Part 1

• Social Construction


  The invention of a particular culture or society, shaping reality through social processes
• Social Construction


  • Various concepts, beliefs, and phenomena are created, negotiated, and maintained through interactions within a society
  • Influenced by cultural norms, historical contexts, language, power dynamics, and individual perceptions
• Individual Differences in Development


  Variations in the trajectory and outcomes of development among individuals
• Individual Differences in Development

  • Manifests in cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development
  • Influenced by both heredity and environment
• Influences on Development


  • Heredity: Inborn traits or characteristics inherited from biological parents
  • Environment: Non-hereditary influences on development
  • Maturation: Unfolding of a natural sequence of physical and behavioral changes
• Contexts of Development


  • Humans develop within various social and historical contexts
  • Infants primarily grow within families influenced by broader factors like neighborhood, community, and society
  • Families come in diverse forms reflecting the evolving societal landscape
• Nuclear Family


  Consists of two parents and their children living together in the same household
• Nuclear Family


  • Considered the traditional or ideal family arrangement in many societies
  • Two-generational kinship, economic, and household unit
• Extended Family


  Includes parents, children, and other relatives like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
• Extended Family


  • Provides mutual support, childcare, and economic cooperation
  • Multigenerational kinship network sometimes living together
• Polygamy


  Marital system where an individual is married to multiple spouses simultaneously
• Polygamy

  • Forms include polygyny, polyandry, or group marriage
• Socioeconomic Status (SES)


  Determined by family income, education, and occupations
• Socioeconomic Status (SES)


  • Influences developmental processes through living conditions and access to resources
  • Affects development processes and outcomes indirectly through various factors
• Risk Factors


  Conditions or characteristics increasing the likelihood of negative developmental outcomes
• Risk Factors


  • Encompass various aspects of an individual's life, environment, or circumstances
  • Crucial for assessing vulnerability and implementing interventions
• Culture


  Society's total way of life including customs, traditions, beliefs, values, and language
• Culture


  • Shapes identities, aspirations, and perceptions of self and others
  • Vital for fostering positive outcomes and addressing diverse needs
• Individualistic Culture


  Prioritizes personal goals over collective goals
• Collectivistic Culture


  Prioritizes collaborative social goals over individual goals
• Collectivistic Culture


  • Emphasizes harmony, cooperation, and loyalty to the group
• Ethnicity


  Cultural heritage, traditions, customs, and practices shared by a group
• Race


  Refers to physical characteristics used to categorize people into racial groups
• Ethnic Group


  United by ancestry, race, religion, language, or national origins
• Historical Context


  Past societal conditions profoundly influence individuals' lives and development
• Historical Context


  • Factors like cultural shifts, economic changes, and historical events play a significant role
• Normative Influence


  Events or behaviors occurring similarly for most individuals within a group or society
• Normative Influence


  • Tied to biological or social expectations, influencing typical or expected events
  • Normative age-graded and history-graded influences shape development
• Nonnormative Influence


  Unique or unexpected influences with a significant impact on individuals
• Nonnormative Influence


  • Can be positive or negative, affecting personal experiences or circumstances
  • Examples include car accidents, chronic illnesses, or winning the lottery
• Imprinting


  Instinctive learning where a young animal forms an attachment to the first moving object
• Critical Period


  Specific time when an event or its absence impacts development
• Plasticity


  Range of modifiability of performance, including brain molding through experience
• Sensitive Periods


  Times when a person is particularly open to certain experiences