Ability Tests
standardized measures of intellectual ability.
Achievement Tests
standardized measures of learning connected with academic subjects.
Active Niche Picking
a process in which people express their genetic tendencies by finding environments that match and enhance those tendencies.
Attachment
the emotional bond that develops between an infant and caregivers during the first year of life.
Baby Diary
a careful recording of the development of one's own children.
Cognitive Development
changes in the way we think, understand, and reason about the world.
Folk Wisdom
knowledge that is passed around but has not be scientifically tested
Intervention
treatment of a problem after it has been identified.
Nature
the influence of genetic inheritance on children's development.
Neuropsychological Tests
tests used to assess brain function.
Nurture
the influence of the enviroment on children's development.
Peer Review
process in which professionals critique an article and make suggestions for improvement before it is published.
Perceptual Bias
the tendency to see and understand something in the way you expected.
Personality Tests
tests which evaluate the thoughts, emotions, attitudes and behavioral traits that comprise personality.
Physical Development
biological changes that occur in the body and brain, including changes in size and strength, integration of sensory and motor activites, and development of fine and gross motor skills.
Projective Tests
assessments based on an individual's projections of aspects of their own personality onto ambiguous external stimuli, such as an inkblot.
Protective Factors
aspects of life that increase the health and well-being of children and families.
Qualitative Changes
changes in the overall nature of what you are examining.
Quantitative Changes
changes in the amount or quantity of what you are measuring.
Replicate
finding the same results as in a previous study.
Scaffolding
the help more experienced people give to help children go beyond their present level of capablities.
Social Policy
government or private policies for dealing with social issues.
Socioemotional Development
the way we connect to other individuals, and understand emotions.
Variable
something you study that can change or vary.
Multifinality
the same pathways may lead to different developmental outcomes.
Equifinality
different developmental pathways may result in the same outcome.
Stage Theories
approaches that propose that development involves a series of discontinuous, age-related phases.