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PSYCH 102 > 9 - Human Development > Flashcards

9 - Human Development Flashcards

1
Q

Developmental Learning

A

the study of changes over the life span in psychology, cognition, emotion, and social behaviour

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2
Q

Synaptic Pruning

A

the physiological process of preserving synaptic connections that are used, and eliminating those that are not used which allows for adaptation to the developmental environment

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3
Q

What part of brain development can malnourishment affect?

A

myelination which is the brains way of insulating it’s “wires” that allows for brain circuts to mature

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4
Q

Zygote

A

created when sperm unites with an egg

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5
Q

What is a developing human called between 2 weeks to 2 months?

A

an embryo

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6
Q

What is a developing human called after 2 months in the womb?

A

a fetus
- at the stage where many can survive outside of the womb

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7
Q

How can nutrition affect brain development?

A
  • myelination (basis of brain development, supports cognitive and behavioural functioning)
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8
Q

How can growing up in poverty affect brain development?

A
  • stress, neglect, exposure to violence, etc.
  • growing in less enriched learning environments
  • less access to learning tools
  • research shows that kids growing up in poverty had reductions in the size of brain areas associated with school readiness skills
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9
Q

Teratogens

A

Agents that harm the embryo or fetus

ex. drugs, bacteria, viruses, chemicals like caffeine, alcohol, some prescription drugs

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10
Q

What is the most common teratogen and what can it lead to?

A

alcohol, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs)

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11
Q

Dynamic Systems Theory

A

Throughout life, every new form of behaviour emerges through consistent interactions between a biological being and cultural and environmental contexts

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12
Q

Prenatal Period

A

conception -> birth

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13
Q

Infancy

A

birth -> 18-21 months

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14
Q

Childhood

A

18-24 months -> 11-14 years

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15
Q

Adolescence

A

11-14 years -> 18-21 years

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16
Q

Adulthood

A

18-21 years -> death

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17
Q

Germinal (or Zygota) stage

A

0-2 weeks
fertilization of ovum - implants in uturus

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18
Q

Embryonic Stage

A

2-8 weeks
- heartbeat, tiny brain, body structures starting
- major features start to become visible (toes, eyes, etc.)
- time when they are most susceptible to chemicals (but it’s also the time when most women don’t know they’re pregnant)
- sexual development

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19
Q

Fetal Stage

A

2 months - birth
- development of bone cells
- skeletal, organ, nervous systems

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20
Q

What are the last 2 months of the fetal stage primarily for?

A

growing - everything else is developed at this point

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21
Q

Visual Aucity

A

the ability to distinguish differences among shapes, patterns, and colours (seeing like someone who needs glasses)
- newborn’s visual aucity for distant objects is poor but reaches adult levels around 1 year

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22
Q

Habituation Technique

A
  • a way to study how infants categorize a series of objects
  • they like new things more than familiar things
  • tests visual acuity (poor at birth)
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23
Q

Sigmund Freud

Infantile Amnesia

A

the inability to remember events from early childhood
- language helps us remember things (inner dialogue)
- self recognition is needed
- hippocampus isn’t fully developed until 4 yrs.

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24
Q

Attachment

A

a strong, intimate, emotional connection between people persisting across time and across circumstances

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25
# Attachment Bowlby's Theory
- infants have innate attachment behaviours that motivate adult attention (ex. smiling, crying, looking, cuddling)
26
# Attachment Imprinting
an instinctual tendency in some animals that produces a strong attachment to an adult - follows around the first thing they see because they assume it must be their mom
27
# Attachment Harlow's classic study
- monkeys raised with artifical mothers - one was more comfortable than the other - observed that the relationship with the mother isn't only about food, it's also about comfort
28
Q: According to Bowlby's attachment theory, how is attachment adaptive?
Attachment motivates infants and caregivers to stay near each other, increasing the security that infants need to survive and thrive
29
# Jean Piaget Assimilation
The process by which new information is placed into an existing scheme Ex. a kid sees a great dane for the first time and asks what it is. The parents tell them it's a dog but the kid sees that it looks nothing like the chihuahua they have at home. The kid now needs to assimilate the great dane into their existing dog scheme
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# Jean Piaget Schemes
ways of thinking based on personal experience
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# Jean Piaget Accommodation
The process by which a new scheme is created or an existing scheme is drastically altered to include new information that otherwise would not fit into the scheme
32
# Piaget's stages of cognitive development Sensorimotor Stage | Birth to 2 years
- children are firmly situated in the present - motor schemas - internalize schemes of action = motor control - object permenance (needs to have an internal representation of an object that is assimilated into schemes)
33
# Piaget's stages of cognitive development Preoperational Stage | 2 to 7 years
- children can start to think about objects not in their immediate view - begin to think symbolically - language development - pretend play - egocenticism (ex. idea that they're a voodoo doll) - need to master conservation of quantity (ex. bigger=more)
34
Object Permanence
The understanding that an object continues to exist even when it cannot be seen
35
# Piaget's stages of cognitive development Concrete Operational Stage | 7 to 12 years
- children begin to think about and understand logical operations - no longer fooled by appearances - ends egocentricism - understands categorization and classification
36
# Concrete Operational Stage Operation
- an action that can be undone - learning that actions can be reversed
37
# Piaget's stages of cognitive development Formal Operational Stage | 12 years to adulthood
- people can think abstractly (ex. critical thinking) - can formulate and test hypotheses through deductive logic (hypothetico-deductive method)
38
How is the brain and spinal cord formed?
the neural tube - layer of cells containing nervous system folds over
39
# Brain Development Plasticity
growth of new neurons (neurogenesis) + new connections - more dendrites
40
# Brain Development Myelination
- various regions get myelinated at different rates - if some can wait, priority is given to others
41
Synaptogenesis
- wiring of the brain - forming connections - cells that fire together wire together - connections that work -> strengthen - connections that don't work -> get cut (synaptic pruning)
42
What is the most important environmental influence (outside of toxins) that impacts brain development?
Nutrition important = fatty acids, vitamins, minerals
43
Spina Bifida
when the neural tube doesn't close
44
Craniorachischisis
when the spine is exposed (death)
45
Anencephaly
part of the brain + skull missing
46
What is a side effect of malnutrition?
- underdeveloped prefrontal lobes - at a higher risk of ADHD, self-control issues
47
Teratogens
substances that impair the process of development
48
Theory of Mind
The innate ability to understand that others have minds and that those minds have desires, intentions, beliefs, and mental states. - recognition that actions can be intentional
49
# Kholberg's stage theory of moral develoment Preconventional Level
- earliest stage of moral development - self-interest or pleasurable outcomes determines what is moral
50
# Kholberg's stage theory of moral development Conventional Level
- middle stage of moral development - strict adherence to societal rules and the approval of others determines what is moral
51
# Kholberg's stage theory of moral development Postconventional Level
- last stage of moral development - abstract principles and the value of all life determines what is moral
52
Inequity aversion
preference to avoid unfairness when making decisions about the distribution of resources
53
What is a neuro-developmental reason why teenagers tend to have poor impulse control and make risky decisions?
the frontal cortex and frontal lobes aren't fully myelinated until about 20 years old. Until then, they have an oversensitive reward system
54
sex
genetic makeup 23rd chromosome
55
gender
psychological
56
What are some things that decline as people age?
- slower working memory (shrinking frontal lobes) - sound sensitivity - sensitivity to visual contrast
57
Does fluid intelligence peak or decline as you age? Crystallized intelligence?
fluid: declines crystallized: increases throughout life
58
What memory-related neurotransmitter is very low in people with Alzheimer's?
acetylcholine
59
Preferential looking technique
- researchers show an infant two things - can tell that an infant can distinguish between two things if they look at the more interesting one for longer - they love faces
60
What are innate reflexes and what are some examples? | (4)
Innate reflex: set up to help them survive - rooting reflex - feeding - moro reflex - prep to fall - grasping reflex - stepping reflex
61
What are two forms of anxiety observed in Ainsworth's test?
1) stranger anxiety 2) separation anxiety
62
# Romanian Orphan Studied Disorganized attachment
freezing, repetitive movements, fear, inconsistency
63
How is oxytocin associated with attachment?
hormone associated with bonding and social acceptance
64
# Methods for investigating developmental psychology Cross-sectional study
compares groups of people at different ages to see what age something typically develops disadvantages: only applies to normative development and not individual development. And, possibility of cohort effects advantages: cheap, fast, easy
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Normative development
a pattern that is typical for most people, not all
66
Individual development
particular pattern for one person
67
# studying developmental psychology Cohort effects
- people born at different times - people can be different simply because they were raised in a different time (ex. technology)
68
# Methods for investigating developmental psychology Longitudinal study
- follow the development of the same individuals over time advantages: allows the study of normative and individual developmemt. no chance of cohort effects because they're all part of the same cohort disadvantages: expensive (ex. takes 40 years) and problem with attrition (losing participants over time)
69
# Jean Piaget Cognitive Structures | What are the 2 types of sognitive structures?
mental representations/rules to think, understand, and solve problems Schemata/schemes: define a particular category of behaviour Concepts: a category of objects or situations
70
What is the main difference between Piaget and Vygotsky's understanding of development?
Piaget: focus on interation with the physical world Vygotsky: focus on interaction with the social world (ex. scaffolding: supporting the learner)
71
Why did Vygotsky put more emphasis on the role of language in cognitive development?
- he believed cognitive development results from internalization of language
72
# Cognitive development Critical periods
developmental period in which a particular ability must be acquired (otherwise it never will)
73
# Cognitive development Sensitive periods
window of time during development in which a particular ability is most easily acquired
74
Hearing | (4)
- develops earlier than vision - fully myelinated and functional at birth - newborns can orient to sound (sound localization) - babies can cry with an accent

PSYCH 102 (8 decks)

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