| accommodation | Piaget's term to describe the manner by which cognitive structures change.
|
 |
|
|
| achieved identity | A sense of one's self based on personal effort and commitment.
|
|
|
|
| action research | Formal methodology that involves collaborative investigation and co-learning to solve immediate problems and contribute to greater society.
|
|
|
|
| active euthanasia | Intentionally ending a person's life.
|
|
|
|
| activity theory | Humans flourish/thrive through interactions with others and physical activity, and suffer in the absence of such stimulation.
|
|
|
|
| adaptation | One of the two functional invariants in Piaget's theory.
|
|
|
|
| adolescent egocentrism | Self-centered thinking patterns of childhood that sometimes occur in the teen years.
|
|
|
|
| adoption | The process of voluntarily taking a child of other parents as one's own.
|
|
|
|
| advocate | To actively work on behalf of a person, cause, or idea.
|
|
|
|
| afterbirth | Stage 3 of the birth process in which the placenta and other membranes are discharged.
|
|
|
|
| ageism | Stereotyping or unfair treatment of individuals or groups because of their age.
|
|
|
|
| aging by program | Theory that we age because aging is programmed into us.
|
|
|
|
| AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) | Disease caused by the HIV virus, which can invade a newborn baby's immune system, thus making it vulnerable to infections and life-threatening illnesses.
|
|
|
|
| Alzheimer's disease | Brain disease involving progressive, irreversible loss of neurons and manifesting as impaired memory, judgment, decision making, orientation to the environment, and language.
|
|
|
|
| amniocentesis | Fetal testing procedure that involves inserting a needle through the woman's abdomen, piercing the amniotic sac, and withdrawing a sample of amniotic fluid.
|
|
|
|
| amniotic sac | Fluid-filled uterine sac that surrounds the embryo/ fetus.
|
|
|
|
| analgesics | Mild medications used to alleviate pain; may be used before and during labor.
|
|
|
|
| analytic intelligence | Sternberg's term to describe a person's ability to break down a problem or situation into the smaller parts of the whole.
|
|
|
|
| androgyny | Gender-role identification that allows expression of both male and female gender roles.
|
|
|
|
| anesthetics | Stronger medications used during labor to control pain; can numb mother to pain in the various stages of labor.
|
|
|
|
| animism | Children's preoperational activity in which they consider inanimate objects to possess human thought, feelings, and actions.
|
|
|
|
| anorexia nervosa | An eating disorder characterized by low body weight and distorted body image.
|
|
|
|
| anoxia | Insufficient oxygen supply during labor and delivery, which can cause fetal brain damage or death.
|
|
|
|
| anticipatory grief | Grief that is experienced before the death of a person.
|
|
|
|
| Apgar scale | A test to evaluate a newborn's basic life signs administered at 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth.
|
|
|
|
| apnea | Brief periods when breathing is suspended.
|
|
|
|
| arthritis | Tissue inflammation in and around the joints.
|
|
|
|
| artificial intelligence | Human intelligence simulated by machines; a specific field of computer science.
|
|
|
|
| ascribed identity | A sense of one's self based on determination of others, not the individual.
|
|
|
|
| assimilation | Piaget's term to describe the manner in which we incorporate data into our cognitive structures.
|
|
|
|
| assisted reproduction technologies | External fertilization procedures; fertilization occurs with help outside the woman's body.
|
|
|
|
| asthma | Lung disorder resulting in bronchial tubes filling with mucus and tightening.
|
|
|
|
| attachment | Behavior intended to keep a child (or adult) in close proximity to a significant other.
|
|
|
|
| attention deficit disorder | A disability related to inattention and lack of focus.
|
|
|
|
| attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) | A disability related to inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
|
|
|
|
| authoritarian parenting | Baumrind's term for parents who are demanding and want immediate obedience as the most desirable trait in a child.
|
|
|
|
| authoritative parenting | Baumrind's term for parents who respond to their child's needs and wishes; they believe in parental control and attempt to explain the reasons for it to their child.
|
|
|
|
| autoimmunity | Process by which the immune system in the body rejects the body's own tissue.
|
|
|
|
| autonomous morality | Piaget's term for moral development in children after age 11; actions must be thought of in terms of intentions and consequences.
|
|
|
|
| axons | Branchlike ends of neurons that send electrochemical signals between cells.
|
|
|
|
| babbling | Infants' production of sounds approximating speech between 5 and 7 months.
|
|
|
|
| Babinski reflex | Automatic response in which an infant's toes spread out in response to stroking the sole of the foot from heel to toes.
|
|
|
|
| basal metabolism rate (BMR) | The minimum amount of energy a person uses when in a resting state.
|
|
|
|
| battered child syndrome | A combination of physical and other signs that indicate a child's injuries result from physical abuse.
|
|
|
|
| bioecological model | The continuity and change in the biopsychosocial characteristics of human beings, both as individuals and as groups.
|
|
|
|
| biological death | Occurs when it is no longer possible to discern an electrical charge in the tissues of the heart and lungs.
|
|
|
|
| biopsychosocial interactions | Biological, psychological, and social/environmental forces that combine to impact human development across the lifespan.
|
|
|
|
| blastocyst | The fertilized egg when it reaches the uterus (about 7 days after conception).
|
|
|
|
| body mass index (BMI) | Measurement used to compare a person's height and weight to determine a healthy body weight.
|
|
|
|
| bonding | The formation of a close connection between newborn and caregiver, typically parents.
|
|
|
|
| brain death | Occurs when the brain fails to receive a sufficient supply of oxygen for a short period of time (usually 8 to minutes).
|
|
|
|
| Braxton-Hicks contractions | Relatively mild muscle contractions that occur before real contractions begin.
|
|
|
|
| Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale | Device to assess an infant's behavior; examines both neurological and psychological responses.
|
|
|
|
| breech birth | Birth in which the baby is born feet first, buttocks first, or in a crosswise position (transverse presentation).
|
|
|
|
| bulemia nervosa | An eating disorder featuring binge eating and purging.
|
|
|
|
| bullying | The act of using verbal or physical means to intimidate or embarrass someone else.
|
|
|
|
| cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) | Technique for reviving an individual's lungs and heart that have ceased to function.
|
|
|
|
| cataracts | Thickening of the eye lenses; cause blurred, cloudy vision.
|
|
|
|
| centration | Feature of preoperational thought; the centering of attention on one aspect of an object and the neglecting of any other features.
|
|
|
|
| cerebral palsy | A condition resulting from an inability of the brain to control the body; result of brain damage before, during, or after delivery.
|
|
|
|
| cesarean section | Surgery performed to deliver the baby through the abdomen if the baby cannot come through the birth canal.
|
|
|
|
| change agent | Someone who helps bring about change to better human lives or conditions.
|
|
|
|
| child abuse | Infliction of injury to a child; commonly includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, or neglect.
|
|
|
|
| cholesterol | Substance in the blood that can adhere to the walls of the blood vessels, restricting blood flow and causing strokes and heart attacks.
|
|
|
|
| chorionic villi sampling (CVS) | A prenatal test that examines a small section of the embryo's outer layer.
|
|
|
|
| chromosomes | Threadlike structures in the cell that come in 23 pairs (46 total) and contain the genetic material DNA. Each parent contributes half of each chromosome pair.
|
|
|
|
| circular reactions | Piaget's term for infants' motor activity that is repeated in developing stages.
|
|
|
|
| classical conditioning | The learning process in which a neutral stimulus produces an involuntary response that is usually elicited by another stimulus.
|
|
|
|
| classification | Ability to group objects with some similarities within a larger category.
|
|
|
|
| climacteric | The midlife change in hormone levels that affects fertility.
|
|
|
|
| clinical death | The individual is dead when his or her respiration and heartbeat have stopped.
|
|
|
|
| clique | Group of friends who share similar interests and activities.
|
|
|
|
| closed adoption | Adoption procedures in which the biological parents know nothing about the adopting parents.
|
|
|
|
| code of ethics | A guiding set of principles for members of a particular group.
|
|
|
|
| cognitive structures | Piaget's term to describe the basic tools of cognitive development.
|
|
|
|
| cohabitation | A living arrangement in which unmarried partners share a residence and personal assets and sometimes have a child.
|
|
|
|
| collagen | Major connective tissue in the body; provides the elasticity in human skin and blood vessels.
|
|
|
|
| competence | The ability to do something well.
|
|
|
|
| complicated grief | Prolonged and intensified grief; may take weeks or months to pass.
|
|
|
|
| concrete operational stage | Piaget's third stage of cognitive development, between the ages of 7 and 11 years, in which children's thinking is much more flexible than in early childhood.
|
|
|
|
| conservation | The understanding that an object retains certain properties even though surface features change.
|
|
|
|
| constructivism | The belief that children create, organize, and transform knowledge through active engagement in their environment.
|
|
|
|
| constructivist approach | Learning approach in which children are encouraged to be active participants in constructing knowledge and learn by interacting with their environment.
|
|
|
|
| continuity | The lasting quality of experiences; development proceeds steadily and sequentially.
|
|
|
|
| convergent thinking | Thinking used when a problem to be solved has one correct answer.
|
|
|
|
| cooing | Early language sounds that resemble vowels.
|
|
|
|
| coordination of secondary schemes | Piaget's term for when infants combine secondary schemes to obtain a goal.
|
|
|
|
| crawling | Movement on hands and knees; the trunk does not touch the ground.
|
|
|
|
| creative intelligence | Sternberg's term to describe a person's ability to solve problems in unique ways and to feel comfortable with new or different situations and ideas.
|
|
|
|
| creeping | Movement whereby the infant's abdomen touches the floor and the weight of the head and shoulders rests on the elbows.
|
|
|
|
| cross-linkage theory | The theory that, when cross-links are formed between peptides, the proteins are altered, often for the worse.
|
|
|
|
| cross-sectional studies | Studies that compare groups of individuals of various ages at the same time.
|
|
|
|
| crowd | Reputation-based group whose members may or may not spend time with one another.
|
|
|
|
| crystallized intelligence | Accumulated information and verbal skills over time, reflecting the effect of culture and learning; allows a person to make connections between information and/or objects.
|
|
|
|
| culture | The customs, values, and traditions inherent in one's environment.
|
|
|
|
| cystic fibrosis (CF) | Chromosomal disorder producing a malfunction of the exocrine glands.
|
|
|
|
| cytomegalovirus (CMV) | A widespread infection, often unrecognized in pregnant women, that can cause severe fetal damage.
|
|
|
|
| date rape | Coercive sexual activity between a victim and an offender who is known or an acquaintance.
|
|
|
|
| day care | Services and care for children provided outside the children's home.
|
|
|
|
| decentration | The ability to focus on several features of an object or task.
|
|
|
|
| decode | To pronounce words correctly using knowledge of letters and sounds.
|
|
|
|
| defense mechanisms | Psychological strategies to cope with anxiety or perceived threats.
|
|
|
|
| deferred imitation | Children's preoperational behavior that continues after they witnessed the original action or event.
|
|
|
|
| delayed grief | Grief that is postponed for an inordinate time.
|
|
|
|
| dementia | Deterioration of cognitive function over time caused by brain infection or disease.
|
|
|
|
| dendrites | Branchlike ends of neurons that receive and conduct the electrochemical signals between the cells.
|
|
|
|
| descriptive studies | Studies that gather information on subjects without manipulating them in any way.
|
|
|
|
| DES (diethylstilbestrol) | A synthetic hormone that was administered to pregnant women in the late 1940s and 1950s supposedly to prevent miscarriage. It was later found that the daughters of the women who had received this treatment were more susceptible to vaginal and cervical cancer.
|
|
|
|
| despair | The negative resolution of Erikson's last stage; individuals look back over their lives and feel that they have made many wrong decisions or no decisions at all and see life as lacking integrity.
|
|
|
|
| developing readers | Readers who use letter sounds, words, illustrations, and their own knowledge to predict meaning.
|
|
|
|
| developmental risk | Risk to children's well-being involving a range of damaging biopsychosocial conditions.
|
|
|
|
| developmental systems theory | Set of beliefs leading to the conclusion that we construct our own views of the world.
|
|
|
|
| development | The process of changing and the changes that occur through the lifespan.
|
|
|
|
| dilation | The first stage of the birth process, during which the cervix dilates to about 4 inches in diameter.
|
|
|
|
| discontinuity | Behaviors that are apparently unrelated to earlier aspects of development.
|
|
|
|
| disengagement theory | The elderly will remove themselves from many social networks.
|
|
|
|
| distorted grief | Normal grief carried to an extreme degree; adoption of deceased person's ailments.
|
|
|
|
| divergent thinking | Thinking used when a problem to be solved has many possible answers.
|
|
|
|
| DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) | A molecule with the shape of a double helix that contains genetic information.
|
|
|
|
| doula | A woman trained as a caregiver to provide ongoing support to pregnant women before, during, and after delivery.
|
|
|
|
| downsizing | A reduction in a company's workforce to improve its total revenue.
|
|
|
|
| Down syndrome | Chromosomal disorder caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21.
|
|
|
|
| dual-career family | Family in which both partners work, usually full time.
|
|
|
|
| early-onset trajectory | Criminal behavior that begins before puberty.
|
|
|
|
| egocentric speech | The form of speech in which children carry on lively conversations with themselves or others.
|
|
|
|
| egocentrism | Piaget's term for the child's focus on self in early phases of cognitive development.
|
|
|
|
| ego | Freud's notion of the central part of our personality; keeps id in check.
|
|
|
|
| elaboration | An association between two or more pieces of information that are not necessarily related.
|
|
|
|
| Electroencephalogram (EEG) | Recording of the electrical activity produced by the firing of neurons in the brain.
|
|
|
|
| embryonic period | 3rd through the 8th week following fertilization.
|
|
|
|
| emergent readers | Children who possess skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are developmental precursors to formal reading.
|
|
|
|
| emerging adulthood | Transition from adolescence to adulthood (approximately ages 18 to 25 years) that includes exploration and experimentation.
|
|
|
|
| emotional divorce | Sometimes partners learn to "withstand" each other. The only activities and interests they shared are ones that revolve around the children.
|
|
|
|
| empty nest syndrome | The feelings parents may have as a result of their last child leaving home.
|
|
|
|
| epigenetic view | View of lifespan development that stresses the ongoing interaction between heredity and the environment.
|
|
|
|
| episiotomy | A surgical cut made to widen the vaginal opening.
|
|
|
|
| equilibration | Piaget's term to describe the balance between assimilation and accommodation.
|
|
|
|
| ethics of care | Gilligan's perspective on moral thinking in which people view moral decisions in terms of relationships and responsibilities to others.
|
|
|
|
| ethology | Scientific field that stresses behavior is strongly influenced by biology and is linked to evolution.
|
|
|
|
| euthanasia | The ending of a life, usually in a person with a terminal illness, to prevent a prolonged and painful death.
|
|
|
|
| evolutionary developmental psychology | Explanation of development that rests on the assumption that our physiological and psychological systems resulted from evolution by selection.
|
|
|
|
| executive functioning | Cognitive efforts involving attention and critical thinking.
|
|
|
|
| exosystem | Environment in which the developing person is not present but that nevertheless affects development.
|
|
|
|
| explicit memory | Refers to facts and experiences that a person can remember and share.
|
|
|
|
| expressive language | The language children use to express their ideas and needs.
|
|
|
|
| expulsion | Stage 2 of the birth process; the baby passes through the birth canal.
|
|
|
|
| extinction | The systematic process in which behaviors are deconditioned or eliminated.
|
|
|
|
| failure to thrive (FTT) | Medical term for infants whose weight gain and physical growth fall far below average during the first years of life.
|
|
|
|
| fallopian tube | Either of a pair of tubes that join the ovary to the uterus.
|
|
|
|
| fast mapping | Children's use of surrounding context to understand words' meaning.
|
|
|
|
| feminist movement | A social and political movement that seeks to establish equality for women in all aspects of life.
|
|
|
|
| fetal alcohol syndrome | The condition of babies whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy that is characterized by growth deficiencies, physical abnormalities, and CNS dysfunction.
|
|
|
|
| fetal monitor | Electronic device used to monitor the baby's heartbeat throughout labor.
|
|
|
|
| fetal period | Period that extends from beginning of the 3rd month to birth.
|
|
|
|
| fine motor skills | Small muscle skills involving hands and fingers that result from physical development.
|
|
|
|
| five factor model (FFM) of personality | McCrae and Costa's theory that there are five major personality traits, which they believe govern the adult personality.
|
|
|
|
| fluid intelligence | The ability to think and act quickly and solve problems, as well as the ability to use abstract thinking.
|
|
|
|
| forceps | Metal clamps placed around the baby's head to pull the baby through the birth canal.
|
|
|
|
| formal operational stage | Piaget's fourth stage of cognitive development, featuring abstract thought and scientific thinking.
|
|
|
|
| fragile X syndrome | Chromosomal disorder caused by an impaired X chromosome.
|
|
|
|
| fraternal twins | Twins who develop from two eggs fertilized by separate sperm; individuals do not share identical genetic makeup.
|
|
|
|
| gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) | An ART technique in which sperm and egg are surgically placed in a fallopian tube with the intent of achieving fertilization.
|
|
|
|
| gender identity | The conviction that one is either male or female.
|
|
|
|
| gender role | Culturally defined expectations about how females and males should act.
|
|
|
|
| gender | Social/psychological aspects of being male or female.
|
|
|
|
| gender stereotypes | Rigid beliefs about characteristics of males and females.
|
|
|
|
| gene | A segment of DNA that is a unit of hereditary information.
|
|
|
|
| generativity | Erikson's term for the ability to be useful to self and to society.
|
|
|
|
| genital herpes | Infection that can be contracted by a fetus during delivery; the infant can develop symptoms during the first week following the birth.
|
|
|
|
| genome | All of the hereditary information needed to maintain a living organism.
|
|
|
|
| genotype | A person's genetic makeup that is invisible to the naked eye.
|
|
|
|
| germinal period | First two weeks following fertilization.
|
|
|
|
| gerontology | The field of science that deals with issues, problems, and diseases specific to older adults.
|
|
|
|
| glaucoma | Damage to the optic nerve caused by pressure that results from a buildup of fluid in the eye.
|
|
|
|
| global community | Consideration of all humans in the world as being closer because of advances in technology and communication; people are united in common interests relating to health and basic freedoms.
|
|
|
|
| globalization | The outsourcing of much work to a less expensive labor supply in foreign countries.
|
|
|
|
| goodness of fit | Concept coined by Chess and Thomas (1977) that describes the match between a child's temperament and his/ her environment.
|
|
|
|
| grasping reflex | Automatic response in which an infant's fingers curl toward palm of hand when object or finger is placed in palm.
|
|
|
|
| grief | An emotional response to the loss of another; includes feelings of anxiety, despair, sadness, and loneliness.
|
|
|
|
| gross motor skills | Large muscle skills resulting from physical development enabling children to perform smooth and coordinated physical acts.
|
|
|
|
| habituation | A decrease in an infant's attention.
|
|
|
|
| hazing | The practice of initiating individuals into group membership through arduous and demeaning tasks.
|
|
|
|
| Head Start | Government-supported early childhood program that provides education, health, and parenting education services to low-income families.
|
|
|
|
| health-care power of attorney | Legal document giving someone authority to make health-care decisions if one is incapacitated.
|
|
|
|
| helping professions | Professions that relate to people's physical, cognitive, and social-emotional well-being.
|
|
|
|
| heteronomous morality | Piaget's term for moral development in children aged 4 to 7; they conceive of rules as unchangeable.
|
|
|
|
| heterosexual | Sexual attraction to members of the opposite sex.
|
|
|
|
| HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) | Virus that attacks T cells of the human immune system.
|
|
|
|
| holophrases | One word that can communicate many meanings and ideas.
|
|
|
|
| homeostatic imbalance | Theory that aging is due to a failure in the systems that regulate the proper interaction of the organs.
|
|
|
|
| homosexual | Sexual attraction to members of the same sex.
|
|
|
|
| hormonal balance | Change in hormone levels, one of the triggers of puberty.
|
|
|
|
| hormone replacement therapy (HRT) | Menopause treatment whereby women receive hormone supplements.
|
|
|
|
| hospice | A program providing comfort and supportive services to those near the end of life and to their families.
|
|
|
|
| humanitarian | Efforts dedicated to improving the lives of human beings.
|
|
|
|
| hypothesis | A prediction that can be tested through research and subsequently supported or rejected.
|
|
|
|
| identical twins | Twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that divides after conception; individuals share identical genetic makeup.
|
|
|
|
| identity crisis | Erikson's term for those situations, usually in adolescence, that cause us to make major decisions about our identity.
|
|
|
|
| identity statuses | Marcia's categories that depict levels of crisis and commitment that contribute to a sense of identity.
|
|
|
|
| id | Freud's structure of mind relating to our basic instincts; strives to secure pleasure.
|
|
|
|
| imaginary audience | Adolescents' perception that others are constantly scrutinizing their behavior and appearance.
|
|
|
|
| immanent justice | Piaget's term for a child's belief that broken rules will be punished immediately.
|
|
|
|
| implantation | Attachment of the fertilized egg to the uterine wall.
|
|
|
|
| implicit memory | Refers to an unconscious or automatic process of remembering.
|
|
|
|
| inclusion | A child with special needs is educated in the regular classroom.
|
|
|
|
| independent readers | Competent, confident readers who use skills to derive meaning and enjoyment from reading.
|
|
|
|
| individualized education plan (IEP) | A written document (similar to a contract) that details an educational plan for a child to succeed under the supervision and guidance from the family, teachers and professionals, and administrators.
|
|
|
|
| Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) | Law that details rights and guidelines for students with disabilities in the United States.
|
|
|
|
| individuation | Refers to our developing a separate and special personality, derived less and less from our parents and teachers and more from our own behavior.
|
|
|
|
| induced labor | Labor initiated by doctors through use of medication and by breaking the amniotic sac.
|
|
|
|
| infantile amnesia | The inability to remember events from early in life.
|
|
|
|
| infertility | Inability to achieve pregnancy after 1 year of unprotected intercourse.
|
|
|
|
| information-processing theory | Cognitive theory that uses a computer metaphor to understand how the human mind processes information.
|
|
|
|
| inner speech | Internal speech that often accompanies physical movements, guiding behavior.
|
|
|
|
| inquiry | Investigating, questioning, following a hunch to see what happens.
|
|
|
|
| integrity | The resolution of each of the first seven crises in Erikson's theory should lead to the achievement of a sense of personal integrity. Older adults who have a sense of integrity feel their lives have been well spent.
|
|
|
|
| intelligence | A person's problem-solving skills and use of everyday experiences to inform learning.
|
|
|
|
| intelligence quotient (IQ) | Stern's concept of a child's intelligence, calculated by dividing mental age by chronological age, and multiplying by 100.
|
|
|
|
| internalization of schemes | Children's use of symbols to think about real events without actually experiencing them.
|
|
|
|
| intimacy | Erikson's stage that represents the ability to relate one's deepest hopes and fears to another person and to accept another's need for intimacy in turn.
|
|
|
|
| intrauterine insemination (IUI) | An ART technique in which sperm are injected directly into the uterus as part of the fertilization procedure.
|
|
|
|
| in vitro fertilization (IVF) | An ART technique in which fertilization occurs in a petri dish and the resulting embryos are transferred to the woman's uterus.
|
|
|
|
| isolette | Specially designed bed for premature infants that is temperature-controlled and enclosed in clear plastic; often referred to as an incubator.
|
|
|
|
| kangaroo care | Practice of skin-to-skin contact, positioning baby against caregiver's bare chest.
|
|
|
|
| Klinefelter syndrome | Chromosomal disorder in males caused by an XXY chromosomal pattern.
|
|
|
|
| knowledge-acquisition components | Sternberg's term for intelligence components that help us learn how to solve problems in the first place.
|
|
|
|
| Lamaze method | Natural childbirth method that stresses breathing and relaxation with the support of a partner.
|
|
|
|
| late-onset trajectory | Criminal behavior that begins after puberty.
|
|
|
|
| learning disability | A neurological disorder that impacts the brain's functioning.
|
|
|
|
| least restrictive environment: | A child with a disability must be educated in a setting that is similar to that of children who do not have disability.
|
|
|
|
| legal death | A legal pronouncement by a qualified person that a patient should be considered dead under the law.
|
|
|
|
| LGBT | An acronym referring to lesbian (female), gay (male), bisexual, and transgender individuals; it can include a Q for queer or questioning (LGBTQ).
|
|
|
|
| life course theory | Theory referring to a sequence of socially defined, age-graded events and roles that individuals enact over time.
|
|
|
|
| life crisis | Erikson's term to describe the main tension that individuals experience and seek to resolve during each of eight life stages.
|
|
|
|
| life expectancy | The number of years that a person born in a specific year is expected to live.
|
|
|
|
| lifespan development | An examination of the biological, cognitive/psychological, and social changes that occur over the course of a human life. This is one perspective in the broader psychology discipline.
|
|
|
|
| lifespan psychology | Study of human development from conception to death.
|
|
|
|
| living will | Legal document that describes specific life-prolonging medical treatments.
|
|
|
|
| longitudinal studies | Studies in which the researcher makes several observations of the same individuals at two or more times in their lives. Examples are determining the long-term effects of learning on behavior; the stability of habits and intelligence; and the factors involved in memory.
|
|
|
|
| macrosystem | The blueprint of any society.
|
|
|
|
| macular degeneration | An eye disease that affects the retina, impacting the center of a person's field of vision.
|
|
|
|
| manipulative experiments | Experiments in which the researcher attempts to keep all variables (all the factors that can affect a particular outcome) constant except one, which is carefully manipulated.
|
|
|
|
| meiosis | Cell division in which the number of chromosomes is halved to 23.
|
|
|
|
| menarche | A girl's first menstruation.
|
|
|
|
| menopause | Cessation of women's menstruation, typically occurring in the late 40s or early 50s.
|
|
|
|
| mental age | Binet's measure of an individual's mental development compared to that of others.
|
|
|
|
| mentoring | The act of assisting another, usually younger, person with his or her work or life tasks.
|
|
|
|
| mesosystem | The relationship among microsystems.
|
|
|
|
| metacomponents | Sternberg's term for intelligence components that help us plan, monitor, and evaluate our problem-solving strategies.
|
|
|
|
| microsystem | The home or school.
|
|
|
|
| midlife transition | Levinson's term to describe the period of life that bridges early and middle adulthood approximately ages 40 to 45.
|
|
|
|
| midwife | A woman trained in delivering babies; typically a nurse.
|
|
|
|
| mitosis | Cell division in which the number of chromosomes remains the same (46).
|
|
|
|
| modeling | Bandura's term for observational learning.
|
|
|
|
| moral development | Thinking, feeling, and behaving based on rules and customs about how people interact with others.
|
|
|
|
| Moro reflex | Infant's automatic response to sudden change in position or unexpected movement; arms and legs flail out in back in toward chest and back arches.
|
|
|
|
| mortality rate | The number of deaths in a population for a given year; typically, number of deaths per 1,000 people per year.
|
|
|
|
| mourning | Actions taken as a result of grieving.
|
|
|
|
| mutation | A change in DNA, affecting the genes, that occurs during mitosis by accident or because of environmental factors.
|
|
|
|
| myelination | Process by which speed of information traveling through nervous system increases, due to a fatty layer of cells on nerve cells in the brain.
|
|
|
|
| myelin | Sheath of insulation around axons that facilitates communication between neurons.
|
|
|
|
| naive psychology | Vygotsky's stage in which children explore objects and label objects as they acquire the grammar of their speech.
|
|
|
|
| natural childbirth (or prepared childbirth) | Term to describe techniques women use prior to and during the birth process to create the most natural experience possible during delivery.
|
|
|
|
| naturalistic experiments | Experiments in which the researcher acts solely as an observer and does as little as possible to disturb the environment. "Nature" performs the experiment, and the researcher acts as a recorder of the results.
|
|
|
|
| negative reinforcement | An event that, when it ceases to occur, makes that response more likely to happen in the future.
|
|
|
|
| neonate | An infant in the first days and weeks after birth.
|
|
|
|
| neurons | Nerve cells that transmit information with electrochemical signals.
|
|
|
|
| New York Longitudinal Study | Long-term study by Chess and Thomas of the personality characteristics of children.
|
|
|
|
| No Child Left Behind Act | Federal legislation based on the notion that high standards and measurable goals improve individual educational outcomes; requires assessments in basic skills to be given to all students in certain grades.
|
|
|
|
| non-stage theorists | Reading theorists who argue that reading develops naturally, as does language.
|
|
|
|
| novice phase | Levinson's phase of human development that captures the early adult transition, entering the adult world, and the age 30 transition.
|
|
|
|
| obesity | Based on BMI, greater than 85th percentile for sex and age.
|
|
|
|
| object permanence | Refers to children gradually realizing that there are permanent objects around them, even when these objects are out of sight.
|
|
|
|
| object permanence | The realization that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.
|
|
|
|
| observational learning | Bandura's term to explain the information we obtain from observing other people, things, and events.
|
|
|
|
| one-time, one-group studies | Studies carried out only once with one group of participants.
|
|
|
|
| open adoption | Adoption procedure in which biological parents have considerable input into the adoption process.
|
|
|
|
| operant conditioning | The use of consequences (reinforcement, punishment) to modify or shape voluntary behavior or actions.
|
|
|
|
| organization | Memory strategy that entails discovering and imposing an easy-to-remember structure on items to be memorized.
|
|
|
|
| organogenesis | Process by which organs are formed; occurs around 6 to 7 weeks of pregnancy.
|
|
|
|
| organ reserve | The part of the total capacity of our body's organs that we do not normally need to use.
|
|
|
|
| osteoporosis | A condition in which bones are thin and brittle due to calcium loss.
|
|
|
|
| overextensions | A language irregularity in which children apply a word in a broad manner to objects that do not fit.
|
|
|
|
| overregularization | Children's strict application of language rules they have learned.
|
|
|
|
| ovulation | The process in which the egg bursts from the surface of the ovary.
|
|
|
|
| oxytocin | Hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates uterine contractions; has been linked to bonding between caregivers and infants.
|
|
|
|
| passive euthanasia | Refraining from continuing efforts to sustain someone's life.
|
|
|
|
| perception | The process of obtaining and interpreting information from stimuli.
|
|
|
|
| performance components | Sternberg's term for intelligence components that help us execute the instructions of the metacomponents.
|
|
|
|
| permissive parenting | Baumrind's term for parents who take a tolerant, accepting view of their child's behavior and rarely make demands or use punishment.
|
|
|
|
| personal fable | Adolescents' tendency to think of themselves in heroic or mythical terms.
|
|
|
|
| phenotype | A person's observable characteristics or traits.
|
|
|
|
| phenylketonuria (PKU) | Inherited disease caused by a gene mutation.
|
|
|
|
| phonology | Sounds of a language.
|
|
|
|
| physician-assisted suicide (PAS) | Active euthanasia whereby doctors give patients death-inducing drugs.
|
|
|
|
| placenta | Supplies the embryo with all its needs, carries off all its wastes, and protects it from harm.
|
|
|
|
| plantar reflex | Automatic response in which an infant's toes curl inward when pressure is placed on balls of feet.
|
|
|
|
| play | Activity people engage in because they enjoy it for its own sake.
|
|
|
|
| policy | A course of action to guide and determine decisions.
|
|
|
|
| positive psychology | A branch of psychology that emphasizes the impact of positive psychological traits on individual and group behaviors.
|
|
|
|
| positive reinforcement | An event that increases the likelihood of a desired response in the future.
|
|
|
|
| postformal thought | A proposed cognitive development stage after Piaget's formal operations in which people acknowledge the relativistic nature of problems and answers.
|
|
|
|
| postpartum depression | Feelings of sadness and emotional withdrawal that continue for many weeks or months after delivery.
|
|
|
|
| postpartum period | Period lasting approximately 6 weeks after birth as mother adjusts physically and psychologically.
|
|
|
|
| practical intelligence | Sternberg's term to describe "common sense"—a simple, logical understanding of a situation and how to work through a problem.
|
|
|
|
| pragmatics | Ability to communicate with others.
|
|
|
|
| preintellectual speech | Vygotsky's category for cooing, crying, babbling, and bodily movements that develop into more sophisticated forms of speech.
|
|
|
|
| premature birth | Early birth; occurs at or before 37 weeks after conception and is defined by low birth weight and immaturity.
|
|
|
|
| preoperational period | Piaget's second stage of cognitive development, extending from about 2 to 7 years.
|
|
|
|
| primary circular reactions | Infants' actions that are focused on their own bodies and reflexes.
|
|
|
|
| prospective memory | The process of remembering to do something in the future.
|
|
|
|
| protective factors | Characteristics of resilient individuals that protect them from stress.
|
|
|
|
| psychoanalytic theory | Freud's theory of the development of personality; emphasis on the role of the unconscious.
|
|
|
|
| psychosocial theory | Erikson's stage theory that emphasizes the impact of social experiences throughout human development.
|
|
|
|
| psychosomatic | Physical illness or symptom brought about by mental factors.
|
|
|
|
| puberty | The process of physical changes by which a child's body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction.
|
|
|
|
| punishment | Process by which an unpleasant response is paired with an undesired behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring in the future.
|
|
|
|
| rape | Forced sexual intercourse when a person does not consent.
|
|
|
|
| reaction time | The time between the presence of a stimulus and the actual muscle activity that indicates a reaction to it.
|
|
|
|
| receptive language | The ability of the child to understand written and spoken language.
|
|
|
|
| reciprocal interactions | Interactions that shape relationships with others.
|
|
|
|
| reflex | An inborn, automatic response to certain stimuli.
|
|
|
|
| rehearsal | Mnemonic strategy that describes a person repeating target information.
|
|
|
|
| reinforcement | Anything that increases the likelihood a response will occur in the future.
|
|
|
|
| REM (rapid eye-movement) sleep | A period of deep sleep marked by eye movements; when vivid dreams occur.
|
|
|
|
| representation | A child's application of abstract thinking during the preoperational period.
|
|
|
|
| resilient children | Children who sustained some type of physiological or psychological trauma yet return to a normal developmental path.
|
|
|
|
| respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) | Problem common with premature babies; caused by lack of a substance that keeps air sacs in the lungs open.
|
|
|
|
| reticular activation system (RAS) | Complex subcortical system that protects the brain from being overwhelmed.
|
|
|
|
| retrieval | Memory strategy that enables obtaining information from memory; includes recognition and recall.
|
|
|
|
| retrospective memory | Memory of past event or item.
|
|
|
|
| reversibility | A cognitive act in which a child recognizes that she can use stages of reasoning to solve a problem and then trace the steps back to the original question or premise.
|
|
|
|
| Rh factor | Involves possible incompatibility between the blood types of mother and child. If the mother is Rh-negative and the child Rh-positive, miscarriage or even infant death can result.
|
|
|
|
| risk factors | The stressors that individuals experience, including poverty, chronic illness, and divorce.
|
|
|
|
| role discontinuity | Abrupt and disruptive change caused by conflicts among one's various roles in life.
|
|
|
|
| rooting reflex | Automatic response in which an infant turns toward a finger or nipple placed gently on her cheek, attempting to get it into her mouth.
|
|
|
|
| rubella | (also known as German measles) An infectious disease that can cause serious birth defects. If a woman contracts the disease during pregnancy, extremely dangerous to a fetus during the first trimester.
|
|
|
|
| sandwich generation | Term used to describe adults who are simultaneously caring for their children and their aging parents.
|
|
|
|
| scaffolding | The systematic use of support to assist a child in his or her performance on a given task.
|
|
|
|
| schemes | Piaget's term for organized patterns of thought and action.
|
|
|
|
| scientific method | An approach to investigation that includes empirical research, data collection, and testing.
|
|
|
|
| secondary circular reactions | Piaget's term for infants' activities that are directed toward objects and events outside themselves.
|
|
|
|
| secular trend | The decreasing age of the onset of puberty.
|
|
|
|
| self-concept | A person's evaluation of himself or herself.
|
|
|
|
| self-efficacy | A person's belief that she can behave in a certain way to achieve a desired goal.
|
|
|
|
| self-esteem | One's personal sense of worth and value.
|
|
|
|
| self-regulation | An individual's ability to initiate, terminate, delay, or modify thought, emotion, behavior, or action.
|
|
|
|
| semantics | Meaning of words and sentences.
|
|
|
|
| sensitive periods | Montessori's term for periods of children's development marked by sensitivity/readiness to learn.
|
|
|
|
| sensitive responsiveness | The ability to recognize the meaning of a child's behavior.
|
|
|
|
| sensorimotor period | The first 2 years of life.
|
|
|
|
| sequential (longitudinal/cross-sectional) studies | Cross-sectional studies done at several times with the same groups of individuals.
|
|
|
|
| seriation | The ability to order items along a quantitative dimension such as length or weight.
|
|
|
|
| sex | Biological maleness or femaleness.
|
|
|
|
| sex cleavage | Youngsters of the same sex tend to play and do things together.
|
|
|
|
| sexual harassment | Unwelcome sexual advances, such as repeated requests for sexual favors, or other comments or physical contact that lead to a very difficult work or other environment for the victim.
|
|
|
|
| sexual identity | How one thinks of oneself in terms of sexual and romantic attraction, linked to genetic traits/physical characteristics of male and female.
|
|
|
|
| sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) | Diseases that may cause infertility.
|
|
|
|
| sibling underworld | Familial subsystem, or coalition, of brothers and/or sisters.
|
|
|
|
| sickle-cell disease | Blood disorder resulting in abnormal hemoglobin.
|
|
|
|
| small for date | Term used for babies born or assessed as underweight for the length of the pregnancy.
|
|
|
|
| social (cognitive) learning | Bandura's theory that refers to the process whereby the information we glean from observing others influences our behavior.
|
|
|
|
| social constructivism | The belief that children construct knowledge through social interactions.
|
|
|
|
| social death | Point at which a patient is treated essentially as a corpse, although perhaps still "clinically" or "biologically" alive.
|
|
|
|
| socioemotional selectivity theory | Humans use social contact for four reasons: to ensure physical survival, to gain information, to maintain a sense of self, and to acquire pleasure and comfort.
|
|
|
|
| spina bifida | Genetic disorder resulting in the failure of the spinal column to close completely.
|
|
|
|
| spindle cells | Neurons that play a large role in emotion.
|
|
|
|
| stage theorists | Reading theorists who argue that reading occurs in distinct developmental stages.
|
|
|
|
| stage theorists | Theorists who consider stages of change across the lifespan and how one's personality interacts with the world.
|
|
|
|
| stagnation | Erikson's term for boredom, self-absorption, and the inability to contribute to society.
|
|
|
|
| stakeholder | Individual who is affected by the actions of a larger group or organization
|
|
|
|
| stepping reflex | Automatic response in which the neonate, held under the arms with feet touching a flat surface, makes stepping movements similar to actual walking.
|
|
|
|
| STORCH diseases | Syphilis, toxoplasmosis, other infections, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes.
|
|
|
|
| strange situation | Measure designed to assess the quality of attachment.
|
|
|
|
| stress | Anything that upsets a person's equilibrium—psychologically and physiologically.
|
|
|
|
| sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) | Unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant, usually between 2 and 4 months of age.
|
|
|
|
| superego | Freud's concept of our conscience; internal determinant of right and wrong.
|
|
|
|
| surrogate mother | A woman who carries another woman's fetus.
|
|
|
|
| symbolic play | Children's mental representation of an object or event and reenactment of it in their play; one object may represent a different object in the play scenario.
|
|
|
|
| synapse | A small gap between neurons.
|
|
|
|
| syntax | The way in which words are put together to construct sentences.
|
|
|
|
| syphilis | Sexually transmitted disease that, if untreated, may adversely affect the fetus.
|
|
|
|
| Tay-Sachs | Genetic disorder caused by the lack of an enzyme that breaks down fatty material in the CNS.
|
|
|
|
| telegraphic speech | Initial multiple-word utterances, usually two or three words.
|
|
|
|
| temperament | Individual differences; unique and stable styles of behaving.
|
|
|
|
| teratogens | Any environmental agents that harm the embryo or fetus.
|
|
|
|
| tertiary circular reaction | Piaget's term for repetition with variation; the infant is exploring the world's possibilities.
|
|
|
|
| thalidomide | Popular drug prescribed during the early 1960s that was later found to cause a variety of birth defects when taken by women early in their pregnancies.
|
|
|
|
| theory | A belief or idea that develops based on information or evidence; a proposed explanation for observed phenomena.
|
|
|
|
| theory of mind | Children's understanding of their own thoughts and mental processes.
|
|
|
|
| theory of multiple intelligences | Gardner's theory that attributes eight types of intelligence to humans.
|
|
|
|
| time-variable designs | A specific amount of time (duration) is allowed for a given study, or there is a specific number of times a measure is used in a given study.
|
|
|
|
| tonic-neck reflex | Automatic response in which an infant extends arm and leg on same side as the direction in which she is looking, while flexing other arm and leg.
|
|
|
|
| toxoplasmosis | Infection caused by a parasite; may cause damage to a fetus.
|
|
|
|
| trait theorists | Researchers who look at pieces of the personality (personality traits), as measured by detailed questionnaires.
|
|
|
|
| transitivity | The ability to understand relationships and combine them mentally to draw new conclusions.
|
|
|
|
| triarchic theory of intelligence | Sternberg's theory that intelligence consists of componential, experiential, and contextual parts.
|
|
|
|
| Turner syndrome | Chromosomal disorder in females caused by an XO chromosomal pattern.
|
|
|
|
| ultrasound | Use of sound waves and special equipment to produce an image that enables a physician to detect internal structural abnormalities.
|
|
|
|
| umbilical cord | Contains blood vessels that go to and from the mother through the arteries and veins supplying the placenta.
|
|
|
|
| uninvolved/neglectful parenting | Term for parents who are undemanding and emotionally unsupportive of their child.
|
|
|
|
| vacuum extractor | Plastic cup attached to a suction device that pulls the baby through the birth canal.
|
|
|
|
| validation | Fromm's term for the reciprocal sharing of deep secrets and feelings that allows people to feel loved and accepted.
|
|
|
|
| wisdom | Superior insight and judgment that can come only from experience.
|
|
|
|
| word spurt | Rapid increase of vocabulary from 18 months to years.
|
|
|
|
| work–family conflict | Phenomenon that occurs when a person's roles as caregiver and worker conflict or overlap.
|
|
|
|
| XYY syndrome | Chromosomal disorder in males caused by an extra Y chromosome.
|
|
|
|
| zone of proximal development | Vygotsky's term for a range of ability in a given task, where the higher limit is achieved through interaction with others.
|
|
|
|
| zone of proximal development (ZPD) | The range of ability a child possesses on a given task, from working independently to working with assistance from adults or older children.
|
|
|
|
| zygote | The cell that results when an egg is fertilized by a sperm.
|