Chapter 1 notecards Flashcards
field of study devoted to understanding constancy and change throughout lifespan
major goal is to identify those factors that influence consistencies and transformations in people from conception to death
developmental science
orderly, integrated set of statements that explains and predicts behavior
important for two reasons:
provide organizing frameworks for our observations
theories verified by research provide a sound basis for how to improve welfare of individuals
theory
a process of gradually augmenting the same types of skills that were there to begin with
continuous
a process in which new ways of understanding and responding to the world emerge at specific times
______: qualatative changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving that characterize specific periods of development
discontinuous
stages
unique combinations of personal and environmental circumstances that can result in different paths of change
______: a shy person who fears social encounters develops contexts from people who are more outgoing and readily seek out other people
_________; people who grow up in a third world village different experiences in their families than people who grow up in an American city
contexts
personal
enviromental
inborn biological givens
the information we inherit from our parents from the moment of conception
nature
the complex forces of the physical and social world that influence our biological makeup and psychological experiences before and after birth
nurture
a theorys position on the roles of nature vs nurture affect how it explains individual differences
-nature/heredity
_________: that individuals who are high or low in a characteristic (example: verbal ability or anxiety) will stay that way throughout their life
-nurture/environment
_______: tha change is possible and even likely if new experiences support it
stability
plasticity
4 major assumptions: development is: - - - -
lifelong multidimensional and multidirectional highly plastic affected by multiple interacting forces -biological, historical, social, cultural
development is affected by a blend of biological, psychological, and social forces
multidimensional
development is not limited to improved performance, every period consists of growth and decline
change is also multidirectional from within each domain of development
multidirectional
events that are strongly related to age and therefore are fairly predictable in when they occur and how long they last
example: most people begin walking shortly after their 1st bday
age-graded influences
influences on development unique to a particular historical era (ex. epidemics, wars, periods of economic prosperity or depression)
ex.my great-grandmother was raised during a time of great economic depression and because of this she stockpiled goods in her home. Today she would be described in modern terms as a “hoarder”
history-graded influences
irregular event that only happen to one person or a few people and do not follow a predictable timetable
ex. meeting your life long partner on a random blind date
nonnormative influences
founder of the child study movement
G. Stanly Hall
measures of behaviors are taken on large numbers of individuals, and age-related averages are computed to represent typical development
normative approach
the psychoanalytic perspective, behaviorism and social learning theory, Piaget’s cognitive development theory
mid 20th century theories
people move through a series of stages in which they confront conflicts between biological drives and social expectations
-how these conflicts are resolved determines the person’s ability to learn, to get along with others and to cope with anxiety
psychoanalytic perspective
________: psychosexual theory
_______: psychosocial theory
sigmund freud
erik erikson
emphasizes that how parents manage their childs sexual and aggressive drives in the first few years of life is crucial for healthy personality development
psychosexual theory
during childhood sexual impulses shift from their focus from the oral to the anal to the genital regions of the body
psychosexual stages oral anal phallic latency genital
emphasized that the ego makes a positive contribution to development, acquiring attitudes and skills at each stage that make the individual an active, contributing member of society
psychosocial theory
only directly observable events are appropriate to study
completely disregards anything that can’t be directly observed
behaviorism
largest portion of the mind
unconscious, present at birth
source of biological needs and desires
ids
conscious, rational part of mind
emerges in early infancy
redirects id impulses acceptably
ego
the conscience
develops from ages 3 to 6 from interactions with care givers
superego
founder of behaviorism, backlash against psychoanalysis
john watson
showed that a reflex could be caused to occur in response to a formerly unrelated stimulus
classical conditioning
proposed by BF Skinner
the frequency of a behavior can be increased or decreased
______: follow the behavior with a reward
_______: follow the behavior with punishment
operant conditioning theory
increased
decreased
most influential social learning theorist
albert bandura
emphasizes modeling aka imitation or observational learning as a powerful source of development
example: baby claps her hand after seeing her mother do so
social learning thoery
the most influential researcher on child development
- did not believe that children learning depends on reinforcers
Jean Piaget
children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world
just as structures of the body are adapted to fit with the environment, structures of the mind also develop to better fit with the external world
cognitive-developmental theory
cognitive development begins with the babys use of the senses and movements to explore the world
sensorimotor stage(Birth-2 years)
action patterns evolve into symbolic but illogical thinking
preoperational stage (2-7)
cognition is transformed into more organized, logical reasoning
concrete operational stage (7-11)
thought becomes an abstract, systematic reasoning system
formal operational stage (11 years on)
views the human mind as a computer
information processing
study the relationship between changes in the brain and cognitive processing and behavior patterns
uses brain imaging techniques to analyze relationships between brain functioning, cognitive capacities and behavior
developmental cognitive neuroscience
concerned with the adaptive or survival, value of behavior and its evolutionary history re
ethology
a limited span during which the individual is biologically prepared to acquire certain adaptive behaviors but needs the support of an appropriately stimulating environemtn
critical period
time that is of optimal for certain capacities to emerge and in which the individual is especially responsive to environmental influence
sensitive period
seeks to understand the adaptive value of specieswide cognitive, emotional and social competencies as those competencies change with age
clarify origins and development of behaviors
example: life threatening risk taking in adolescents and male to male violence may have been adaptive in our ancestors
evolutionary developmental psychology
focuses on how culture is transmitted on to the next generation
values beliefs customs and skills of a social group
sociocultural theory
necessary for children to acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that make up a community’s culture
social interaction
