Chapter 4: Developing Through the Life Span Flashcards
Developmental Psychology
the study of progressive changes in behavior and abilities
Heredity (Nature)
transmission of physical and psychological characteristics from parents to their children through genes
Environment (Nurture)
all external conditions that affect development
Sensitive Periods
a period of increased sensitivity to environmental influences
Congenital Problem
a problem or defect that occurs during prenatal development
maternal nutrition
malnutrition linked to infant apathy, irritability, and reduced immune responses
maternal drug use
tobacco, alcohol, prescription, and illegal drugs
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
congenital problems associated with excessive alcohol use during pregnancy
maternal illness
syphilis, mumps, genital herpes, severe influenza
adaptive problems
issues that ancestors had to successfully deal with in order to survive and reproduce
adaptations
evolved solutions to such problems (adaptive)
teratogens
substances that cause defects in the developing embryo
(viruses, radiation, and chemicals)
Many plants produce toxins as a defense against predators and our taste buds have evolved to sense this
Not a big problem as an adult; HUGE problem as an embryo though
Margie Profet’s Hypothesis
pregnancy sickness is an adaptation to prevent the ingestion of teratogens.
Food aversions, nausea, ans vomiting
Most repugnant food= the most toxic
Pregnancy sickness occurs when fetus is most vulnerable
Quality of Attachment
Ainsworth studied attachment using separation anxiety as a measure
Separation Anxiety
Crying and signs of fear when a child is left alone or is with a stranger
Secure
stable and positive emotional bond; upset by mother’s absence
Insecure-Avoidant
tendency to avoid reunion with parent or caregiver
Insecure-Ambivalent
desire to be with parent or caregiver and some resistance to being reunited (unsure of stability)
Separation anxiety peaks at
13 months of age,regardless of whether the children are home or sent to day care
(age when children start to walk)
Harlow’s Monkey Study
• Harlow built 2 “mothers”
• Mother 1: bare, bony wire mesh w/ a bottle of milk built into it - food but NO comfort
• Mother 2: fuzzy terry cloth with a light bulb built-in that provided warmth - comfort but NO milk
Harlow’s studies showed that monkeys experience great anxiety if their terry-cloth mother is removed.
Authoritarian Parents
enforce rigid rules and demand strict obedience to authority
Overly Permissive
Give little guidance. Allow too much freedom, or don’t hold children accountable for their actions
Authoritative
provide firm and consistent guidance combined with love and affection
Power assertion
using physical punishment or a show of force
Withdrawal of Love
withholding affection; refusing to speak to a child or threatening to leave
Management Techniques
combine praise, recognition, approval, rules, and reasoning to encourage desirable
Lawrence Kohlberg
Stages of Moral Development
Moral Development
When we acquire values, beliefs, and thinking abilities that guide responsible behavior
Preconventional
(1) moral thinking guided by consequences of actions
Conventional
(2) reasoning based on a desire to please others or to follow accepted rules and values
Postconventional
(3) follows self-accepted moral principles
Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Dilemmas
- Stage One: Trust versus Mistrust (Birth-1): Children are completely dependent on others
- Stage Two: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (1-3): Doing things for themselves vs. overprotective parents.
- Stage Three: Initiative versus Guilt (3-5): Encourage and support the child in their interests vs. criticizing
- Stage Four: Industry versus Inferiority (6-12): Praised for productive activities
- Stage Five (Adolescence): Identity versus Role Confusion: Adolescents; “Who am I?”
- Stage Six (Young adulthood): Intimacy versus Isolation: Able care about others vs. feeling alone
- Stage Seven (Middle adulthood): Generativity versus Stagnation: Guiding next generation
- Stage Eight (Late adulthood): Integrity versus Despair: Self-respect vs. regret
Jean Piaget
believed that all children passed through a set series of stages during their intellectual development.
Schema
a mental framework centering on a specific theme, that helps us to organize social information
Assimilation
the process of incorporating new experiences into already existing schemas
Accommodation
the process of incorporating new experiences into new and different schemas
Sensorimotor Stage
Babies take in the world by looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping.
Children older than 6 months begin to grasp object permanence – the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.
Preoperational Stage
(2-7 Years): Children begin to use language, but their thinking is still intuitive and egocentric.
Intuitive
makes little use of reasoning and logic
Egocentric Thought
thought that is unable to accommodate viewpoints of others
Animism
the belief that all things are living, just like oneself
Concrete Operational Stage
(7-11Years): Children become able to use concepts of time, space, volume, and number BUT in ways that remain simplified and concrete, not abstract.
Conservation
Mass, weight, and volume remain unchanged when the shape or appearance of objects changes
Formal Operations Stage
(11 Years and Up): Thinking now includes abstract, theoretical, and hypothetical ideas
Abstract ideas
child is able to understand difficult abstract concepts such as love and prejudice
Hypothetical Possibilities
Hypothetical or “what if” thinking is present for the first time
