OAE Family and Consumer Sciences (022) key terms

A ranked model of human motivation in which physiological needs, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization are pursued in order; lower needs generally must be met before higher ones drive behavior.

The sequence of stages a family typically passes through, from formation and child-rearing through launching children and later life, each stage carrying distinct tasks and resource demands.

A framework holding that a family is an interdependent whole whose members influence one another, so a change in one member or relationship affects the functioning of the entire unit.

Patterns of child-rearing described by warmth and control, commonly labeled authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved; authoritative parenting is linked with the most favorable child outcomes.

The lifelong process of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional change from conception through old age, shaped by both heredity and environment across identifiable stages.

Eight life stages each defined by a crisis to resolve, such as trust versus mistrust in infancy and integrity versus despair in later life; successful resolution supports healthy personality development.

Four stages of intellectual development-sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational-describing how children build understanding through assimilation, accommodation, and active experience.

The process by which individuals learn the values, norms, skills, and behaviors expected in their culture and society, occurring first in the family and later through peers, school, and media.

Expected behaviors attached to a position such as parent, spouse, worker, or student; conflicting or overloaded roles can create stress that affects individual and family well-being.

Temporary support an adult or more capable peer gives a learner so a task can be completed, gradually withdrawn as competence grows; associated with Vygotsky's zone of proximal development.

The amount of essential nutrients a food supplies relative to its energy content; foods high in nutrients and low in calories are described as nutrient dense.

Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, the energy-yielding nutrients the body needs in relatively large amounts; each supplies a specific number of calories per gram.

Vitamins and minerals required in small quantities for growth, regulation, and disease prevention; they supply no energy but are essential for normal body functions.

A visual food guidance tool showing a divided plate of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy, used to teach balanced meal planning and appropriate proportions.

Federal evidence-based recommendations updated every five years that advise on food and beverage choices and physical activity to promote health and reduce chronic disease risk.

The standardized panel on packaged food listing serving size, calories, nutrients, and percent daily values, used to compare products and make informed food choices.

Sickness caused by eating contaminated food, commonly from bacteria, viruses, or toxins; prevented by safe handling practices such as chilling, cooking, and avoiding cross-contamination.

The transfer of harmful microorganisms from one food, surface, or utensil to another, often from raw meat to ready-to-eat foods; prevented by separate cutting boards and thorough cleaning.

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, a systematic food-safety system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards and sets control points to prevent or eliminate them.

Methods such as canning, freezing, drying, and fermentation that slow or stop microbial growth and enzyme activity to extend the safe storage life of food.

The value of the next best alternative given up when a choice is made; a core concept for teaching that every spending or time decision involves trade-offs.

The condition in which resources-money, time, energy-are limited relative to wants, requiring individuals and families to set priorities and allocate resources deliberately.

A written plan that estimates income and expenses over a period and allocates resources toward goals; it is monitored and revised as actual income and spending differ from projections.

The difference between total assets and total liabilities at a point in time; tracking it over time shows whether a household's financial position is improving or declining.

A record compiled by a credit bureau of borrowing history, payment timeliness, and outstanding debt, used by lenders to evaluate a consumer's creditworthiness.

Interest calculated on both the original principal and previously accumulated interest, causing savings to grow and debt to expand faster than simple interest over time.

Laws and agencies that safeguard buyers from deceptive practices, unsafe products, and unfair credit terms, and that provide recourse such as refunds, recalls, and complaint processes.

The basic visual components-line, shape, form, space, texture, and color-that designers combine and arrange when creating or evaluating interiors, textiles, and apparel.

Guidelines for arranging design elements effectively, including balance, rhythm, proportion, emphasis, and harmony; they describe how elements relate rather than what the elements are.

A circular arrangement of hues used to identify primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and to plan schemes such as complementary, analogous, and triadic combinations.

Designing products and environments so they are usable by people of varied abilities and ages without adaptation, as in lever handles, wide doorways, and adjustable counter heights.

The study of fitting tasks, tools, and environments to human physical capabilities and limitations to reduce strain, fatigue, and injury while improving efficiency and comfort.

Textile fibers obtained from plants or animals, such as cotton, linen, wool, and silk; their absorbency, strength, and care requirements differ from those of manufactured fibers.

Practices for cleaning and maintaining fabrics, guided by care labels that specify washing temperature, bleaching, drying, and ironing to preserve appearance and durability.

A management technique that reduces time and energy spent on tasks by eliminating unnecessary steps, rearranging work areas, and combining or rescheduling activities.

Planning and controlling how time is allocated among activities by setting priorities, scheduling tasks, and reducing interruptions so important goals receive adequate attention.

A structured sequence of identifying a problem, gathering information, listing alternatives, weighing consequences, choosing, acting, and evaluating the outcome; taught as a transferable life skill.

The process of identifying, allocating, and conserving human and material resources-time, energy, money, skills-to meet family goals and maintain household functioning.

Transferable workplace competencies such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, punctuality, and adaptability that employers expect alongside technical or occupational knowledge.