Chapter 1 Introduction
Terms
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- comparison group/control group
- a group of participants in a research study who are similar to the experimental group in all relevant ways but who do not experience the experiemental conditons (the independent variable)
- experiment
- A research method in which the researcher tries to determine the cause-and -effect relationship between two variables by manipulating one variable (called the independent variable) and then observing and recording the resulting changes in the other variable (called the dependent variable)
- cross-sectional research
- A research design that compares groups of people who differ in age but are similar in other imortant characteristics
- scientific observation
- A method of testing hypotheses by unobtrsively watching and recording participants' behavior in a systematic and objective manner, either in a laboratory or in a natural setting
- empirical
- it is based on data, on many experiences, on demonstrations, on facts
- qualitative research
- Reseach that considers qualities instead of quantities. Descriptiosn of particular conditiosn and participants' expressed ideas are often part of qualitative studies
- longitudinal research
- A research design in which the same individuals are followed over time and their development is repeatedly assessed.
- ethnic group
- People whose ancestors were born in the same region and who often share a language, culture, and religion
- code of ethnics
- A set of moral principles that members of a profession or group are expected to follow
- mirror neurons
- Brain cells that respond to actons performed by someone else, as if the observer had done that action. For example, the brains of dancers who witness another dancer moving onstage are activated in the same movement areas as would be activated if they themselves did that dance step, because their__reflect activity
- social construction
- An idea that is built more on shared perceptions than on objective reality. Many age-related terms, such as childhood, adolescence, yuppies, and senior citizens are social contructions.
- cohort
- A group of people who were born at about the same time and thus move through life together, experiencing the same historical events and cultural shifts
- scientific method
- A way to answer questions that requires empirical research and data-based conclusions
- replication
- The repitition of a scientific study, using the same procedures on a similar (but not identical) group of participants, in order to verify, refine, or dispute the orginial study's conclusions
- ecological-systems approach
- A vision of how human development should be studied, with the person considered in all the contexts and intt consititute a life.
- socioeconomic status
- A person's position in society as determined by income, wealth, occupation, education, place of residence, and other factors
- butterfly effect
- The idea that a small effect or thing can have a large impact if it happens to tip the balance, causing other changes that create a major event
- independent variable
- In and experiment, the variable that is introduced to see what effect it has on the dependent variable (also called experimental variable)
- case study
- A research method in which one individual is studied intensively
- dynamic-systems theory
- a view of human development as always changing. Life is the product of ongoing interaction between the physical and emotional being and between the person and every aspect of his or her environment, including the family and society. Flux is constant, and each change affects all the others.
- survey
- A research method in which information is collected from a large number of people by interviews, written question-naires, or some other means
- hypothesis
- A specific prediction that is stated in such a way that it can be tested and either confirmed or refuted
- dependent variable
- In an experiment, the variable that may change as a result of whatever new condition or situation the experimenter adds. the ____ depends on the independent variable
- experimental group
- a group of participants in a research study who experience some special treatment or condition (the independent variable)
- race
- A group of people who are regarded (by themselves or by others) as genetically distinct from other groups on the basis of physical appearance
- Science of human development
- seeks to understand how and why people--all kinds of people, everywhere--change or remain the same over time
- quantitative research
- Research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers, such as ranks or scales
- cross-sequential research
- a hybrid research method in which researchers first study several groups od people of different ages (a cross-sectional approach) and then follow those groups over the years (a longitudinal approach). Also called cohort-sequential research or time-sequential research
- correlation
- A number indicating the degree of relationship between two variables, expressed in terms of the likelihood that one variable will (or will not) occur when the other variable does (or does not). A correlation is not a indication that one variable causes the other, only that the two variables are related to the indicated degree