Ch. 4 - Developmental Psychology (PART 1) Flashcards
Longitudinal Research Design
Testing the same cohort at different times. eg. Studying one person as they age
Cross-Sectional Research Design
Comparing people in different cohorts (usually by age) at the same time.
Sequential Research Design
Combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal design. Test several.cohorts as they age
Which research design is the most comprehensive?
Sequential Design
Developmental Psychology
Changes in biological, physical, psychological, & behavioural processes
Critical Period
Age where experiences must occur (for a person to develop normally)
Sensitive Period
Optimal age range for an experience to occur. Example: Can learn a 2nd language after age 12, but it will be more difficult
What are some issues with cross-sectional research designs?
Each cohort has different experiences, cultural changes, and environmental changes
What are some issues with longitudinal research designs?
-Expensive & Time Consuming
-People drop out of research studies (no other cohorts)
-Results are not very generalizable
Do babies have normal vision at birth?
No, the visual system is poorly developed at birth (very nearsighted). It gets progressively better as babies age
Preferential Looking Procedure
Measure how long an infant looks at a stimulus (infants look longer at stimuli they find interesting)
Habituation Procedure
Present a stimulus over and over again until infants become “habituated” (response to stimulus declines). Used for auditory cues where we cannot test using the preferential looking procedure
Imitation
Infants imitate adult facial expressions. This helps infants recognize people & engage with them
True or False: Babies are passive, disorganized, and have an empty mind.
False
Given our knowledge of prenatal sensory-motor development; the tactile, auditory, and chemical perceptual systems have been stimulated and are operating at birth (i.e. babies can interpret the world around them).
What are some environmental influences on fetal development?
Teratogens
Maternal malnutrition
Maternal stress (stress hormones)
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
Nicotine
Drugs
Teratogens
Environmental agents that may cause abnormal fetal development
Maternal Malnutrition
Miscarriage
Premature birth
Stillbirth
Impaired brain development
Maternal Stress (stress hormones)
Premature birth
Infant irritability
Attentional deficits
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
Produce brain damage, blindness, and/or deafness depending on the disease
Nicotine
Increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight
Drugs
Mothers who use heroin or cocaine are often born addicted and experience withdrawal symptoms after birth
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Disorder within the spectrum involving a cluster of severe developmental abnormalities
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Cognitive, behavioural, and physical deficits caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol
Which chromosome pair determines a child’s gender?
23rd chromosome pair
Females = XX
Males = XY
Testis Determining Factor (TDF)
Y chromosome contains TDF. TDF initiates development of testes. Testes secrete androgens which direct male organ development.
What happens when there is insufficient androgen activity?
Female organ development occurs
Prenatal Development Stages
Germinal (Weeks 0-1)
Embryonic (Weeks 2-8)
Fetal (Week 9 up to birth)
At what age can a fetus survive outside of a mother’s womb?
28 weeks (fetus can survive outside of womb in cases of premature birth)
Germinal Stage
Zygote attaches to uterine wall
Embryonic Stage
Bodily organs/systems begin to form. Placenta & umbilical cord develop (enable nutrients/oxygen to transfer from mother to embryo and waste to transfer from embryo to mother).
Fetal Stage
Muscles become stronger and bodily systems continue to develop until eventually the fetus can survive outside of the womb
Why do newborns tend to orient themselves towards their mother’s face, voice, and smell?
Staying near their mother optimizes their access to food, warmth, and social stimulation. This optimization increases their chances of survival
Sound Localization
Ability to localize sounds. Disappears at 4 months of age and reappears at 6 months of age
Why does sound localization disappear in babies then reappear after a couple months?
Lack of practice
Interest in visual targets (does not use auditory senses)
Change in how behaviour is controlled
Phoneme Discrimination
Ability to detect changes in speech sounds. Newborns have better phoneme discrimination than adults, ability disappears by 1 year of age
Maturation
Genetically programmed biological process that governs our growth
Cephalocaudal Principle
Development is from head to foot (head -> torso -> legs -> feet)
Proximodistal Principle
Development is from innermost to outer (shoulders -> arms -> hands -> fingers)
Stage-like development
Age of acquiring skills differs, but the sequence is the same
Stepping Reflex
Involuntary stepping movement (first appears @ 1-2 months of age, then reappears @ 12 months of age in time to learn how to walk)
Influences on Physical Development
Diet (i.e. consistent breastfeeding)
Enriched environments
Physical Touch
