6a: Developmental psychology Flashcards
T/F the developing baby can be though of as having an automatic development
F.
There is a
body programmed to develop in certain ways, but by no means
on automatic
Each baby can be customised to the circumstances and
surroundings they find themselves in.
How does nature and nurture affect development
Nature sets out their course via gender, genetics, temperament and maturational stages
Nurture shapes this predetermined course via the environment; parenting, stimulation and nutrition
What does baby progression depend on
How a baby progresses (or not) depends on the interchange between the changing environment and the maturing organism
Define temperament
the part of your character that affects your moods and the way you behave
How can babies recognise mother when they are delivered
- Hearing (receptive at 16/40 and functional at 24/40). Prefer sound of mother’s voice to other women
- Smell. Of their amniotic fluid, maternal breast odour (prefer to other women’s)
- Taste
Which taste can newborn not sense
Salt.
Can sense all others
What do babies like taste of
Newborns love sugar solutions-the sweeter, the better – Sweetease
Newborns also seem to like the taste of glutamate, which is found in breast milk
Outline sight in babies
- Prefer looking at mother’s face
- Cannot see well. Sharpest sight around edge.
- Learn to recognise faces in 1st few hours ex utero
What is reciprocal socialisation
Babies are fundamentally social creatures.
Designed to listen to speech, seek out and differentiate faces, be aware of who delivered them through taste, smell and hearing and also expect social partners
This is reciprocal socialisation
The behaviours of mothers / carers and infants involve substantial interconnection, mutual recognition and synchronisation
T.F receiprocal socialisation is bidirectional between children and parents
T
What type of faces do newborns like lookingat
newborns prefer to look at expressive, responsive faces. It’s as if they expect people to react to social interactions by using facial expressions to communicate.
What is scaffholding
If parents responses supports or reinforces the infants efforts the infant will build on this interaction and continue to develop in this area. This is called SCAFFOLDING. Scaffolding can occur in lots of different types of interactions not just parent child.
What is the internal working theory
Attachment model
This model is a result of interactions with primary caregivers which become internalized, and is therefore an automatic process
(i.e. scaffholding, reciproal socailisation, provision of simulating and enriching environment)…..
Such internal working models guide future behavior as they generate expectations of how attachment figures will respond to one’s behavior
What is attachment theory
*describes a biological instinct that seeks proximity to an attachment figure (carer) when threat is perceived or discomfort is experienced
The sense of safety the child experiences provides a secure base from which they can explore their environment thus promoting development through learning whilst being protected in the environment.*
What does the internal working model inform
our expectations and behaviour in wider relationships throughout our lives.
When does process of establishing attachment begin
Even before birth, but after birth supported by reciprocal socialisation
What is mind-mindedness
Parents with mind-mindedness treat their children as individuals with minds; they respond as if their children’s acts are meaningful
From when can attachment behaviour be measured relaibly and how
From 12 months using strange situation test
What is the strange situation test
present children with an unusual, but not overwhelmingly frightening, experience. It tests how babies or young children respond to the temporary absence of their mothers.
Researchers interested in:
- How much the child explores the room on his own, and
- How the child responds to the return of his mother
note that at about 8-12 months baby shows stranger anxiety
Types of attachment, derived from strange situation test
- Secure- Free exploration and happiness upon mother’s return.
- Insecure-
i. Avoidant-insecure children:(Little exploration and little emotional response to mother)
Little exploration and little emotion when mother leaves. He shows no preference for his mother over a complete stranger and, when his mother returns, he tends to avoid or ignore her .
ii. Resistant-insecure: great separation anxiety and ambivalent response to mother upon her return.
Like the avoidant child, the resistant-insecure child doesn’t explore much on her own. But unlike the avoidant child, the resistant child is wary of strangers and is very distressed when her mother leaves. Angry at mother on her return
iii. Disorganised- insecure. Little exploration and confused response to mother
Mix of avoidant and resistant behaviours. But the main theme is one of confusion and anxiety. Disorganized-insecure children are at risk for a variety of behavioural and developmental problems.
What does secure attachment promote`
- Better mood
- Better emotional coping
- Independence
- Emotional availability
- Fewer behavioural problems
- Higher IQ
What is secure attachment associated with in childhood and in adulthood
- Childhood:
fewer behavioural problems
higher IQ and academic performance
- Adulthood:
Social competence
Loyal friendships
Less mental health problems such as anxiety and depression
Less psychopathology e.g schizophrenia
What is piagets stage model
children’s thinking changes qualitatively with age
The result of an interaction of the brain’s biological maturation and personal experiences
Thinking is a collection of schemas
What are schemas (piagets stage model)
Organised patterns of thoughts and action
How do schemas change in development
Development occurs when NEW schemas are acwuired and EXISTING schemas get more complex
How can existing schemas change
Assimilation (incorporating new experience into existing schema)
Accommodation (the difference made by the process of assimilation)
Adaptation (whereby new experiences cause existing schema to change)
What are the 4 stages of cognitive development according to piaget
Sensorimotor stage
Preoperational stage
Concrete operational stage
Formal operational stage
Outline the sensorimotor stage, birth to 2
Understand world through sensoy experience and physical interactions with objects.
Object permanence (understands an object continues to exist even when we cannot see it)
Increasing use of words
Learning based on trial and error, but errors are NOT assimilated
Outline preoperational stage 2-7
MOVES from sensorimotor schema to
INTERNAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE EXTERNAL WORLD
Rapid language development
Understanding of the past and future
No understanding of principle of conservation
Irreversibility (cannot mentally reverse actions)
Animism (attributing lifelike qualtiies to physical objects and natural events
Egocentrism
Concrete operational stage. age 7-12
Children can perform basic mental operations concerning problems that involve tangible (“concrete”) objects and situations
Understand reversibility
Less egocentrist
Easily solve conservation problems
Trouble with hypothetical and abstract reasoning
Outline formal operational stage. ADOLESCENCE
Abstract thought emerges. Adolescent begins to think more about moral, philosophical, ethical, social and political issues that require theoretical and abstract reasoning.
Begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general principle to specific information.
Adaptive adolescent brain?
12-25yr 25yrs extensive brain remodelling (myelinisation, synaptic pruning)
Thrill seeking Openness to new experiences Risk taking Social rewards are very strong Prefer own age company
Limitations of piaget
children respond as they do to please the adult asking the question
