Chapter 1/2 - Intro to Developmental Psych/Theories of Human Development Flashcards
What is development?
systematic changes that occur between conception and death
What is maturation?
process of biological change based on species
every species has pre-programmed behaviour
What is learning?
process through which our experiences produce relatively permanent changes in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
What it the difference between normative and idiographic development?
normative = typical patterns of change
idiographic = abnormal development, not preceding in typical fashion
What is the difference between systematic and random development?
systematic = development preceding in a set sequence, we can predict what will happen
- ex. biological
random = could be any reason that development occurs
- ex. environment
What is the purpose of a theory of development?
explain and predict behaviour
What is a theory?
a set of concepts and propositions that describe, organize, and explain a set of observations
What is the basic principle of Freud’s Psychosexual theory?
basic sexual and aggressive drives must be served
conflict of individual’s instinct and societal norms for behaviour
According to Freud, what are the 3 components of personality?
id
- natural instincts, satisfy biological drives
ego = rational component, find realistic way to gratify needs
superego = conscience, personalized moral development
What is Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development?
children play active role in development
important of social and cultural influences
less emphasis on sexual urges
eight life “crises” that emerge at distinct times
What are the 8 stages of Erikson’s psychosocial development?
trust vs mistrust - infant autonomy vs shame - toddler initiative vs guilt - pre-school industry vs inferiority - grade-school identity vs role confusion - teenager intimacy vs isolation - young adulthood generativity vs stagnation - middle adulthood integrity vs despair - older adulthood
What makes a theory good?
parsimonious
- can explain range of behaviours
falsifiable
- testable, able to be proven wrong
heuristic
- useful
What are the 3 main learning theories/theorists?
Watson’s behaviourism
Skinner’s radical behaviourism
Bandura’s social learning theory
Describe Watson’s behaviourism.
Locke’s tabula rasa
- children as blank slates when born, only what you teach them through reinforcement is what they learn
development is continuous and based on learning
Describe Skinner’s radical behaviourism.
principles of operant conditioning
reinforcers increase probability of behaviour occurring
punishers decrease probability of behaviours occurring again
Describe Bandura’s cognitive social learning theory.
observational learning
- learning by observing others
reciprocal determinism
- parent-child
- child-environment
What is the ethological viewpoint of development?
all species born with biologically programmed behaviours that are adaptive for survival
- through natural selection
What is the difference between critical and sensitive periods?
critical = limited time span where developing organisms are prepared to display adapted development patterns
- provided they receive appropriate input
sensitive = time is optimal for emergence of particular or competencies
- when individual is particularly sensitive to environmental influences
What is Bronfrenbrenner’s ecological systems theory?
environment is a series of nested structures
microsystem mesosystem exosystem macrosystem chronosystem
direct and indirect influences
What is the microsystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory?
relations between child and immediate environment
usually limited to family in young infants, grows as daycare/neighbourhood children are introduced
What is the mesosystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory?
connections among child’s immediate settings
interrelationships among microsystems such as home, school, peers
What is the exosystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory?
social settings that affect but do not contain the child
ex. parent’s work environment
What is the macrosystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory?
overarching ideology of the culture
dictates how children should be treated, goals they should strive for, what they should be taught, etc.
What is the microsystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory?
temporal dimension
changes in the child or in any ecological context
ex. invention of smart phones
What is the zone of proximal development?
difference between what a child can accomplish alone vs with the help of others
What is information processing theory?
human mind is similar to the computer
- receives input, performs operations on input, generates output
development reflects changes in hardware (CNS) and software (mental processes)
What are the 3 main developmental study designs?
cross-sectional
- people of different ages studied at same point in time
longitudinal
- same participants studied repeatedly over time
sequential
- combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional
- people of different ages across a period of time
What are cohort effects?
trends only shown in specific cohorts (groups) of people
ex. puberty onset during wartime and peacetime
What is an example of a cohort comparison?
comparing 8 year olds in 2006 to 8 year olds in 2010
What are the criticisms of psychoanalytic theories?
no real evidence of early conflicts affecting adult personality
What are the criticisms of learning theories?
oversimplified
ignore genetic contributions
What are the criticisms of ethological/evolutionary/ecological viewpoints?
hard to test
downplays importance of cultural learning
doesn’t address typical brain development
What are the criticisms of cognitive-developmental theories?
underestimate children’s abilities
What are the criticisms of information-processing theories?
usually employs artificial lab studies
computer model underestimates human cognition
What is continuous vs discontinuous development?
continuous
- additive and gradual
- quantitative
discontinuous
- series of discrete stages
- qualitative
What is correlational research?
determines if 2 things are related
What is experimental research?
determine if causal relationship exists
in controlled conditions
independent and dependent variables
What is naturalistic observation?
observing people in common, everyday surroundings
What is observer influence?
tendency of participants to react to an observers presence by behaving in unusual ways
What are Freud’s stages of psychosexual development?
oral
- 0-1
- fixation on mouth
anal
- 1-3
- toilet training
phaillic
- 3-6
- genital stimulation
- Oedipus/Electra complex
latency
- 6-11
- repress sexual conflicts
genital
- 12+
- puberty awakens sexual urges that must be controlled in an acceptable way
