Chapter 2: The Developmental Psychopathology Perspective Flashcards
Paradigm
A shared perspective (view, approach, cognitive set) by Scientifics to study and understand phenomena.
Theory
Is a formal, integrated set of principles or propositions that explains phenomena.
Interactional models
Assumes variables interrelate to produce an outcome.
Vulnerability stress model
Example of interactional model.
Conceptualizes the multiple causes of psychopathology as the working together of a vulnerability factor(s) and a stress factor(s).
Transactional Models
More dominantly used models, and used for studies in both normal and abnormal development.
Assumes that developmental is the result of ongoing, reciprocal transactions between the individual and the environmental context.
The individual is viewed as an active agent who brings a
history of past experience that has shaped her or his current functioning.
The environmental context is viewed as variables that are close to (proximal) or
farther from (distal) the person.
Systems Models
They incorporate several levels, or systems, of functioning in which development is viewed as occurring over time as the systems interact or enter into ongoing transactions with each other.
Developmental Psychopathology Persepective
This perspective integrates the understanding and study of
normal developmental processes with those of child and adolescent
psychopathology.
It is interested in the origins and
developmental course of disordered behavior, as well as individual adaptation
and competence.
Central to the approach was the coming together of developmental psychology and clinical child/adolescent psychology and psychiatry
Medical Model
This model considers disorders to be discrete entities that result from specific and limited biological causes within the individual.
Direct affect
Variable X leads straight to an outcome: direct
Indirect affect
Variable x influences one or more variables that then lead to an outcome: indirect (domino affect)
Mediator
A factor or variable that explains
or brings about an outcome by indirect means.
Moderator
A variable that influences the direction or the strength of the relationship between an independent (or predictor) variable and a dependent (or criterion) variable.
Necessary Cause
Must be present in order for the disorder to occur.
Sufficient Cause
Can be itself responsible for the disorder. Ex: down syndrome
Contributing causes
In some disorders, several
factors may contribute by adding or multiplying their effects to reach a threshold to produce the problem.
Pathway 1 : Stable adaption
Few environmental adversities :)
Pathway 2: Stable maladaption
Chronic environemtnal adversitties :(
Pathway 3: Reversal Maladaption
Important life change creates new opportunity
Pathway 4: Decline of Adaption
Environmental or biological shifts bring adversity
Pathway 5: Temporal Maladaption
Can reflect transient experimental risk taking.
Equifinality
Diverse factors (mutiple pathways) to the same (one) outcome.
Mutifinality
A singular pathway can have various outcomes.
Risk
Variables that precede and increase the chance of psychological impairments.
Breakdown :
Although a single risk certainly can have an impact, multiple risks are
particularly harmful.
Risks tend to cluster.
The intensity, duration, and timing of a risk can make a difference.
The effects of many risk factors appear nonspecific, a finding reflected in
the principle of multifinality
Risk factors may be different for the onset of a disorder than for the
persistence of the disorder.
A risk may increase the likelihood of future risks by increasing the child’s
susceptibility for problems or adversely affecting the environmental
context.
Sensitive period model
Predicts that exposure to risk during a specific window in time may have permanent affects or the same exposure at a different time could have little not influence.
Developmental Programming model
Some features of the individual can be set/programmed by early environmental occurrences and these features persist into the future
Life course model
Early experiences can have long-term consequences but only when the experience is maintained, reinforced, or accentuated in some way.
Vulnerability
Risk factors that are either inborn or acquired.
Resilience
Relatively positive outcome in the face of significantly adverse or traumatic experiences.
Developmental tasks
Cultural expectations applied to young people.
Protective factors
Factors that counter risk factors operating in the situation.
“ordinary magic” of resilience : Masten 2011
A trio of protective factors that enhance developmental resistence.
1.Personal attributes
2. Family characteristics
3. Outside family support
Heterotypic continuity
The expression of a probem may change in form (disorder) with development (over time).
Homotypic continuity
How a problem is expressed may remain relatively stable over time.
Attachment
The attachment style developed between the infant and its primary caregiver (usually the mother).
Bowby’s (1969) : behaviours that facilitate attachment
Biologically wired behaviour in human species to ensure infants are nurtured and protected; e.g. smiling, crying, eye contact, proximity to caretakers…
Protects: against high levels of threat or feat in stressful situations
Enhances: infants exploration of novel and challenging situations.
How is attachment style observed : experiment
Ainsworth’s procedure: the Strange Situation
Here, a caregiver (usually the mother), the infant, and a stranger interact in a comfortable room.
The caregiver leaves and returns
several times, while the child’s behavior is observed in this potentially
threatening situation.
Secure attachment
When distressed by caregiver separation, seek contact with her upon her return, react positively, and use the caregiver as a secure base from which they venture forth to explore the
environment.
Insecure attachment : 2 types
Insecurely attached infants fail to use the caregiver as a resource
to cope with stress.
Avoidant Type: Tend to give fewer signals of distress and ignore
the caregiver.
Resistant Type: or display distress and make ineffective attempts to seek contact with the caregiver.
Disorganized attachment
lack of a consistent strategy to organize behavior under stressful situations. Infants seem apprehensive and they display contradictory behaviors that may be misdirected and atypical.
Associated with child maltreatment and poor parenting.
Temperament: Chess & Thomas
Individual differences in behavioral style that are thought to develop into later personality through environmental interaction.
9 dimensions of behavioral style that included reactivity to stimuli, regulation of bodily function, mood, and adaptability to change.
3 categories: easy, slow-to-warm, difficult.
Goodness-of-fit
how the child’s behavioral tendencies fit with parental characteristics and other environmental circumstances.
Sansons & al. (2009): 3 dimensiosn of temperament
- Negative reactivity : associated with problems
- Inhibition: Approach-avoidance; with worry & anxiety
- Self-regulation: With low levels of acting out behaviour, good social competence and academic adjustment.
Differential susceptibility hypothesis
Reactive children should not only be more affected than other youths by adversities but also by advantageous environments.
Emotion & its 3 elements :
Relatively brief or as more general mood states that vary in intensity and that
are experienced as positive or negative.
- Private “feelings” of sadness, joy, anger, disgust ect.
- autonomic nervous system arousal and bodily reactions such as rapid heartbeat.
- Over behavioural expressions such as smiles, scowls, and dropping shoulders.
Development of emotions
2 months: infants have their social smile
12 - 18 months: display social referencing
2 - 3 years - name/talk about some emotions and exert some control over emotional expression.
2 to 5 years: connection between emotion and cognition
Social Cognitive Processing
It focuses on how individuals take in, understand, and interpret social situations
—and how behavior is then affected
