Chapter 3: Human Development Flashcards
Developmental Psychology
the study of changes in behavior and mental processes over time and the factors that influence the course of those changes
Nature (genetic inheritance)
Endogenous
Look at development as maturation-process biologically programmed to happen sequentially
Nurture (environment)
Exogenous
believes experience have greater influence on how we develop
Qualitative shift
Making developmental jumps.
Characterizing development as stages in life.
Babies go through different sequences- drawl then walk
Quantitative shift
Development is from constantly acquiring information. Believes that big jumps are results of accumulation of smaller changes.
Accounts for individual differences in timing of milestones
Critical period
in animals.
Points in development where an organism is extremely sensitive to environmental input, making it easier to acquire certain brain functions and behaviors.
All or nothing. If environmental stimuli does not occur at this stage, then development will be thrown off track.
Sensitive period
In human
we can recover at least partially even with deprivation during key periods.
Largely experience driven
Cross-sectional design
compares groups of different aged people
cons:
- some differences may be solely due to age (cohort effect)
- does not provide explanation of how or when age related changes may have occurred.
Longitudinal design
follows the same group of people over a period of time
cons:
- need lots of time and money
- many people drop out mid way
Cohort sequential design
bend of cross sectional and longitudinal. Follows at least 2 age group over time.
Prenatal period
from conception to birth
Genotype
a person’s genetic inheritance
Phenotype
the observable manifestation of genotype
Homozygous
both parents contribute the same genetic material for a particular trait
Heterozygous
parents contribute two different alleles to offspring
Dominant trait
trait that is expressed in phenotype, no matter whether the genotype is homozygous or heterozygous
Recessive trait
trait that is only expressed if genotype is homozygous
Three different phenotype from heterozygous combination
- dominant trait shows
- shows mixture
- express bth (codominance)
Discrete traits
trait that results as product of single gene pairing
Polygenic trait
trait that manifests as result of combination of multiple genes
Temperament
biologically based tendencies to respond to certain situations in similar ways throughout our lifetimes
Conception
sperm fertilizes egg and forms zygote
Germinal stage (2 weeks after conception)
- zygote divides and multiply
- zygote moves up fallopian tube to the uterus
- formation placenta
Embryonic stage (2-8 weeks)
- body structures and inner organs are formed
- most vulnerable to miscarriage
Fetal stage (9 weeks to birth)
- developing muscular and skeletal system.
- brain grows
Teratogens
environmental agents that can interfere with a fetus’s development during gestation
Infancy
birth to 2 years
Proximodistal Pattern
pattern where growth and development proceed from the center to the extremities. (first)
Cephalocaudal Pattern
pattern where growth and development proceed from top to bottom. (second)
Which sense are developed at birth? Which are not?
Developed: taste, smell, touch
Not: sight, hearing
4 Different Reflexes
Rooting- touch the corner of infants mouth and the infant will turn towards the stimulation
Grasping- press finger against infant’s palm and the infant will grasp the finger
Moro- let infant’s head lose support and the infant will fling arms outward and make hugging motion
Babinski- stroke soles of infant’s foot and the toes will spread out
Brain growth in first 2 years
- increase in brain connections among neurons
- myelination, which helps speed up electric impulses
Synapse Pruning
Experiences help strengthen connections and synapse that are not used will weaken and dissipate
Jean Piaget
Focused on cognitive development in children.
Used naturalistic observation
schemata, assimilation, accommodation
Schemata
Piaget’s proposed mental frameworks for understanding and thinking about the world
Assimilation
Defined by Piaget as inclusion of new information or experiences into preexisting schemata
Accommodation
Defined by Piaget as alteration of preexisting schemata to take in new information
Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor (birth-2)
Preoperational (2-7)
Concrete Operational (7-11)
Formal Operational (11 and on)
Sensorimotor (birth-2)
“thinks” by using senses and motor skills.
No thought beyond immediate experiences.
Develops object permanence at around 8 months
Preoperational (2-7)
Able to hold ideas of object in imagination
Unable to consider another point of view (egocentrism) or distinguish between cause and effect
Irreversibility and lack of conservation
Concrete Operational (7-11)
Can think about complex relationships
Understands conservation
Unable to think abstractly or hypothetically
Formal Operational (11 and on)
Able to think abstractly and hypothetically
Critics of Piaget
- Piaget often looked at what children could not do and use that to determine their abilities. Today, psychologists focus on what children can do
- More quantitative growth instead of qualitative shifts
- development actually occurs earlier than what Piaget thought
Attachment Theory
Human tends to become attached to one caregiver (usually mom). Early positive experience with that caregiver is critical to health and well-being and that it shapes how well the individual functions emotionally, socially, and even cognitively later in life.
Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Experiment
Observes how baby reacts when mother leaves the baby in a room with a stranger.
4 Attachment Styles
Secure Attachment: infant sad when mom leaves and happy when she returns
Anxious/avoidant Attachment: infant is unresponsive when mom leaves and indifferent when she returns
Anxious/ambivalent Attachment: infant reacts strongly when mother leaves but shows mixed emotions when she returns
Disorganized/disoriented Attachment- Infant displays confused and contradictory behavior when mother returns
Parenting Style
Authoritative- warm, sensitive to child’s needs, make reasonable remands and encourages appropriate autonomy
Authoritarian- cold, critical, makes coercive demands
Permissive- warm, accepting, overindulgent, inattentive
Uninvolved- emotionally detached, little time in child rearing
Childhood
2-6 yr is early childhood
6-12 is middle childhood
Brain development in Childhood
Myelination is concentrated in association regions (coordinate the activities of other regions)
Leads to more sophisticated planning and problem-solving abilities
Synaptic connections begin to stabilize
Scaffolding
Incremental assistance and giving prompters. Not helping the children completely
Zone of Proximal Development
Gap between what child can accomplish alone and what they can accomplish with help from ithers
Kolhberg’s Theory of Moral Development
Preconventional (up to 9)- morality center on what you can get away with. Obey rules to avoid punishment or get rewards
Conventional (adolescent)- morality centered on societal values and expectations
Postconventional (adult)- morality based on the individual understanding of universal ethical principles
Differences between girl and boy moral judgement
Boys focus more on abstract moral values like justice and fairness
Girls focus more on maintaining relationships and caring
Adolescence
12 to 20 year old
Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development
Trust vs Mistrust (birth-1): infants develop basic trust in others. If their needs are not met by caregivers, mistrust develops
Autonomy vs Shame (1-3): children exercise new motor and mental skills. If caregivers are encouraging, children develops a sense of autonomy
Initiative vs Guilt (3-6): Supportive caregivers promote feelings of power
Industry vs Inferiority (6-12): Children learn productive skills and develop capacity to work with other. If not, they feel inferior
Identity vs Role Confusion (12-20): Adolescent seek to develop satisfying identity and sense of their role I. society. If not, they will feel confused about their adult roles
Intimacy vs Isolation (20-30): Young adults work to establish intimate relationships. If not, they feel isolated
Generativity vs Stagnation (30-65): Middle age adults seek to influence welfare of next generation. If they fail, they may become self absorbed.
Integrity vs Despair (65+): Older people reflect on their lives. Fear death if they do not feel a sense of satisfaction.
Menopause
Series of changes in hormonal function occurring in women during their 50s.
End of menstrual cycle and reproductive capabilities
Cellular Clock Theory
We age because cells have built in limits. Telomeres grow shorter each time until the cell cannot reproduce anymore.
Wear-and-Tear Theory
We age because our bodies wear out
Free Radical Theory
We age because free radical build up in our body and causes destabilization
Conduct Disorder
In children and adolescents. Associated with emotional and behavioral problems
