Chapter 1 Flashcards
Developmental Psychology
Scientific study of ways in which people change, as well as stay the same, from conception to death
What is developmental psychology also referred to as?
- Human development
- Lifespan development
- Developmental science
What was the previous message that developmental psychology focused on?
Originally focused on infants and children; once you turn 25, your development is essentially done
What are some applied fields in psychology that relate to developmental psychology?
- Educational psychology
- Psychopathology
- Forensic developmental psychology
Developmental psychology complements with which basic research fields in psychology?
- Social psychology
- Cognitive psychology
- Comparative psychology
What fields outside of psychology that draw on the theories from developmental psychology?
- Biology
- Sociology
- Healthcare
- Nutrition
- Anthropology
What are the underlying principles of the lifespan perspective?
- Development is lifelong
- Development is multi-directional
- Development is multi-dimensional
- Development is multi-disciplinary
- Development is characterized by plasticity
- Development is multi-contextual
True or False: Humans change in many directions as we may show gains in some areas of development, while showing losses in other areas
True
True or False: There are some age periods that are more crucial, characterizes, and dominates human development
False: No single age period is more crucial, characterizes, or dominates human development
What are the three general domains/dimensions of development?
- Physical
- Cognitive
- Psychosocial
Physical Domain
Changes in height and weight, sensory capabilities, the nervous system, as well as the propensity for disease and illness
Cognitive Domain
Changes in intelligence, wisdom, perception, problem-solving, memory, and language
Psychosocial Domain
Changes in emotion, self-perception and interpersonal relationships with families, peers, and friends
Plasticity
Our ability to change and that many of our characteristics are malleable
What are the three specific contextual influences?
- Normative age-graded influences
- Normative history-graded influences
- Non-normative life influences
Age-Grade
A specific age group, such as toddler, adolescent, or senior
Cohort
A group of people who are born at roughly the same period in a particular society
Normative History-Graded Influences
Time period in which you’re born shapes your experiences
Non-Normative Life Influences
Despite sharing an age and history with our peers,
each of us also has unique experiences that may shape our development
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
A way to identify families and households based on their shared levels of education, income, and occupation
True or False: all of us born into a class system are socially located, and we may move up or down depending on a combination of both socially and individually created limits and opportunities
True
Poverty Level
An income amount established by the federal government that is based on a set of income thresholds that vary by family size
Culture
The totality of our shared language, knowledge, material objects, and behavior
How is culture learned?
- Parents
- Schools
- Houses of worship
- Media
- Friends and others throughout a lifetime
Ethnocentrism
Belief that our own culture is superior
Cultural Relativity
An appreciation for cultural differences and the understanding that cultural practices are best understood from the standpoint of that particular culture
True or False: culture is a somewhat important context for human development and you don’t need to be able to identify culturally based features of development
False: culture is an extremely important context for human development and understanding development requires being able to identify which features of development are culturally based
Lifespan
Refers to the length of time a species can exist under the most optimal conditions
What is lifespan also referred to as?
Longevity
Life Expectancy
The predicted number of years a person born in a
particular time period can reasonably expect to live
Chronological Age
Based on the number of years since your birth
Biological Age
How quickly the body is aging
Psychological Age
Our psychologically adaptive capacity compared to others of our chronological age
Social Age
Based on the social norms of our culture and the expectations our culture has for people of our age group
What is the age range of the prenatal period?
From conception to birth
What is the age range of infancy/toddlerhood?
From birth to 2 years old
What is the age range of early childhood?
2-6 years old
What is the age range of middle/late childhood?
From 6 years old to the onset of puberty
What is the age range of adolescence?
From the onset of puberty until 18 years old
What is the age range of emerging adulthood?
18-25 years old
What is the age range of early adulthood?
25 to ~40-45 years old
What is the age range of middle adulthood?
~40-45 to 65 years old
What is the age range of late adulthood?
65 years old and up
Teratogens
Environmental factors that can lead to birth defects
Early childhood is also referred to as?
Preschool years
Puberty
A period of dramatic physical change marked by an overall growth spurt and sexual maturation
What is the age range of young-old?
65-84 years old
What is the age range of oldest-old?
85 years old and up
What is the nature argument for development?
Nature would argue that heredity plays the most important role in bringing about that feature
What is the nurture argument for development?
Nurture would argue that one’s environment is
most significant in shaping the way we are
Stage Theories/Discontinuous Development
Assume that developmental change often occurs in distinct stages that are qualitatively different from each other, and in a set, universal sequence
Continuous Development
Assume development is a more slow and gradual process
Preformationism
The belief that a tiny, fully formed human is implanted in the sperm or egg at conception and then grows in size until birth
What was John Locke’s theory on development?
Proposed that children are largely shaped by their social environments, especially their education as adults teach them important knowledge
Tabula Rasa
Blank slate
What was Jean-Jacques Rosseau’s theory on development?
Instead developed according to a natural plan which unfolded in different stages; did not believe in teaching them the correct way to think, but believed children should be allowed to think by
themselves according to their own ways and an inner, biological timetable
What was Arnold Gessell’s theory on development?
Gesell believed that the child’s development was activated by genes and he called this process maturation
What was Freud’s theory on development?
- Emphasized the importance of early childhood experiences in shaping our personality and behavior
- In our natural state, we are biological
beings and are driven primarily by instincts - During childhood, however, we begin to become social beings as we learn how to manage our instincts and transform them into socially acceptable behaviors
Psychosocial Crises
Each period of life has a unique challenge or
crisis that the person who reaches it must face
Which contemporary theory of development includes psychosocial crises?
Erikson’s Psychosocial Crises
Trust vs. Mistrust is the psychosocial crisis associated with what age range?
Birth to ~12-18 months
Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt is the psychosocial crisis associated with what age range?
18 months to 3 years old
Initiative vs. Guilt is the psychosocial crisis associated with what age range?
3-6 years old
Industry vs. Inferiority is the psychosocial crisis associated with what age range?
6-12 years old
Identity vs. Role Confusion is the psychosocial crisis associated with what age range?
12-18 years old
Intimacy vs. Isolation is the psychosocial crisis associated with what age range?
19-40 years old
Generativity vs. Stagnation is the psychosocial crisis associated with what age range?
40-65 years old
Ego Integrity vs. Despair is the psychosocial crisis associated with what age range?
65 years old till death
What are some of the criticisms with Erikson’s theory on development?
- Erikson’s theory has been criticized for focusing so heavily on crises and assuming that the completion of one crisis is a prerequisite for the next crisis of development
- His theory also focused on the social expectations that are found in certain cultures, but not in all
Learning Theory
Based on the premise that it is not possible to objectively study the mind, and therefore psychologists should limit their attention to the study of behavior itself
What is learning theory is also referred to as?
Behaviorism
Reinforcements
Application of rewards
Social Learning Theory
Learning by watching others
Reciprocal Determinism
There is interplay between our personality and the way we interpret events and how they influence us
Cognitive Theories
Theories that focus on how our mental processes or cognitions change over time
What is Jean Piaget’s theory on development?
He believed that children’s intellectual skills change over time and that maturation, rather than training, brings about that change; children of differing ages interpret the world differently
Sensorimotor Stage
Children (birth to 2) experience the world through their fundamental senses of seeing, hearing, touching, and tasting
What is the stage attainment of the sensorimotor stage?
Object permanence
Preoperational Stage
Children (2-7) acquire the ability to internally represent the world through language and
mental imagery; also start to see the world from other people’s perspectives
What is the stage attainments of the preoperational stage?
- Theory of mind
- Rapid increase in language ability
Concrete Operational Stage
Children (7-11) become able to think logically and they can increasingly perform operations on objects that are real
What is the stage attainment of the concrete operational stage?
Conservation
Formal Operational Stage
Adolescents (11 to adulthood) can think systematically, can reason about abstract concepts, and can understand ethics and scientific reasoning
What is the stage attainment of the formal operational stage?
Abstract logic
Sociocultural Theory
Theory that emphasizes the importance of culture and interaction in the development of cognitive abilities
Which psychologist is attributed to creating sociocultural theory?
Lev Vygotsky
Information Processing
Based on the ideas and research of several cognitive scientists studying how individuals perceive, analyze, manipulate, use, and remember information
Ecological Systems Theory
Theory created by Bronfenbrenner which provides
a framework for understanding and studying the many influences on human development
Microsystem
System that includes the individual’s setting and those who have direct, significant contact with the person, such as parents or siblings
Mesosytem
System that includes the larger organizational structures, such as school, the family, or religion
Exosystem
System that includes the larger contexts of community (history, values, economy, etc.)
Macrosystem
System that includes the cultural elements
Chronosystem
System that includes the historical context in which these experiences occur
True or False: mesosystems influence and are influenced by the exosystem
True
Scientific Method
The set of assumptions, rules, and procedures scientists use to conduct research
Research Design
The specific method a researcher uses to collect, analyze, and interpret data
What are the three major types of research designs used by psychologists in their research?
- Descriptive
- Correlational
- Experimental
Descriptive Research
Research that describes what is occurring at a particular point in time
Correlational Research
Research designed to discover relationships among variables and to allow the prediction of future events from present knowledge
Experimental Research
Research in which a researcher manipulates one or more variables to see their effects
Case Studies
Descriptive records of one or a small group of individuals’ experiences and behavior
Naturalistic Observation
Psychologists observe and record behavior that occurs in everyday settings
Laboratory Observation
Observations conducted in a setting created by
the researcher
Psychophysiological Assessment
Researchers may also record psychophysiological data, such as measures of heart rate, hormone levels, or brain activity to help explain development
Secondary/Content Analysis
Involves analyzing information that has already been collected or examining documents or media to uncover attitudes, practices or preferences
What is the most common statistical
measure of the strength of linear relationships among variables?
Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r)
Positive Correlation
When the straight line indicates that individuals who have high values for one variable also tend to have high values for the other variable
Negative Correlation
Occur when high values for one variable tend to be associated with low values for the other variable
Third Variable
A variable that is not part of the research hypothesis but produces the observed correlation between them
Extraneous Variables
Variables that are not part of the experiment that
could inadvertently affect either the experimental or control group, thus distorting the results
Cross-Sectional Research
Compares samples that represent a cross-section of the population who vary in age
Cohort Effect
The impact of having been born in a certain time-period
Longitudinal Research
Involves studying a group of people who are the same age, and measuring them repeatedly over a period-of-time
Attrition
Occurs when participants fail to complete all portions of a study
Practice Effects
Occur when participants become better at a task over time because they have done it again and again; not due to natural psychological development
Sequential Research
Includes elements of both longitudinal and cross-sectional research designs
Deception
Occurs whenever research participants are not completely and fully informed about the nature of the research project before participating in it
Debriefing
A procedure designed to fully explain the purposes and procedures of the research and remove any harmful aftereffects of participation
