Chapter 1- Background & Theories Pt. 1 Flashcards
What is developmental psychology?
Is concerned with changes in behaviour and abilities that occur as development proceeds
What are the two goals of developmental psychology? Explain them
2pts
- Description: Identify children’s behaviour at various developmental points
- Explanation: Determine the causes and processes that govern developmental change
Early Theorists:
What did John Locke believe?
3pts
- Children gain knowledge through experience and learning
- Environmentalist point of view: children are products of their environment and upbringing
- “Tabula rasa”: the mind is a blank slate at birth (suggesting that all behaviors are learned)
Early Theorists:
What did Jean-Jacques Rousseau believe?
Give an example
2pt
- Argued that children are born with innate knowledge that drives development (nativism) and children are drawn to certain things of their innate knowledge
Ex- a baby may know exactly who their mom is
Early theorists:
What did Johann Gottfried Von Herder believe?
1pt
- Examining and evaluating the specifics of a culture is crucial to understanding human development (cultural relativism)
Early theorists:
Who is Charles Darwin?
3pts
- Developed concept of “natural selection”
–> Traits that confer advantages allow the organism to survive - Theory gave rise to concept of recapitulation
- Employed early baby biography research method
Early theorist- Charles Darwin:
Name the concept:
- As people develop, they repeat behaviours of their evolutionary ancestors.
- The development of the embryo of every species repeats the evolutionary development of that species fully.
- You see the same patterns happening overtime
Recapitulation
Early theorist- Charles Darwin:
Name the concept:
- The process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change
- Variations in individuals in populations have traits better suited to certain environments that others.
- Those with adaptive traits that give them more advantage, are more likely to survive and reproduce
Natural selection
Pioneers of child psychology:
Who is G. Stanley Hall?
2pts
- Father of child psychology
- Founded the field of developmental psychology
Pioneers of child psychology:
Who is James Mark Baldwin?
1pt
- First Canadian academic psychologist to study development
Pioneers of child psychology:
Who is John B. Watson?
3pts
- Focused research on observable behaviour
- Behaviorist theory of development
- Development results from conditioning and learning
Pioneers of child psychology:
Who is Arnold Gesell?
2pts
- Focused on biological and maturational processes
- Produced age-related norms for development
Pioneers of child psychology:
Who is Sigmund Freud?
2pts
- Focused on early childhood experiences
- Proposed a five-stage theory of psychosexual development
Pioneers of child psychology:
What did Sigmund Freud propose in his five-stage theory of psychosexual development ?
5pts
- Children are born with innate sexual energy (libido)
- At various stages of development, libido is focused within certain bodily regions called erogenous zones
- Stimulation of these regions results in pleasure and gratification
- Stages include: oral, anal, phallic, latent, genital
- Children move from stage to stage; failure to do so results in being fixated within a stage
Pioneers of child psychology:
What did Sigmund Freud propose about fixation in his five-stage theory of psychosexual development ?
2pts
- Inappropriate childhood experiences cause a child to become fixated (stuck) in the earlier stage
-This fixation will manifest itself in later adult
behaviour
Pioneers of child psychology:
What is the most complex stage in Sigmund Freud’s five-stage theory of psychosexual development ? Why?
3pts
Most complex stage is the phallic stage:
- Oedipus complex (for boys) & Electra complex (for girls): The attachment/unconscious sexual desire of the child to the parent of the opposite sex, accompanied by envious/ competition and aggressive feelings toward the parent of the same sex.
- Repression: repressing/exclusion of distressing memories, thoughts or feelings from the conscious mind.
- Identification: an individual makes themselves like someone else, identifies with another person –> a person changes their public behaviour and their private beliefs, but only while they are in the presence of the group they are identifying with
Pioneers of child psychology:
- First developmental theorist to propose that development represents an interaction between biological systems and environmental influences (BLANK perspective)
- Suggested that early childhood experiences are critical for adulthood
-spurred others to test his theories and to develop their own theories
- Suggested that early childhood experiences are critical for adulthood
Who am I? Fill in the bank.
- Sigmund Freud
- Interactionist
Pioneers of child psychology:
Who is Erik Erikson?
2pts
-Expanded Freuds stages; proposed an eight-stage model
-Focused on social and cultural influences on development (psychosocial model)
Pioneers of child psychology:
Stages of development of Erikson and Freud- What is the first stage?
Provide age, characteristics/explanation for each
3pts
Age: birth- 1.5
- Trust vs Mistrust: infant must form trusting relationships with caregivers. If care is inadequate, mistrust develops instead
-Oral: Libido is located at the mouth principal source of physical pleasure is sucking
Pioneers of child psychology:
Stages of development of Erikson and Freud- What is the second stage?
3pts
Age: 1.5- 3
- Autonomy vs Shame/doubt : As they master various skills- walking, toileting etc, children begin to develop feelings of autonomy and self-control. Failure to meet expectations can lead to shame and doubt.
-Anal: child attains physical pleasure from having bowel movements and later from withholding them.
Pioneers of child psychology:
Stages of development of Erikson and Freud- What is the third stage?
Provide age, characteristics/explanation for each
Age: 3-6
- Initiative vs guilt: Children take more initiative in dealing with their environment, but may experience guilt, as a result of conflicts with caregivers
- Phallic: Libido moves to the genital area. Children become sexually attracted to the parent of the opposite sex but views the same sex parent as competition/ a powerful rival. Resolving this conflicts involves forcing the libido into the unconscious and trying to adopt the characteristics of the same-sex parent.
Pioneers of child psychology:
Stages of development of Erikson and Freud- What is the fourth stage?
Provide age, characteristics/explanation for each
Age: 6-12
- Industry vs inferiority: School-age children develop industry by successfully dealing with demands to learn new skills; failure leads to feelings of inferiority
- Latency: libido remains repressed and inactive
Pioneers of child psychology:
Stages of development of Erikson and Freud- What is the fifth stage?
Provide age, characteristics/explanation for each
Age: 12-18
-Identity vs Role confusion: Teenagers must develop a sense of identity in various areas, such as occupation and gender, or risk role confusion in adulthood
-Genital: Libido re-emerges in the genital area; child again develops attraction towards the opposite sex- this time directed towards peers.
Pioneers of child psychology:
Stages of development of Erikson:
What is the name of the stage ‘young adult’?
1pt
Intimacy vs isolation: young adults must form intimate relationships or suffer from loneliness and isolation
Pioneers of child psychology:
Stages of development of Erikson:
What is the name of the stage ‘adult’?
1pt
Generativity vs stagnation: adults must find ways to support future generations, through child rearing or other productive activities, or come to a standstill in their lives.
Pioneers of child psychology:
Stages of development of Erikson:
What is the name of the stage ‘older adult’?
1pt
Ego integrity vs Despair: Older adults must come to feel a sense of fulfillment in life or experience despair as they face death.
Issues in developmental psychology:
Does developmental change occur due to biological factors or environmental factors?
What concept/issue am i?
Nature vs Nurture
Issues in developmental psychology:
Is developmental change smooth and constant
(BLANK) or stage-like (BLANK)?
What concept/issue am i?
Continuity vs. Discontinuity
-continuous, discontinuous
Issues in developmental psychology:
Is the focus of the researcher on universals of
development (BLANK) or on individual differences (BLANK)?
What concept/issue am I?
Normative vs. Idiographic
-normative, idiographic
Theories of development:
Developmental psychologists align themselves with 4 specific theoretical approaches, what are they?
- Cognitive-developmental approach
- Sociocultural approach
- Environmental/learning approach
- Evolutionary and biological approach
