Chapter 1 Flashcards
True or false: our broad strokes of development from conceivement are different in all of us
False: development is similar in all humans
what do developmentalists study?
how biological inheritance and the env. we live in JOINTLY affect our behavior
what do some child dev. researchers study?
how genetics determines personality and the extent to which our potential is limited/provided by heredity
what do some child specialists study?
how we’re shaped by our early environments and how current circumstances impact behavior subtly/obviously
Child Development
scientific study of patterns of GROWTH, CHANGE, and STABILITY from conception –> adolescence
what do child development researchers apply and what does it allow the subject to be studied in?
apply scientific methods; allowing it to be studied objectively vs subjectively
process of development does/doesn’t continue
caveat:
does continue from conception till death
behavior might remain stable (ex. personality)
what do developmentalists assume?
no particular, specific period governs all development
- potential for growth, decline, change during all periods
what do dev./researchers study?
study universal principles or differences that affect development
What are the approaches to child dev?
- physical
- cognitive
- psychosocial (social and personality)
physical development
ex)
how body’s makeup — brain, ns, muscles, senses
—-need for food, drink, sleep
determine behavior
ex) dehydration influences physical functioning
malnutrition and growth
cognitive development
how growth and change in intellectual capabilities influences behavior
what does cognitive development include:
intellect, problem solving, language, learning, memory
examples of cognitive development studies
how cultural dif explain academic success/failure
how ppl remember traumatizing events later on
personal development
study of stability and change in the enduring characteristics that differ from person to person
social development
way ppl’s interactions with people and their relationships grow, change, and stabilize over course of life
what might somebody in social dev. study
effects of racism, divorce, poverty
prenatal period
conception to birth
toddlerhood
birth to 3
preschool period
3-6
middle childhood
`6-12
adolescence
12-20
these periods of time are _____ (define this)
social constructions: shared notion of reality but has a function in society and culture
the age ranges are ___
why?
arbitrary
some age ranges have clear-cut boundaries like infancy begins with birth, preschool period ends with entry to school, adolescence begins with sexual maturity
What age period is fluid
From middle childhood to adolescence, entry into adolescence varies from person to person bc arrival of biological change varies from person
Does personality change?
Baby example
After how many years
Yes but not dramatically. Shy baby won’t grow up to be most extroverted baby. Personality becomes pretty stable after 3
Jeffrey Arnett’s new developmental period
Emerging adulthood:
late teenage years to early 20s
not adolescents but haven’t taken on responsibilities of adult. Self exploration
factors that affect individual differences in the timing developmental milestones
biological and environmental
examples of individual dif
age of developing romantic relationships varies btw cultures
what are developmental specialists talking abt when they say age ranges
the average time that ppl reach a specific milestone
when does variation become noteworthy?
what’s concerning
when children deviate substantially from the average which could be concerning if delayed – needs to be monitored/accessed to evaluate dev
what and when causes greater individual differences
as children age
most dev. changes are autonomic and genetically determined (genetics impacts early on like eye color, height,etc) but env. factors become more potent with age
how does the impact of env factors grow
brain is most responsive to env factors – good or bad— and will permanently or temporarily change body’s chemistry
when is brain development most rapid
early life
race vs ethnicity
race is a biological concept
ethnicity is broader: religion, cultural background, nationality
cohort
they are a product of…
group of ppl born around same time and place
the social times in which they live
what influences members of a cohort
major events like a war, pandemic, etc.
cohort effects are an example of _______
(define ___)
history-graded inf: biological and env. influences associated with a specific historical moment
example of history graded influences
9/11 in NYC
what are cohort effects
idea that specific influences will affect dev., this and explains why ppl born around same time and place are similar in ways others aren’t
age graded inf
biological and environmental influences similar for particular age groups regardless of cohort (when and where born)
examples of age graded influences
puberty and menopause and entry into edu, learning to walk, talk, etc
age graded influences are ______
normative and predictable — tend to occurs at same age
sociocultural inf
ex.)
ethnicity, social class, etc
english as 2nd language for immigrant vs english for native born
non normative life events
ex)
these are
specific, ATYPICAL events that occur in a person’s life at a time where such event don’t happen to most
winning state championship, housefire, Lousie
unpredictable, irregular
things that influence dev
age grade inf, history graded inf, sociocultural inf, non normative life events
early views of children
distinction btw adult and kid
believed children as mini adults and were treated as such (had to work)
childhood wasn’t qualitatively dif than adulthood
Locke
tabula rosa/blank slate
* children were born with no specific characteristics or personalities
* entirely shaped by experiences
Rousseau
noble savages: children were born with an innate sense of right/wrong/morality
* grew up to be admirable adults unless corrupted by circumstances
Rousseau was the first to suggest
growth occurred in distinct, discont. stages automatically
baby biographies
first attempts of methodically studying children
observers were typically parents tracing growth and phys/ling milestones of a single child
what was the downturn of baby biographies
not systematic and biased
what did darwin do
what did he hope to understand
created a more systematic baby biography of his son through 1st yr
- understanding how development of individuals will help him understand development of the species
what led to a focus on childhood
adult labor pool increased so children no longer needed for labor — labor laws
— education meant kids separated from adults and teachers need to find ways to teach to KIDS (division of children and kids)
Alfred Binet
invented IQ test, investigated memory and mental calculation, pioneered study of child intelligence
stanley hall
questionnaires to express children’s thinking and behavior, adolescence as period (start of systematic child study)
first female child psych
leta hollingworth
examples of large scale systematic investigations of children
stanford studies of gifted children (thru lifespan)
research institute study and berkeley growth and guidance studies (identified nature of normal growth)
cont. change
development is GRADUAL, cumulative
achievements on one level BUILD OFF of prev. levels (adding more of the same skill)
is cont change quantitative or qualitative? Why?
quantitative — processes that drive change remain over life span; thus changes are a matter of degree not kind
picture cont. change as
running up a hill
discont. change
picture it as
change is
development in distinct steps/stages where each step is qualitatively different than prev stages
climbing stairs
abrupt and sudden
True or false: taking an either/or side on cont. vs discont. change is inappropriate
true, some are clearly discont. some clearly cont.
examples of cont development
height
critical period
specific time during development when a particular event has greatest consequences
critical period — environmental stimuli
enable dev. to proceed normally or abnormally
difference btw critical and sensitive period
critical: essential that child develops those specific skills in THAT TIME FROM bc they might not develop them at all (consequences are irreversible)
sensitive: more flexible, if skills aren’t developed, it doesn’t mean the skill can’t develop at all (recognizes plasticity)
sensitive period
specific time when organisms are susceptible to env stimuli where it’s the optimal period for capacities to emerge
life span approach vs particular periods
early on ppl only focused on infancy and adolescence, now the entire conception to adolescence is imp
life span approach
no one age period has biggest impact of dev. and events that occur during each period has equal powerful effects; growth and change occur throughout life
life span approach: dev is ___
multidimensional: affected by biological, psychological factors, etc.
multidirectional: in some areas you progress, in others you decline
to understand social inf we must study
the people that provide these inf (parents) 15 yr old mom vs 37 yr old
changes in the composition of us population will lead to developmentalist to give more attention to issues of
diversity
nature
ex)
traits, abilities, and capacities inherited from parents that are at work from conception to human
how good we are at athletics, eye color, etc
what does nature encompass and its def
maturation: any factor produced by predetermined unfolding of genetic info
nurture
influence of the environment that shape behavior —- biological (druggy mom) or social (parenting style) or socioeconomic/societal
genetically determined traits have a direct inf on ______ but indirect inf on _______
behavior
shaping the env (cranky baby -genetics, will make her parents always comfort her)
our behavior will not occur in
absence of approp. env.
future of child dev
- field will become more specialized
- boundaries sbtw dif subdisciplines will be blurred
- greater attention on diversity
- more professionals will use child development’s research and findings
- have influence on public interest issues
becoming informed consumer
- consider source of advice
- evaluate credentials of advice giver
- understand dif btw anecdotal evidence and sci evidence
- keep cultural context in mid
- don’t assume that because many ppl believe in something makes it true
4 key issues in child devq
nature vs nurture
discont. vs cont.
critical vs sensitive
life span vs periods
