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Child Psychology

Theory: Coherent set of logically related concepts that seeks to organize, explain and predict data

Hypotheses: Possible explanations for phenomena, used to predict the outcome of research

Mechanistic model: Model that views development as a passive, predictable response to stimuli

Organismic model: Model that views development as internally initiated by an active organism and as occurring in a sequence of qualitatively different stages

Psychoanalytic perspective: View of development as shaped by unconscious forces

Psychosexual development: In Freudian theory, an unvarying sequence of stages of personality development during infancy, childhood, and adolescence, in which gratification shifts from the mouth to the anus and then to the genitals

Psychosocial development: In Erikson's eight stage theory, the socially and culturally influenced process of development of the ego, or self.

Learning perspective: View of development that holds that changes in behaviour result from experience, or adaptation to the environment

Behaviourism: Learning theory that emphasizes the predictable role of environment in causing observable behaviour

Classical Conditioning: Learning based on associating a stimulus that does not ordinarily elicit a particular response with another stimulus that ordinarily does elicit the response

Operant Conditioning: Learning based on reinforcement or punishment

Reinforcement: In operant conditioning, a stimulus that encourages repetition of a desired behaviour

Punishment: In operant conditioning, a stimulus that discourages repetition of a behaviour

Social Learning Theory: Theory that behaviours are learned by observing and imitating models; also called social cognitive theory

Observational learning: Learning through watching the behaviour of others

Cognitive perspective: View that thought processes are central to development
Organization: Piaget's term for integration of knowledge into systems...