Glossary

accommodation	in Piaget's theory, an individual's adjustment to new information. (See 43)



assimilation	in Piaget's theory, an individual's incorporation of new information into her or his existing knowledge. (See 43)



case study	in-depth look at an individual. (See 57)



correlational research	research whose goal is to describe the strength of the relation between two or more events or characteristics. (See 58)



cross-sectional research	research that studies people all at one time. (See 59)



dependent variable	the factor that is measured as the result of an experiment. (See 59)



eclectic theoretical orientation	an approach that does not follow any one theoretical approach, but instead selects and uses whatever is considered the best in many different theories. (See 53)



ecological theory	Bronfenbrenner's environmental system view of development, involving five environmental systems-microsystem, mesosystem, eosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. These emphasize the role of social contexts in development. (See 51)



Erikson's theory	he proposed eight stages of psychosocial development that unfold throughout the human life span. Each stage consists of a unique developmental task that confronts individuals with a crisis that must be faced. (See 41)



ethology	an approach that stresses that behavior is strongly influenced by biology, tied to evolution, and characterized by critical or sensitive periods. (See 49)



experimental research	research involving experiments that permit the determination of cause. A carefully regulated procedure in which one or more of the factors believed to influence the behavior being studied is manipulated and all other factors are held constant. (See 58)



hypotheses	specific assumptions and predictions that can be tested to determine their accuracy. (See 38)



independent variable	the manipulated, influential, experimental factor in an experiment. (See 58)



information-processing approach	emphasizes that individuals manipulate information, monitor it, and strategize about it. Central to information processing are the processes of memory and thinking. (See 46, 280)



laboratory	a controlled setting from which many of the complex factors of the real world have been removed. (See 56)



longitudinal research	research that studies the same people over a period of time, usually several years or more. (See 59)



naturalistic observation	observations that take place out in the real world instead of in a laboratory. (See 56)



Piaget's theory	the theory that children actively construct their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development. (See 43)



psychoanalytic theory	describes development as primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion. Behavior is merely a surface characteristic. It is important to analyze the symbolic meanings of behavior. Early experiences are important in development. (See 39)



random assignment	in experimental research, the assignment of participants to experimental and control groups by chance. (See 59)



scientific method	an approach that can be used to discover accurate information. It includes these steps: Conceptualize the problem, collect data, draw conclusions, and revise research conclusions and theory. (See 37)



self-efficacy	Bandura's personal concept, which refers to the expectation that one can master a situation and produce positive outcomes. (See 48, 417)



social cognitive theory	states that behavior, environment, and person/cognitive factors are important in understanding development. (See 48)



standardized tests	commercially prepared tests that assess performance in different domains. A standardized test often allows a child's performance to be compared with the performance of other children at the same age, in many cases on a national level. (See 57)



theory	an interrelated, coherent set of ideas that helps to explain and make predictions. (See 37)



Vygotksky's theory	a sociocultural cognitive theory that emphasizes developmental analysis, the role of language, and social relations. (See 44)

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