Chapter 1
Naturalistic observation
studying people in their normal environments
case study
in depth examination of a single individual
Social clock
set of age norms that defines a sequence of life experiences that is considered normal in a culture and that all individuals in that culture are expected to follow
sensitive period
span of months or years where a child may be particularly responsive to specific forms of experience or particularly influenced by their absence
sequential design
Research design that combines cross sectional and longitudinal examinations of development
Cohort
Group of individuals who share the same historical experiences at the same times in their lives
maturation
Gradual unfolding of a generically programmed sequential pattern of change
Experiment
A study that tests a casual hypothesis
Quantitative change
A change in amount
Lifespan perspective
Current view of developmentalists that changes happen throughout the entire human lifespan and that changes must be interpreted in light of the culture & context in which they occur; thus interdisciplinary research is critical to understanding human development
Critical period
specific period in development when an organism is especially sensitive to the prescense (or absence) of some particular kind of experience
Physical domain
changes in the size, shape, and characteristics of the body
Survey
A data collection method in which participants respond to questions
Independent variable
presumed casual element in an experiment
Control group
The group in a experiment that recieves either no special treatment or neutral treatment
Norm- referenced tests
tests that compare an individuals score to the average score of same aged peers
stages
Distinct periods of development
Dependent variable
characteristic / behaviour that's expected to be affected by the independent variable
Ageism
prejudicial view of Older adults
Atypical development
Deviates from typical developmental pathway
Longitudinal design
Research design in which people in a single group are studied at different times in their lives
Ethnography
A detailed description of a single Culture/Context
Experimental group
Group that recieves the treatment the experimenter thinks will produce a particular effect
Qualitative Change
A change in characteristic, kind, or type
Cognitive domain
changes in thinking, memory, problem solving and other intellectual skills
Research ethics
Guidelines to protect rights of animals/people in studies
Norms
Average ages at which developmental milestones are reached
Interactionist model
Theory that development results from complex reciprocal interactions between multiple personal & environmental factors
correlation
Relationship between variables expressed as a number from -1 to +1
Cross sectional design
Research design where groups of different ages are compared
social domain
changes in Variables that are associated with the relationship of an individual to others
Human development
study of age-related changes in our bodies, behaviour, thinking, emotions, social relationships & personalities