Educational Pyschology

The meaning of stimuli in the context of relevant information

A set of principles that relates social environment to psychological development

The process of adjusting schemes in response to the environment by means of assimilation and accomodation

Inborn automatic responses to stimuli

Research study aimed at identifying and gathering detailed information about a topic of interest.

Level of development immediately above a person's present level

View of cognitive development that emphasizes the active role of learners in building their own understanding of reality

Research into the relationship between variables as they naturally occur

A person's perception of his or her own strengths, weaknesses, abilities, attitudes, and values

Evaluation of conclusions through logical and systematic examination of the problem, the evidence, and the solution

Paying attention to only one aspect of an object or situation

The process of restoring balance between present understanding and new experiences

Mental patterns that guide behavior

Stage at which children learn to represent things in the mind

Procedure used to test the effect of a treatment

Support for learning and problem solving

The concept that certain properties of an object remain the same regardless of changes in other properties

Children's self talk, which guides their thinking and action; eventually internalized as silent inner speech

Gradual, orderly changes by which mental processes become more complex and sophisticated

A set of principles that explains and relates certain phenomena

In Piaget's theory of moral development the stage at which children think that rules are unchangeable and that breaking them leads automatically to punishment

A special program that is subject of an experiment

The study of teaching and learning with applications to the instructional process

Research carried out by educators in their own classrooms or schools

Selection by chance into different treatment groups; intended to ensure equivalence of the groups

Play in which children engage in the same activity side by side but with very little interaction or mutual influence

Variables for which there is no relationship between levels of one compared to another

People who are equal in age or status

Relationship in which high levels of one variable correspond to high levels of another

Stage at which children develop the capacity for logical reasoning and understanding of conservation but can use these skills only in dealing with familiar situations

Symbols that cultures create to help people think, communicate, and solve problems

The process of comparing oneself to others to gether information and to evaluate and judge one's abilities, attitudes, and conduct

According to Erikson, the set of critical issues that individuals must address as they pass through each of the eight stages

Relationship in which high levels of one variable correspond to low levels of another

Modifying existing schemes to fit new situations

Developmental stage at which a person becomes capable of reproduction

Experiment in which conditions are highly controlled

The study of learning and teaching

Play that occurs alone

Knowledge and skills relating to reading that children usually develop from experience with books and other print media before the beginning of formal reading instruction in school

Play in which children join together to achieve a common goal

The tendency to analyze oneself and one's own thoughts

Stages 1 and 2 in Kohlberg's model of moral reasoning, in which individuals make moral judgements in their own interests

A skill learned during the concrete operational stage of cognitive development in which individuals can mentally arrange and compare objects

Degree to which results of an experiment can be applied to real-life situations

Actions that show respect and caring for others

Stages 5 and 6 in Kohlberg's model of moral reasoning, in which individuals make moral judgements in relation to abstract principles

Something that can have more than one value

Explanation of the relationship between factors

Inability to develop a clear direction or sense of self

Experiment conducted under realistic conditions in which individuals are assigned by chance to receive different practical treatments or programs

Play that is much like parallel play but with increased levels of interaction in the form of sharing, turn-taking, and general interest in what others are doing

Experiment that studies a treatments effect on one person or group by contrasting behavior before, during, and after application of the treatment

Group that receives no special treatment during an experiment

Group that receives treatment during an experiment

In Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning, hypotheitcal situations that require a person to consider values of right and wrong

Stage during which infants learn about their surroundings by using their senses and motor skills

The degree to which an experiment's results can be attributed to the treatment in question rather than other factors

Arranging objects in sequential order according to one aspect

Orderly and lasting growth, adaption, and change over the course of a lifetime

Stages 3 and 4 in Kohlberg's model of moral reasoning, in which individuals make moral judgements in consideration of others

Understanding that an object exists even if it is out of sight

Experimentation with occupational and ideological choices without definite commitment

Understanding new experiences in terms of existing schemes

The value each of us places on our own characteristics, abilities, and bahviors

Doing things for a purpose

Stage at which one can deal abstractly with hypothetical situations and reason logically

Theories based on belief that human development progresses smoothly and gradually from infancy to adulthood

The degree to which teachers feel that their own efforts determine the success of their students

The ability to think and solve problems without the help of others

The ability to perform a mental operation and then reverse one's thinking to return to the starting point

An adolescent's premature establishment of an identity based on parental choices, rather than his or her own desires

Believing that everyone views the world as you do

In Piaget's theory of moral development, that stage at which a person understands that people make rules and that punishments are not automatic

Theories describing human development as occuring through a fixed sequence of distinct, predictable stages governed by inborn factors

A state of consolidation reflecting conscious, clear-cut decisions concerning occupation and ideology