entwicklungsabhängig

Entwicklungsabhängig is an adjective in German that describes a property, process, or outcome that varies with development or maturation rather than remaining constant across individuals. It is used across disciplines to denote effects that depend on the developmental stage of an organism or system, such as age, growth, or cognitive and physiological maturation.

In medicine and biology, the term is commonly applied when pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, or safety profiles change as development progresses. For example, drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion can be developmentally dependent in infants and children, making dosages and risk assessments different from those for adults. Neurodevelopment and organ maturation likewise yield development-dependent responses to treatment or environmental exposure.

In psychology and education, many abilities and behaviors are developmentally dependent. Norm-referenced tests use age- or stage-specific benchmarks because performance changes with maturation. Interventions, assessments, and prognoses are often tailored to the individual’s developmental status, recognizing that certain skills emerge or change meaningfully during specific life periods.

The term is distinct from related expressions such as entwicklungsbedingt (caused by development) and altersabhängig or altersabhängige Faktoren (age-dependent). Entwicklungsabhängig emphasizes variation with developmental stage and may not align strictly with chronological age, underlining the role of maturation in observed effects.