(See related pages)
Below are the key terms featured in this chapter. The textbook's full glossary is also available for online searching.
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| Biological age | A person’s age in terms of biological health |
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| Biological processes | Changes in an individual’s physical nature |
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| Case study | An in-depth look at a single individual |
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| Chronological age | The number of years that has elapsed since a person’s birth |
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| Cognitive processes | Changes in the individual's thought, intelligence, and language |
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| Cohort effects | Effects due to a person’s time of birth or generation but not actual age |
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| Continuity-discontinuity issue | The issue regarding whether development involves gradual change or distinct stages |
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| Correlational research | To describe the strength of the relationship between two or more characteristics |
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| Cross-sectional approach | A research strategy in which individuals of different ages are compared at one time |
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| Descriptive research | Has the purpose of observing and recording behaviour |
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| Experiment | A carefully regulated procedure in which one or more of the factors believed to influence the behaviour being studied are manipulated, while all other factors are held constant |
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| Hypotheses | Specific assumptions and predictions that can be tested to determine their accuracy |
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| Laboratory | A controlled setting in which many of the complex factors of the “real world” are removed |
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| Life-history records | Records of information about a life time chronology of events and activities |
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| Longitudinal approach | A research strategy in which the same individuals are studied over a period of time |
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| Mental age | An individual’s ability to solve problems relative to others of the same chronological age |
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| Naturalistic observation | Observing behaviour in real –world settings. |
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| Nature-nurture issue | Debate about whether development is primarily influenced by heredity or experience |
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| Psychological age | An individual’s adaptive capacities compared with those of other individuals with the same chronological age |
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| Social age | Social roles and expectations related to a person's age |
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| Socio-emotional processes | Changes in an individual’s relationships with other people, emotions, and personality |
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| Stability-change issue | The issue of whether development is best described as involving stability or as involving change |
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| Standardized test | A test with uniform procedures for administration and scoring to allow a persons performance to be compared with other individuals |
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| Theory | An interrelated, coherent set of ideas that help explain and make predictions |