Chapter 1 - Themes In Child Development Research Flashcards
Three main themes in child development research
- Continuity
- Nature vs. Nurture
- The “Active Child”
Continuity of development
Continuous- Consistently and gradually changing across development
Discontinuous- big shifts to qualitatively new behavior
Nature vs. Nurture
Nature is our biological endowment
Nurture is environment and includes physical and social
The “active child”
Passive- children are at the mercy of their environment
Active- children are participating in their own development
The debate: to what degree do children influence their own development
5 foundational theories of child development
- Biological Perspective
- The Learning Perspective
- The Psychodynamic Perspective
- The Cognitive Development Perspective
- The Contextual Perspective
The biological Perspective
Theory: development is rooted in biology (all “nature”)
Famous theories: maturational theory, ethnological theory
Maturational Theory
Child development reflects a specific and prearranged scheme or plan within the body
Dr. Arnold Gesell
Ethnological Theory
Views development from an evolutionary perspective
Konrad Corenz
Critical period
The time in development when a specific type of learning can take place; before or after critical period, the same learning is difficult or even impossible
The Learning Perspective
Development is determined largely by a child’s environment (“all nurture”)
Famous theories: Operant conditioning, Social Cognitive Theory
Operant Conditioning
Consequences of behavior determine whether behavior is repeated
(Punishment decreases the likelihood of the behavior it follows)
(Positive Reinforcement increases likelihood of the behavior that it follows)
Skinner
Social Cognitive Theory
Behaviors develop as a child observes a combination of reward, punishment, and behavior of others.
(Children will mimic good behavior if it is rewarded and bad behavior punished)
Albert Bandura
The Psychodynamic Perspective
Development unfolds according to the resolution or lack of resolution of “conflicts” as different stages.
Famous theories: psychodynamic theory, psychosocial theory
Psychodynamic Theory
Early experiences establish patterns that endure throughout a person’s life
(Id- primitive instinct, Ego- rational, Superego- moral agent)
Sigmund Freud
Psychosocial Theory
Development consists of a sequence of stages, each defined by a key crisis
Erik Erikson
The Cognitive- Development Perspective
Development reflects children trying to make sense of the world
Famous Theories: Piaget’s Theory
Piaget’s Theory
Different stages of thinking that develop through children’s shifting competencies and changing theories of the world
The Contextual Perspective
Development is driven by the interaction of a child’s immediate and distant environment
Famous theories: sociocultural theory
Sociocultural Theory
Emphasizes the role “experts” in conveying cultural expectations and knowledge to the next generation
(Children’s development is enmeshed with the culture in which they grow up)
Lev Vygotsky
Scientific Method
Four steps in the scientific method:
- Choose a question
- Formulate a hypothesis
- Develop a method to test the hypothesis
- Draw conclusion about hypothesis
(Conclusions are interpretations of data)
Systematic Observation
Watching participants and carefully recording what they say and/or do
Two forms of observation
Naturalistic- children are watched as they behave spontaneously in real life situations
Structured observation- The researchers create a Settings likely to elicit a behavior of interest
Sampling Behavior with Task
Create an activity that will elicit the behavior of interest
Strengths: convenience, A bit more controlled than a simple observation
Weaknesses: have to be careful that measurement is valid (are you measuring what you think you are)
Self-report
Children’s answers to questions about the topic of interest (example: questionnaire)
Strengths: convenience, are often a direct measurement of the topic of interest
Weaknesses: answering may not be accurate, relying on memory, subject may be more likely to be bias, give socially acceptable answer rather than truth
Physiological Measures
Measuring children’s physiological response to stimuli (example: heart rate, respiratory rate)
Strengths: provides conjuring evidence that confirms behavioral findings
Weaknesses: not practical and not available for all areas of study
Evaluating Measurements
Reliable: will your results hold up over time
Valid: are your results genuine
Representative sampling
Use of participants that together accurately reflect the population of interest
Research design
Conceptual approach to your study (how your investigation will take place)
Correlation studies
Examine the relation between variables as they exist naturally in the world (examples: no manipulation)
Strengths: convenience, behavior is measured as it occurs naturally
Weaknesses: correlation does not mean cause, can’t use casual language when explaining reserve
Experimental design (study)
Investigator systematically varies the independent variable to assess the impact on the dependent variable
Strengths: only way to assess causality
Weaknesses: sometimes not possible given your research question, how would one do an experiment
IN VARIABLE: experimental manipulation
DP VARIABLE: measured
Longitudinal Design
The same individuals are observed or tested repeatedly at different points in their lives
Strengths: most direct way to watch growth occur, only way to answer continuity growth
Weaknesses: take a lot of time and resources, practice effects, Cohort effect, certain participants drop out (selective attrition)
Cross selection design
Different groups of children are tested at developmental points of interest
Strengths: convenience, solves many of the issues with longitudinal growth design
Weaknesses: does not tell us about continuity of development
