chapter 1 learning objectives Flashcards
What answers have been proposed to the nature-nurture and continuiyt-discontinuity questions?
The question of the degree to which development in influenced by nautre and by nurture has been central to the study of dvelopment for years. Theorist on the nautre side of the debate favor biological explanations, while those on the nurture side endorse experiential explanations of age-related changes. Psyhologist who facor continuity emphasize the quantitative aspects of development, while those who view development as discontinous often propose stage models to explain developmental change
what are the internal and external vairables that influenc development?
Internal variables that influence development icnlude factors such as maturation, critical and sensitive periods, inborn biases, individual gentic variation, and internal models of experience. External vairables include parent behaviors and characteristics of the physical environment. Theoritical mode;s try to explain how internal and external vairables interact
How does the ecological perspective improve scientist understandings of child development?
the ecological perspective attempts to explain how external factors such as family and culture influence dvelopment. Bronfenbronner proposed a contectual model highlighting the more extended aspects of a childs environment. Cultural influences filter down to the child through social insitutions and through her neighborhood and family. All the components of this complex system interact to affect development.
In what ways do the concepts of vulnerability and resilience help us better understand child development?
developmental psychologits often discuss development in terms of vulnerability and resilience. The idea is that certain risk factors such as poverty, predispose children to develop in undesirable ways. However, protective factors such as high IQ, prevent some children from being negatively influenced by risk factors
how do the three kinds of age-related change differ?
normative age-graded changes are those that are experience by all human beings. Normative history-graded changes are common to idnividuals who have similar cultural and historical experiences. Nonnormative changes, such as timing of experiences, can lead to individual different in development.
How is the availibility of heath information on the intrenet likekly to affect today’s cohort of children and adodlescents
more than 90% of parents seach the internent for health information. Research shows that parents knowedge and children’s health information may cause today’s cohort of children to be healtheir than children in earlier times
what are the main ideas of the psychoanlytic theories?
Psychoanalytic theories suggest that internal drives strongly influence develpment. Both freud and erikson proposed stages to explain the process of personality development as people age
What are the main ideas of cognitive-development and information-processing theories?
Cognitive-development theories propose that basi congitive processes nfluence development in all other areas. Piaget’s theory and Vygostky’s ideas has grown in recent years. Information processing thoery aslo explains development in terms of cognitive process
How do learning theorists explain development
Learning theories empahzie te influence of the environment on children’s behavior. Classical and operant conditioning principles explain learning in terms of links between stimuli and responses. Bandura’s social cognitive theory gives weight to children’s cognitive processing of learning experiences and attempts to explain how modeling influences behavior
How do psychologist help children overcome school refusal?
Psychologist use a therapy based on classical conditioning principles, systematic desensitiation, to help children who refuse to go to school. The therapy invovles teachig the child to use techniques that help her physically rela and to associate these techniques with each step in the process of getting to and remaining in school.
What are the criteria that developmental scientists use to compare theories
Psychologists don’t think of theories as “true” or “false”. Instead, the compase theories on the assumptions and usefulness
What are the goals of developmental science?
the goals of developmental psychology are to describe, to explain, to predict, and to influence age-related change. Developmental psychologists use various methods to meet these goals
What are the pros and cons of cross-section, longitudenal, ad sequential research designs?
Cross-sectional studies, in which sperate age groups are each tested once, provide quick answers to questions about age differences,but do not allow for obseervation of developmental processes. Longitudinal studies, which test the same individuals repeatedly over time, enaber researchers to observe developmental processes at work, but researchers cannot determine whether the changes they observe can be generalized to individuals other than those who participate in the study. Sequential designs balance the procs ad cons of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies by combining both approahces
What descriptive methods are used by developmental scientists?
Case studies and naturalistic observation provide a lot of important information, but it suually is not generalizable. Correlational studies measure relations between variables. They can be done quickly and yield information that is more generalizable than information from case studies or naturalistic observations
How does critical thinking helop you evaluate meida reports or research?
critical thinkers display independent thinking, suspension of judgment, and willingness to midify or abandon prior judgments. These strategies help them resist the tendency to accept media report sof research on the basis of the authoritativeness of the sources. They investigate the mothods used in studies on which meida reports are based on evaluated whether reporters’ claims about them are supported
