Chapter 4 - Development Flashcards
what is development?
continuities and changes that occur within the individual between conception and death
when does the most dramatic changes occur?
early in the life span
what are issues in developmental psychology?
nature and nurture
change and stability
sensitive period
continuity verses stages
what is nature and nurture?
how do our genes and experiences guide development over out lifespan
still debating
what is stability and change?
what ways do we change as we age and in what ways do we stay the same
what is a sensitive period?
how much flexibility we have in the timing of exposures to specific environmental input for a specific ability to develop normally
what is continuity verses stages?
development a gradual change or are there some leaps to a new way of thinking or behaving?
what is a longitudinal design?
same individuals are studied repeatedly over some subset of their lifespan
born in same year
what are the advantages of longitudinal design?
can assess developmental change
what are the disadvantages to longitudinal design?
very expensive
selective attrition
original research question may become obsolete
practice effect
cohort effects
what is cross sectional design?
individuals from different groups are studied at the same point in time
what are the advantages of cross sectional design?
less time consuming and expensive
can uncover age differences
what are the disadvantages of cross sectional design?
can’t distinguish age effects from cohort effect
can’t assess developmental change
what is sequential design?
individuals from different age groups are repeatedly tested over some subset of their life span
what are the advantages to sequential design?
less time consuming and expensive than longitudinal
can assess developmental change
what are the disadvantages to sequential design?
more expensive and time consuming than cross sectional
can’t generalize results to other cohorts
what are the stages of prenatal development?
conception
germinal stage
embryonic stage
fetal stage
what is conception?
sperm and egg unite
genetic material brought together to from an organism
what is a fertilized cell called?
zygote
what is the germinal stage?
first 10-13 days from conception to implantation
cell division occurs at an exponential rate
cells already begin to differentiate into specialized structures and locations
what is the embryonic stage?
weeks 2-8
period when most vital organs are formed
period of vulnerability
cell differentiation continues as cell develop into organ and bones
what is the fetal stage?
weeks9-38(birth)
state of growth and refinement in all existing organs
age if viability
what are things that could go wrong in prenatal development?
genetic problems
environmental problems
what are genetic problems in prenatal development?
chromosomal abnormalities (eg. down’s syndrome)
what are environmental problems in prenatal development?
exposure to teratogens
maternal characteristics
what are teratogens?
any drug, disease, pollutions or other factor that can have detrimental effects in the developing embryo or fetus
what are maternal characteristics?
overall health and self care
age
what are newborns born with?
tactile, auditory and chemical perception systems operating at birth
will orient towards source of significant stimuli (sound, tactile stimulus and odours)
what is the newborns visual system?
least developed
prefer patterned stimuli
prefer mother’s face
some colour vision
size and shape constancy
what is the learning in newborns?
habituation
can learn to associate two stimuli together is one reliably predicts the other
can do simple observational learning (imitate adult facial expressions)
what are the reflexed in a newborn?
rooting reflex
the moro reflex
grasping reflex
what is the rooting reflex?
touch around cheek and baby will orient toward touch
what is the Moro reflex?
when startled by lack of support to the head, baby will flail their arms out and in
what is the grasping reflex?
when the baby’s palm is touched, they squeeze in a very strong grip
what is the brain development in babies?
at birth, 25% of adult weight
at 6 months, 50% of adult weight
cells become larger, neural networks from
growth rate slows in later childhood
how does the brain develop?
at birth, brainstem and midbrain most developed
first areas of the cerebrum to mature
- primary sensory cortex
- primary motor cortex
last areas: associative areas of the cortex
how does the sensory-perceptual development
vision:
- from 1/40th of the visual acuity of adults
at birth to 20/20 at 6 months
audition:
- phoneme discrimination exceeds that of
an adult
- disappears by 1 year of age
what is the general growth trends?
cephalocaudal principal
proximodistal principal
what is cephalocaudal principal?
development proceeds from head to foot
- head is larges and body develops later
what is the proximodistal principal?
development proceeds from innermost to outer
- arms before fingers, torso before arms
what is the motor development in babies?
most skills follow stage like sequences
- age of acquiring skill caries, sequences
does not
what is cognition?
mental activities that help us function
what is Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory?
studied error in cognition by children in order to understand how they think
identified stages of cognitive development that unfold as children mature
what is Piaget believe we created?
believed we created schemes to achieve understanding
what is are schemes?
organized patterns of thought that represents out understanding of a concept or experience
what are the two ways schemes are modified?
assimilation
accommodation
what is assimilation schemes?
new experiences incorporated into what we already know
what is accommodation schemes?
new experiences cause change in what we already know
what did Piaget believe in?
nature and nurture
development proceeds in stages
what is nature and nurture?
children grow by maturation as well by learning through interactions/ playing with the environment
what are the stages of cognitive development?
sensorimotor stage
preoperational stage
concrete operational stage
formal operational stage
what is the sensorimotor stage of cognition?
birth - 2 years
understanding world through sensory experiences and physical interactions with objects
begin to acquire language develop object permanence (6-8 months)
what is object permanence?
understanding that object continue to exist even when they can no longer be seen
what is preoperational stage of cognitive development
2-7 years
world is represented symbolically through worlds and mental images
symbolic thinking enables pretend play
some unique wats of thinking:
- don’t understand conservation
- display egocentrism
- commit scale errors
what is the concrete operational stage of cognitive development?
7-11 years
easily perform basic mental operations involving tangible problems and situations
grasp conservation and other concrete transformations
difficulties with abstract problems
what is formal operational stage?
11+ years
can think logically about concrete and abstract problems
able to form and test hypotheses
what is Vygotsky’s cognitive development?
social interaction is important for development
children learn thinking skills by internalizing language from others and developing inner speech
viewed as building scaffolding
ideal level of instruction is the zone of proximal development
what is Vygotsky’s scaffolding theory?
anything that would support kids development
supports how we think
for mentoring, language and cognitive support from parents, siblings, teachers and others
what is zone of proximal development?
child can’t quite do alone but can with guidance of teacher/helper
what is attachment?
strong emotional bong between children and primary caregivers (happens in first year of life)
important for survival and development
having bonds means safety and proper stimulation
what are the attachment processes?
newborns: indiscriminate attachment
3 months: discriminate attachment
7-8 months: specific attachment
what is indiscriminate attachment?
will attach to anyone who tends to their needs
what is discriminate attachment?
can tell people apart
can tell familiar people and un familiar people
what is specific attachment?
feel safe with a person and doesn’t feel safe when away from that person
anxieties can arise when away from this person
what are the 2 types of anxieties that accompany specific attachment?
stranger anxiety
separation anxiety
what is stranger anxiety?
6-18months
distress over contact with unfamiliar people
what is separation anxiety?
1-3 years
distress from being from primary care giver
could be shaped by natural selection
how do you determine attachment style for 1 year old?
the strange situation
- 8 episodes that stimulate caregiver-infant
interactions in everyday life
- infant’s behaviour is recorded to
determine the attachment style with their
caregiver
what is secure attachment?
most children fall under this category
explores when mother is present and is upset when she leaves
greets mother warmly upon her return and sees her comfort
what are the 3 types of insecure attachment?
anxious/ambivalent/resistant type
anxious/avoidant type
disorganized/disoriented type
what is the anxious/ambivalent/resistant type?
infant clings to mom and is less likely to explore environment
upset when mom leaves and likely to remain upset when returns
what is the anxious/avoidant type?
baby shows very little distress when om leaves and seems to ignore her
may be sociable with or ignore stranger
what is the disorganized/disoriented type?
infant seems to approach and avoid mother
may become dazed for freeze
doesn’t know what to do when mom comes back
what causes the different attachment styles?
baby’s temperament a minor influence
parenting behaviour is key factor
what are the different parenting styles?
authoritarian
permissive
authoritative
what is authoritarian parenting style?
parents impose rules and expect obedience
kids end up with poor social skills and low self esteem
what is the permissive parenting style?
parents submit to kids desires, don’t enforce limits for set standards for kids behaviour
kids run the home
kids can become aggresive
what is authoritative parenting style?
parents enforce rules, limits and standards but also explain, discuss, listen and express respect for kid’s ideas and wishes
kids grow boundaries and change them
kids seem to be more confident and high self esteem
what is deprivation of attachment?
strong capacity for recovery if deprivation is over the first 2 years of life and then child is put in a good home (mostly seen in orphanages)
less chance of recovery with longer deprivation period
- difficulty forming attachments (trusting
people)
- increase anxiety and depression
- increase aggression
