Ch. 1: The Science of Child Development

Question 1

What is development?

Answer 1

The systematic continuities and changes in an individual that occur between conception and death.

Question 2

Regarding child development, what did Plato argue versus Aristotle?

Answer 2

Plato: children born with innate knowledge.

Aristotle: knowledge as rooted in experience.

Question 3

What did Locke assert regarding development? Rousseau?

Answer 3

Locke: infant is a “blank slate.”

Rousseau: children born with innate sense of justice and morality.

Question 4

Rather than emphasizing parental discipline, Rousseau argued that parents should be what?

Answer 4

Responsive and receptive to their child’s needs.

Question 5

These two individuals theorized children are born well-prepared with a stockpile of knowledge, whereas these two others theorized children pick up necessary knowledge through experience.

Answer 5

Rousseau and Plato; Locke and Aristotle.

Question 6

The push toward child development as a science came in part from the significant role children played during what transformation of the work environment? Why?

Answer 6

Industrial Revolution.

Children worked long hours and in hazardous work conditions. Reformers worked to enact legislation that would limit child labour and put more children in schools.

Question 7

Darwin’s description of evolutionary change within species and the age-related changes in human behaviour shared which similarity?

Answer 7

Individuals within a species differ; some are better adapted to a particular environment, making them more likely to survive and to pass along characteristics to future generations.

Question 8

What did Darwin’s ideas prompt that paved the way for objective, analytic research of child development?

Answer 8

Baby biographies: detailed, systematic observations of individual children.

Question 9

List the three major contributions of G. Stanley Hall.

Answer 9

Theories of child development based on evolutionary science.

Conducted studies to determine age trends in children’s various beliefs and feelings.

Founded first English-language scientific journal in which scientists could publish child development research.

Question 10

What were the key contributions of Alfred Binet, Sigmund Freud, and John B. Watson?

Answer 10

Binet: devised first mental tests.

Freud: suggestion that experiences of early childhood influence behaviour in adulthood.

Watson: founded behaviourism; wrote and lectured about importance of reward and punishment for childrearing practices.

Question 11

Baldwin, who established the first psychology laboratory in Canada, believed what about child development research at the time?

Answer 11

Felt theoretical basis for experimentation was important; baby biographies stifled research by being too focused on observation.

Question 12

During which time was child development research thriving?

Answer 12

1960s.

Question 13

A new branch of child development research has emerged in recent years. Describe it.

Answer 13

Applied developmental science. Uses developmental research to promote healthy development, particularly for vulnerable children and families.

Question 14

In child development, a theory is what?

Answer 14

Organized set of ideas designed to explain and make predictions about development.

Question 15

The biological perspective of development states that development is determined primarily by biological factors. Off that, define maturational theory and ethological theory.

Answer 15

Maturational theory: development reflects natural unfolding of a pre-arranged biological plan.

Ethological theory: many behaviours viewed as adaptive because they have survival value.

Question 16

In the biological perspective, there are two important concepts - critical period, and imprinting. Define them.

Answer 16

Critical period: time during which a child is ready and able to learn something (not too early or too late).

Imprinting: forming an emotional bond between the child and the first moving object (usually the mother).

Question 17

Which researcher conducted key research on the theory of imprinting?

Answer 17

Lorenz and his research on imprinting in chicks.

Question 18

The psychodynamic perspective holds what belief?

Answer 18

Development is determined by how a child resolves conflicts at different ages.

Question 19

Freud’s psychosexual theory held what beliefs that have had a lasting impact on child development research and theory?

Answer 19

Experiences have an enduring effect on children’s development; conflict between their desires and what they “should” do.

Question 20

What were Freud’s three components of personality?

Answer 20

Id: primitive instincts and desires, presses for immediate gratification.

Ego: practical, rational component of personality.

Superego: “moral agent.”

Question 21

In Erikson’s psychosocial theory, development is comprised of what? Give an example.

Answer 21

A sequence of stages, each defined by a unique challenge or crisis.

E.g., autonomy vs. shame and doubt.

Question 22

Early learning theories emphasized the importance of _____ in development.

Answer 22

Experience.

Question 23

Pavlov studied classical conditioning and Skinner studied operant conditioning. Define each.

Answer 23

Classical conditioning: forming associations between stimuli.

Operant conditioning: reinforcement and punishment.

Question 24

Describe the “Little Albert” experiment that Watson conducted.

Answer 24

Paired a white rat with a loud, startling noise. After a few pairings, Albert showed fear at the sight of the rat.

Question 25

Other learning theorists suggested that children can learn by observing others. What are these theories called?

Answer 25

Imitation or observational learning.

Question 26

Bandura’s social-cognitive theory holds what belief? What does it propose children develop a sense of?

Answer 26

Children actively interpret events and respond based on their perceptions.

Children develop a sense of self-efficacy through experience and this influences their behaviour.

Question 27

Describe the “Bobo doll” study.

Answer 27

Children watched adults physically abuse a doll. When led to playroom, performed same behaviours.

Question 28

The cognitive-developmental perspective holds what belief? Children are viewed as what?

Answer 28

Development reflects children’s efforts to understand the world.

Children are viewed as “little scientists” who develop and revise theories with experience.

Question 29

The contextual perspective states that development is determined by what?

Answer 29

Immediate and more distant environments, which typically influence each other.

Question 30

People and institutions together form what?

Answer 30

Culture: the knowledge, skills and attitudes of a group of people.

Question 31

Lev Vygotsky believed what?

Answer 31

Adults convey to children the beliefs, customs, and skills of their culture.

Question 32

Describe the four systems in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory.

Answer 32

Microsystem: people and objects in person’s immediate environment (e.g., school, family).

Mesosystem: connect microsystems - what happens in one microsystem likely to influence others.

Exosystem: social settings person may not experience first-hand, but still influence development (e.g, mother’s work environment).

Macrosystem: cultures and subcultures in which other systems are embedded.

Question 33

The systems in ecological systems theory change over time in a dimension known as what?

Answer 33

Chronosystem.

Question 34

“Early development is related to later development” is known as what issue? Describe the opposing views.

Answer 34

Continuity-discontinuity issue.

Continuous view: children stay on the same path throughout development.

Discontinuous view: children can change paths at any point in development.

Question 35

“Development is jointly influenced by heredity and environment” is known as what issue? Describe it.

Answer 35

Nature-nurture issue: interact with each other to influence development.

Question 36

A major goal of child development research is to understand how _____ and _____ jointly determine development.

Answer 36

Heredity; environment.

Question 37

“Children influence their own development” is known as what issue? Describe its perspective.

Answer 37

Active-passive issue.

Children were once viewed as passive recipients of their environments, now seen as interpreting own experiences and often actively influencing own experiences.

Question 38

Parent-child relationships are what?

Answer 38

Bi-directional.

Question 39

Development in different domains is connected. What are the five domains?

Answer 39

Physical, emotional (personality), social, language, and cognition.