| continuity-discontinuity issue | Focuses on the extent to which development involves gradual, cumulative change or distinct stages
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| cross-sectional approach | A research strategy in which individuals of different ages are compared simultaneously
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| development | Pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and continues through the human life span
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| ethology | Study of behavior as it is strongly influenced by biology, tied to evolution, and characterized by critical or sensitive periods
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| information-processing theory | Emphasizes that individuals manipulate information, monitor it, and strategize about it
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| life-span perspective | The perspective that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual; it involves growth, maintenance, and regulation
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| longitudinal approach | A research strategy in which the same individuals are studied repeatedly over a period of time, usually several years or more
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| nature-nurture issue | Refers to the debate about whether development is primarily influenced by what we are born with or by our environmental experiences as we grow
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| psychoanalytic theory | Describes development as primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion
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| social cognitive theory | Emphasizes behavior, environment, and cognition as the key factors in development
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