bioecological theory Flashcards
1
Q
purpose of the theory
A
- Person develops appreciation for complex nature of environments and forces that alter behaviour while identifying self-goals
- Person is active and changing
- Settings are changing
- Person is assumed to be functioning in multiple settings
- Settings are impacted by community, cultural, and social contexts
- expansion of ecology
2
Q
what is ecology
A
- The scientific study of the organism environment interaction
- Heavily influenced by Darwin
- Adaptation and natural selection
- Contemporary ecology: explores diversity, distribution, population, and competition between and within organisms in a setting
- Ecosystems suggest the need to analyze interacting features in a natural environment
3
Q
home economics
A
- application of current scientific and economical findings to home and household management
- home is an ecological niche
- AHEA and AAFCS
- linked with agriculture
- land grant acts allowed home economics and agriculture to be studied in post-secondary
4
Q
history of the theory
A
- influenced by work with neuropathologist father
- brain functions are related with behaviour
- environment impact development
- influenced by peers, friends, and colleagues
- Experimental designs and value of experimentation in hypothesis determination
- discovered friendship and peer group patterns
5
Q
define bioecological theory
A
- the progressive accommodation between an active growing individual and changing factors of their immediate settings
- Affected by relations between settings and the larger context of the setting
- includes setting characterisitcs, behaviours across settings, cultural contexts, social policies, and practices that may influence development
6
Q
key concepts of the theory
A
- process
- person
- contexts
- time
7
Q
process
A
- basic mechanisms that cause interaction between person and environment
- must be regularly occurring over long periods of time to impact development
- activity based
- maturation = more complex tasks
- process initiated by others becomes internalized and sought out
8
Q
person
A
- influence of process depends on individual characteristics
- characteristics influence engagement in settings, resources, and opportunities
- impacted by demand characteristics, disposition and resources
9
Q
demand features
A
demand features: invite or discourage interaction depending on expectations of other subjects in the setting
- cultural, community, and family preferences
ex. age, gender, body type
10
Q
disposition
A
- features of a person that alter they way they engage in a setting
- not physical
Ex. temperament, motivation, persistence
11
Q
resources
A
cognitive, emotional, physical, and social resources are required for effective functioning
Ex. knowledge, experiences, material resources, safe home
psychological resources: contribute to well-being (problem solving abilities)
material resources: impact engagement in activities(safe environment, good diet)
12
Q
contexts
A
environment is made up of a set of contexts
- nested contexts
setting: any cognitive, emotional, physical, and social resources are required for effective functioning
Ex. knowledge, experiences, material resources, safe home
13
Q
levels of context
A
- microsystem
- mesosystem
- exosystem
- macrosystem
14
Q
microsystem
A
- a setting with particular physical characteristics and resources
- patterns of activities, roles, interpersonal relations
- Defined by features of interest, perception, and role in system
- Function in multiple microsystems
- Maturation = choice of microsystems
- Dispositions, resources, and demand characteristics increase bidirectional influences of persons and settings
15
Q
mesosystem
A
- interrelations among +2 settings in which the developing person actively participates
- Role strain issues
- Rewards of one setting are more desirable than another so it is neglected
- Social networks: people are linked together through the settings they participate in
- Understanding of norms and expectations for behaviour across settings
- Expanded worldview, complex cognition, increased knowledge of resources/activities/expectations
16
Q
exosystem
A
- one or more settings that do not involve developing an active participant but may still be affected by what happens in the setting containing the developing person
- nested systems
- macrosystem to microsystem as well as micro to macrosystem
17
Q
macrosystem
A
- the culture or society that frames the structures and relationships among systems
- Laws, policies, agencies, politics, health care, economic system, education, etc
- Any factor that creates social, political, and financial contexts for development
18
Q
time
A
- individual, systems, and the relationship between them change over time
- Changes can be patterned, developmental, society-initiated, reduced improvement of resources
- Micro time - activities in microsystems
- Meso time - activities with consistency across settings
- Macro time - development in a historical context
19
Q
research designs
A
- theory development and research are hand in hand
- discovery mode: research allows successive studies in which the nature of a relationship can be studied over time
- Nature of proximal process being studied depends on outcome of interest
- Timing for observation depends on the particular transitions under consideration
- Assumes proximal process is the most impactful force, depending on individual characteristics
- Must be applicable to statistical techniques to determine interactions among levels
- Include process contrasts across contexts, persons, and time
20
Q
modern bioecological theory
A
- central role of specific proximal processes as a basis for developmental change
- Examine proximal processes to understand how they interact with characteristics of a person in many contexts that allow for development
- principles
1. Center of the model is the person
2. Experiences drive development
3. Nature of relationships and experiences within and across settings - bidirectional effects
- applied across the lifespan
- focus on specific characteristics of contexts (assess each setting individually)
21
Q
key features of developmental outcomes
A
- characterized by patterns of mental organization and content
- inferred from a combination subjective experiences such as mental representation and objective behaviour (functional relationship between them)
- implies change over time and emerging stability (must be demonstrated in research)
- clarified by
1. contrast between +2 groups of people in +2 settings
2. developmental outcomes over +2 points in time
3. measurement between subjective and behavioural outcomes and their relationship
22
Q
directions of change
A
- more complex reciprocal interactions between active developing people and what the person experiences in immediate environment
- Changes occur as new skills are developed and engagement with varied environments
- Connect with network of diverse and socially demanding relationships
- Larger societal level have cultural rules and expectations encourage development
23
Q
use of bioecological model
A
- valid if at least 3 elements
- Social categories are not as impactful as processes experienced regularly
- Different processes lead to optimal and dysfunctional outcomes
- Processes operate in distinct ways depending on stage of life and characteristics
24
Q
mechanisms that account for growth
A
proximal processes which are associated to activities and interactions
25
Q
testable hypotheses
A
- To be effective, activity must reoccur over and extended period of time
- To drive development, activities and related proximal processes must continue long enough to become increasingly more complex
26
Q
relevance of early experiences on later development
A
- family is first context that proximal process takes place
- Caregiver presence promotes processes and provides security and motivation to engage in activities with them
- Secure attachment relationships allow children to confidently explore environments and establish complex learning and problem-solving strategies
27
Q
environment and social contexts that affect development
A
- Context influences development
- Diverse settings and interconnections among settings
- Cultural, community, and societal contexts
- Microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem
28
Q
risk factors
A
- Dysfunction: repeated occurrence of challenges that prevent a developing person from managing and coordinating behaviour in different situations
- Risk limits capacity to develop cognitive, physical, and socioemotional skills
- Chaotic systems: disruptive environments with intensive activity, lack of structure, unpredictability, and background stimulation
- Disrupt proximal processes
29
Q
strengths
A
- New perspective of context and nested environments
- Proximal process: importance of interactions of individuals and environmental features
- Simple yet complex model
- Description of proximal processes
- Value of observing behaviour in natural settings
- Longitudinal studies of development shaped by context
Intervention and training design in many fields - Integrates many fields
- Ideas stated as testable hypotheses
- Framework of research in human development
30
Q
weaknesses
A
- Construct of person lacks elaboration (individuals vary in motivation, emotion, goals, etc)
- No direction of development in cognition, reasoning, and self-understanding
- No specification about proximal processes that support developmental outcomes
- Time lacks specificity
- Time in relation to gaining abilities (how long it takes)
- Time needed for experiences to have impact
- Fails to incorporate ideas from biological and psychological ecology that assist in characterizing the nature of events
- No way of evaluating importance of one setting over others in mesosystems
- Few studies examine full model and interaction among factors
