked to answer the same questions.

Question 42

test-retest reliability

Answer 42

The degree of similarity of a participants performance on two or more occasions.

Question 43

third-variable problem

Answer 43

The concept that a correlation between two variables may stem from both being influences by some third variable.

Question 44

validity

Answer 44

The degree to which a test measures what it is intended to measure.

Question 45

variables

Answer 45

Attributes that vary across individuals and situations, such as age, sex, and popularity.