Themes and Methods in Developmental Psychology - AP Psychology

Lawrence Kohlberg. Identified six stages of moral reasoning from childhood to adulthood.

Understanding genetic and environmental influences on behavior. Studies how genes and environment interact to shape individual differences.

Difficulty seeing perspectives other than one's own. Common in preoperational children who assume others share their viewpoint.

Albert Bandura. Demonstrated how children learn aggressive behaviors through observation and imitation.

The bonds between infants and their caregivers. Essential for emotional development and later relationship patterns.

The Zone of Proximal Development. The gap between what a child can do alone versus with help.

Formal operational stage. Final stage in Piaget's theory, developing around age 11-12.

Human development is influenced by different environmental systems. Bronfenbrenner's model showing nested environmental influences on development.

Alcohol. Harmful substance that can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Attachment style in infants. Mary Ainsworth's procedure revealing secure, avoidant, or anxious attachment.

Lawrence Kohlberg. Identified six stages of moral reasoning from childhood to adulthood.

Support provided to help a child achieve a task. Temporary assistance that's gradually removed as competence increases.

Experiment. Allows researchers to establish cause-and-effect relationships in development.

Concrete operational stage. Ages 7-11 when logical thinking develops for concrete objects.

Difficulty seeing perspectives other than one's own. Common in preoperational children who assume others share their viewpoint.

Differences due to the unique experiences of a particular age group. Historical events shape generations differently, confounding age effects in research.

Combines cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Allows researchers to separate age effects from cohort effects.

Empathy. Critical for prosocial behavior and healthy social relationships.

Habituation method. Measures decreased attention to familiar stimuli, indicating learning has occurred.

The ability to recover from adversity. The capacity to bounce back and thrive despite facing challenges.

Development from birth to death. Emphasizes that development continues throughout the entire human lifespan.

An agent causing birth defects during prenatal development. Environmental factors like drugs, diseases, or toxins affecting fetal development.

Cultural bias and gender insensitivity. Theory primarily reflected Western male perspectives on moral reasoning.

Symbolic thinking and egocentrism. Children ages 2-7 can use symbols but struggle with logic.

Understanding that objects continue to exist when not seen. Key milestone typically achieved during Piaget's sensorimotor stage.

Fetal stage. Spans from 9 weeks to birth, when major organ development occurs.

Attachment theory. Infants prefer familiar caregivers and show wariness of strangers.

A specific time when certain skills or abilities are most easily learned. Missing this window may make later learning more difficult or impossible.

Trust vs. Mistrust. Occurs in infancy when babies learn whether caregivers are reliable.