Chapter 1 - Themes In Child Development Research

Question 1

Three main themes in child development research

Answer 1

1. Continuity
2. Nature vs. Nurture
3. The “Active Child”

Question 2

Continuity of development

Answer 2

Continuous- Consistently and gradually changing across development

Discontinuous- big shifts to qualitatively new behavior

Question 3

Nature vs. Nurture

Answer 3

Nature is our biological endowment

Nurture is environment and includes physical and social

Question 4

The “active child”

Answer 4

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

Question 5

5 foundational theories of child development

Answer 5

1. Biological Perspective
2. The Learning Perspective
3. The Psychodynamic Perspective
4. The Cognitive Development Perspective
5. The Contextual Perspective

Question 6

The biological Perspective

Answer 6

Theory: development is rooted in biology (all “nature”)

Famous theories: maturational theory, ethnological theory

Question 7

Maturational Theory

Answer 7

Child development reflects a specific and prearranged scheme or plan within the body

Dr. Arnold Gesell

Question 8

Ethnological Theory

Answer 8

Views development from an evolutionary perspective

Konrad Corenz

Question 9

Critical period

Answer 9

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

Question 10

The Learning Perspective

Answer 10

Development is determined largely by a child’s environment (“all nurture”)

Famous theories: Operant conditioning, Social Cognitive Theory

Question 11

Operant Conditioning

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Social Cognitive Theory

Answer 12

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

Question 13

The Psychodynamic Perspective

Answer 13

Development unfolds according to the resolution or lack of resolution of “conflicts” as different stages.

Famous theories: psychodynamic theory, psychosocial theory

Question 14

Psychodynamic Theory

Answer 14

Early experiences establish patterns that endure throughout a person’s life

(Id- primitive instinct, Ego- rational, Superego- moral agent)

Sigmund Freud

Question 15

Psychosocial Theory

Answer 15

Development consists of a sequence of stages, each defined by a key crisis

Erik Erikson

Question 16

The Cognitive- Development Perspective

Answer 16

Development reflects children trying to make sense of the world

Famous Theories: Piaget’s Theory

Question 17

Piaget’s Theory

Answer 17

Different stages of thinking that develop through children’s shifting competencies and changing theories of the world

Question 18

The Contextual Perspective

Answer 18

Development is driven by the interaction of a child’s immediate and distant environment

Famous theories: sociocultural theory

Question 19

Sociocultural Theory

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Scientific Method

Answer 20

Four steps in the scientific method:

1. Choose a question
2. Formulate a hypothesis
3. Develop a method to test the hypothesis
4. Draw conclusion about hypothesis

(Conclusions are interpretations of data)

Question 21

Systematic Observation

Answer 21

Watching participants and carefully recording what they say and/or do

Question 22

Two forms of observation

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Sampling Behavior with Task

Answer 23

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)

Question 24

Self-report

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Physiological Measures

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Evaluating Measurements

Answer 26

Reliable: will your results hold up over time

Valid: are your results genuine

Question 27

Representative sampling

Answer 27

Use of participants that together accurately reflect the population of interest

Question 28

Research design

Answer 28

Conceptual approach to your study (how your investigation will take place)

Question 29

Correlation studies

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Experimental design (study)

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Longitudinal Design

Answer 31

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)

Question 32

Cross selection design

Answer 32

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