Key Terms

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accommodation: adjustment of a schema by changing a scheme to accommodate new information different from what was already known

adolescence: period of development that begins at puberty and ends at early adulthood

adrenarche: maturing of the adrenal glands

advance directive: a written legal document that details specific interventions a person wants (see living will)

assimilation: adjustment of a schema by adding information similar to what is already known

attachment: long-standing connection or bond with others

authoritarian parenting style: parents place a high value on conformity and obedience, are often rigid, and express little warmth to the child

authoritative parenting style: parents give children reasonable demands and consistent limits, express warmth and affection, and listen to the child’s point of view

avoidant attachment: characterized by child’s unresponsiveness to parent, does not use the parent as a secure base, and does not care if parent leaves

cognitive development: domain of lifespan development that examines learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity

cognitive empathy: ability to take the perspective of others and to feel concern for others

conception: when a sperm fertilizes an egg and forms a zygote

concrete operational stage: third stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; from about 7 to 11 years old, children can think logically about real (concrete) events

conservation: idea that even if you change the appearance of something, it is still equal in size, volume, or number as long as nothing is added or removed

continuous development: view that development is a cumulative process: gradually improving on existing skills

critical (sensitive) period: time during fetal growth when specific parts or organs develop

developmental milestone: approximate ages at which children reach specific normative events

discontinuous development: view that development takes place in unique stages, which happen at specific times or ages

disorganized attachment: characterized by the child’s odd behavior when faced with the parent; type of attachment seen most often with kids that are abused

do not resuscitate (DNR): a legal document stating that if a person stops breathing or their heart stops, medical personnel such as doctors and nurses are not to take steps to revive or resuscitate the patient

egocentrism: preoperational child’s difficulty in taking the perspective of others

embryo: newly defined period of lifespan development from 18 years old to the mid-20s; young people are taking longer to complete college, get a job, get married, and start a family

emerging adulthood: memories that are not part of our consciousness

fine motor skills: use of muscles in fingers, toes, and eyes to coordinate small actions

formal operational stage: final stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; from age 11 and up, children are able to deal with abstract ideas and hypothetical situations

gonadarche: maturing of the sex glands

gross motor skills: use of large muscle groups to control arms and legs for large body movements

health care proxy: a legal document that appoints a specific person to make medical decisions for a patient if they are unable to speak for themselves

hospice: service that provides a death with dignity; pain management in a humane and comfortable environment; usually outside of a hospital setting

living will: a written legal document that details specific interventions a person wants; may include health care proxy

menarche: beginning of menstrual period; around 12–13 years old

mitosis: process of cell division

motor skills: ability to move our body and manipulate objects

nature: genes and biology

newborn reflexes: inborn automatic response to a particular form of stimulation that all healthy babies are born with

normative approach: study of development using norms, or average ages, when most children reach specific developmental milestones

nurture: environment and culture

object permanence: idea that even if something is out of sight, it still exists

permissive parenting style: parents make few demands and rarely use punishment

physical development: domain of lifespan development that examines growth and changes in the body and brain, the senses, motor skills, and health and wellness

placenta: structure connected to the uterus that provides nourishment and oxygen to the developing baby

prenatal care: medical care during pregnancy that monitors the health of both the mother and the fetus

preoperational stage: second stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; from ages 2 to 7, children learn to use symbols and language but do not understand mental operations and often think illogically

primary sexual characteristics: organs specifically needed for reproduction

psychosexual development: process proposed by Freud in which pleasure-seeking urges focus on different erogenous zones of the body as humans move through five stages of life

psychosocial development: domain of lifespan development that examines emotions, personality, and social relationships

psychosocial development: process proposed by Erikson in which social tasks are mastered as humans move through eight stages of life from infancy to adulthood

resistant attachment: characterized by the child’s tendency to show clingy behavior and rejection of the parent when they attempt to interact with the child

reversibility: principle that objects can be changed, but then returned back to their original form or condition
schema: (plural = schemata) concept (mental model) that is used to help us categorize and interpret information

secondary sexual characteristics: physical signs of sexual maturation that do not directly involve sex organs

secure attachment: characterized by the child using the parent as a secure base from which to explore

secure base: parental presence that gives the infant/toddler a sense of safety as they explore their surroundings

sensorimotor stage: first stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development; from birth through age 2, a child learns about the world through senses and motor behavior

socioemotional selectivity theory: social support/friendships dwindle in number, but remain as close, if not more close than in earlier years

spermarche: first male ejaculation

stage of moral reasoning: process proposed by Kohlberg; humans move through three stages of moral development

temperament: innate traits that influence how one thinks, behaves, and reacts with the environment

teratogen: biological, chemical, or physical environmental agent that causes damage to the developing embryo or fetus

uninvolved parenting style: parents are indifferent, uninvolved, and sometimes referred to as neglectful; they don’t respond to the child’s needs and make relatively few demands

zygote: structure created when a sperm and egg merge at conception; begins as a single cell and rapidly divides to form the embryo and placent