Chapter 3 - The Complexity of Psychological Development Flashcards
Psychological development
the changes in an individual’s social, emotional and cognitive abilities from infancy through to old age
Genes
the basic units of heredity or inheritance that contain genetic information and form a section of DNA
Heredity
the passing on of genes or genetic information from parents to their offspring
Genotype
all the genes that a person has inherited from their biological parents
Phenotype
how a person’s genes are expressed
Hereditary factors
biological influences on development that result from the genetic information passed from biological parents to their offspring
Environmental factors
different external influences within a person’s environment that can affect their development
Maladaptive behaviour
behaviour that is unhelpful, dysfunctional and non-productive, and that interferes with a person’s ability to adjust to their environment appropriately and
effectively
Biopsychosocial approach
considers a person’s development and mental wellbeing as influenced by the interactions between biological, psychological and social factors
Biopsychosocial model
an interdisciplinary model that looks at the interconnection between biology, psychology and social factors
Risk factors
a range of factors that may increase one’s chances of developing atypically or having a mental disorder
Protective factors
a range of factors that may prevent or decrease the chances of developing atypically or having a mental disorder
Mental wellbeing
a state of emotional and social wellbeing in which individuals realise their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and can contribute to their community
Mentally healthy
having no difficulty with activities of everyday living, and displaying resilience
Mental health problems
relatively short-term disruptions that affect the everyday functioning of an individual
Mental disorder
one of a wide range of usually long-lasting conditions that affect mood, thinking and behaviour
High levels of functioning
the ability to carry out a wide range of daily activities, attend to selfcare, maintain interpersonal relationships and demonstrate resilience in the face of everyday challenges
Resilience
the ability to ‘bounce back’ to previous normal levels of functioning when faced with adversity
Life stressor
an everyday or conceivable event, such as a relationship breakdown, work challenges or failing a test
Wellbeing
the complex combination of a person’s physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual health that is linked to happiness and life satisfaction
Social wellbeing
the connections a person makes with other people and their
ability to get along with others in a community
Emotional wellbeing
the ability to feel a range of emotions and
express these in a positive way
Biological factors
a range of factors that relate to the physiological functioning of the body
Genetic vulnerability
an increased likelihood that an individual will develop
atypically or experience a mental disorder due to the DNA that they carry
Psychological factors
a range of factors that relate to the functioning of the brain and the mind, including cognitive and affective processes such as thought patterns and memory
Social factors
a range of factors that relate to the conditions in which people live and grow
Emotional development
changes in how a person experiences,
interprets and expresses the full range of emotions, and their ability to cope with them appropriately
Attachment
a close, social and emotional bond between an infant and their caregivers
Social development
changes in a person’s ability to interact with other people and function as a member of society
Observational learning
the acquisition of new
behaviours as a result
of observing the actions of others and the consequences of those actions
Modelling
a form of learning whereby we observe the behaviour of others and then replicate it
Cognitive development
changes in an individual’s mental abilities
Assimilation
a cognitive process that involves taking a new concept and fitting it into or making it part of a pre-existing mental idea or structure
Schema
our pre-existing mental ideas relating to a given concept that help us organise and interpret new information
Accommodation
a cognitive process that involves changing or adjusting existing ideas to deal with new situations
Object permanence
an understanding that objects continue to exist even if they can’t be touched, seen or heard
Goal-directed behaviour
a planned series of actions with a purpose
Symbolic thinking
a type of thinking that uses symbols, such as words or images, to solve simple problems and to talk about things that are not physically present
Animism
the belief that inanimate objects have feelings and intentions
Egocentrism
a limited ability to share or appreciate someone else’s point of view
Transformation
the understanding that something can change from one state, form or structure to another
Reversibility
the understanding that actions can be undone or reversed
Conservation
the understanding that certain qualities of an object remain the same even when its appearance changes
Classification
the ability to sort objects into groups based on their features
Hypothetical deductive reasoning
a way of thinking that involves developing a hypothesis based on what might logically occur
Abstract thinking
a way of thinking that is not reliant on directly observing, visualising, experiencing or manipulating something to understand it
Zone of proximal development (ZPD)
the distance between one’s actual developmental level as determined by independent problem-solving and one’s level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers
More knowledgeable other
a caregiver, teacher or more experienced peer
Scaffolding
supports of various kinds that help a child to operate within their ZPD
Moral development
changes in moral behaviour over time, including in the values, attitudes and behaviours we adopt towards people in society, based on social and cultural norms, rules and laws
Morality
the ability to distinguish right from wrong and to behave accordingly
Sensitive period
a period during development in which the effects of experience on development are particularly strong
Neuroplasticity
the ability of neural networks in the brain to change as a result of experience
Imprinting
when a newly born animal forms an attachment to the first thing it sees
Critical period
a specific period in development during which the individual is most vulnerable to the absence of certain environmental stimuli or experiences
Sub topics of environmental factors?
Emotional environment, sociocultural environment, learning environment, prenatal environment and physical environment
3 Ds
Distress, dysfunction and deviance
Key characteristics of mental wellbeing?
High levels of functioning, resilience to life stressors and social and emotional wellbeing
John Bowlby’s evolutionary theory of attachment
He established that children who are deprived of a stable caregiver during the first few years of life:
- more likely to develop mental disorders
- lower IQ
- more antisocial behaviour and delinquency
- more abnormal interactions and may be unable to form healthy attachments to their own offspring
Erickson - 0-2 - crisis?
Trust vs mistrust
(Infants need attending to for their basic needs such as food and warmth.
Met - child will be optimistic and trusting of their world
Not met - distrusting and insecure)
Erickson - 2-3
Crisis - Autonomy vs shame and doubt
Social need - child must begin to take some personal responsibility
Met - sense of self sufficiency
Not met - shame and self doubt
Erikson- 3-6
Initiative vs guilt
Challenge = functioning socially within their family
- self confidence
- lowered self esteem
Erikson - 6-puberty
Industry vs inferiority
Must function socially outside their family
Creating things or not?
Erikson - adolescence
Identity vs role confusion
Form a clear sense of identity
Confident sense of identity
Lower self esteem, instability and social withdrawal
Erikson - early adulthood
Intimacy vs isolation
Whether or not they can share intimacy with others
Empathy and openness
Isolation->Shrewdness and need to manipulate
Erikson - middle age
Generativity vs stagnation
Relationships with younger generation
Erikson - old age 65+
Integrity vs despair
Piaget - 0-2
Sensorimotor stage
Includes object permanence and goal-directed behaviour
Piaget - 2-7
Pre-operational stage
Includes symbolic thinking, animism, egocentrism, and transformation
Piaget 7-11
Concrete operational stage
Includes reversibility, conservation, and classification
Piaget - 11+
Formal operational
Includes hypothetical-deductive reasoning and abstract thinking
