Ch. 5: Developmental Psychology

Question 1

idea of nature vs. nurture?

Answer 1

what guides development?

Question 2

idea of change and stability?

Answer 2

how do we change/stay the same as we age?

Question 3

idea of continuity vs. stages?

Answer 3

is development gradual or are there certain ages/stages during development that are associated with certain things?

Question 4

4 examples of inborn skills?

Answer 4

1. rooting reflex: when a baby’s cheek is touched they turn their face toward that side and open their mouth
2. sucking reflex
3. crying when hungry
4. babies are drawn to look at faces

Question 5

what stages classify infancy?

Answer 5

newborns–> toddlers

Question 6

what is maturation?

Answer 6

refers to biologically-driven growth and development enabling orderly changes in behavior; nature sets the sequence

Question 7

idea of brain development?

Answer 7

in womb through birth, infancy, and childhood, the brain is developing exponentially with thousands of new neurons and neural networks being formed

Question 8

idea of motor development?

Answer 8

not taught, it’s inborn, at different ages babies do different things ex: 6 months they should be able to sit unsupported

Question 9

what is infantile amnesia?

Answer 9

in infancy the brain forms memories so differently that most people can’t recall memories from the first three years of life

Question 10

idea of cognitive development?

Answer 10

refers to mental capacities

Question 11

leading psychologist in cognitive development? what did he study?

Answer 11

Jean Piaget studied how children think differently than adults

Question 12

what is a schema?

Answer 12

a mental container we build to hold our experiences; can take the form of images, models, etc. ; how we make sense of the world ex: a little boy might use the word “cow” to refer to most large animals because its the only word he knows for what he sees

Question 13

what did Piaget believe in?

Answer 13

stages of development

Question 14

what is the sensorimotor stage?

Answer 14

0-2 yrs; children explore by looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping ex: toy rattles, mobiles

Question 15

what is the idea of object permanence?

Answer 15

during the sensorimotor stage usually 6-8 months; the idea that objects exist even when you can’t see them ex: peek a boo

Question 16

what is the preoperational stage?

Answer 16

3-6 yrs; period of imaginary/pretend play; children represent their schema/feelings with words and images; children use intuition

Question 17

what is egocentrism?

Answer 17

you can only see your perspective

Question 18

what is the theory of mind?

Answer 18

refers to the ability to understand that others have their own thought and perspective; applying egocentrism

Question 19

what does conservation refer to?

Answer 19

refers to the ability to understand that a quantity is conserved even when arranged in a different shape ex: different size cups of milk

Question 20

what is the concrete operational stage?

Answer 20

1st grade-11 yrs old; very literal

Question 21

what is the formal operational stage?

Answer 21

age 11+; includes algebra

Question 22

does logical reasoning in children begin earlier?

Answer 22

Piaget’s theory was useful but we now know

1. development is a more continuous process
2. children show mental abilities at an earlier age
3. formal logic is a smaller part of cognition

Question 23

what did Lev Vygotsky do as an alternative to Jean Piaget?

Answer 23

he studied children but focused on how they learn in the context of social communication

Question 24

what is social communication?

Answer 24

children learn thinking skills by internalizing language from others and developing inner speech

Question 25

when/why does stranger anxiety develop?

Answer 25

9 months; as children develop schemas for primary people in their lives they notice when strangers don’t fit their schemas

Question 26

what is attachment and what is its origin?

Answer 26

emotional tie to another person; based on physical affection and comfortable body contact

Question 27

who came up the styles of dealing with separation and what are they?

Answer 27

Mary Ainsworth in the “strange situations” test:

1. secure attachment- distress when mom leaves but seeks her when she returns (most common)
2. insecure attachment (anxious style) -very upset when mom leaves and stays upset when she returns
3. insecure attachment (avoidance style)- child is indifferent when mom leaves and returns (least common)

Question 28

what causes different attachment styles?

Answer 28

temperament and parenting behavior

Question 29

when do children develop a healthy self concept?

Answer 29

age 8-10

Question 30

what are the 3 parenting styles?

Answer 30

1. authoritarian
2. permissive
3. authoritative

Question 31

what is the lifespan perspective?

Answer 31

development is a lifelong process

Question 32

what occurs during adolescence?

Answer 32

transition from child to adult; physical development (puberty); brain development (myelin sheath solidifies; crucial learning time); cognitive development (formal operational stage: able to think through things, have goals, worry about others opinions of themselves)

Question 33

who came up with the levels of moral reasoning and what are they?

Answer 33

Lawrence Kohlberg;

1. preconventional (up to age 9)- follow rules to avoid consequences
2. conventional (early adolescence)- follow rules so we all get along
3. postconventional (later adolescence/adulthood)- sometimes rules need to be set aside to pursue higher principles