Chapter 6: Developmental psychology Flashcards
human development
the changes in people that begin at conception and continues on to old age.
most human development studies start at _______
birth
in utero means
before birth, while in the womb
a chemical that often affects a baby in the womb
alcohol
FASD
foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
affects brain and growth of child
Scientific theory aims are
a. DESCRIBE what we know
b. EXPLAIN what we observe
c. provide testable PREDICTIONS (hypothesis)
Human development theories are concerned with changes to our _______ as we age
(3)
thinking/ thoughts
feelings
behavior
Human development involves relatively _______ changes
permanent, long term
e.g. learning to speak
is getting tired after a late night human develpment?
No
Are all the changes in human development positive?
No - e.g. some physical changes to strength involves it declining as we age
which of the following continues to increase as we grow and which improve and then decline
a. vocabulary
b. physical strength
c. memory
d. perception speed
continuously increases a.
increase and decline b. - d.
Human development involves P______ and N_______ changes as we get O_______.
positive negative older
normal or typical development
average development for a certain group.
what you would likely find
abnormal or atypical
NOT what you would expect to find in a certain group.
research on abnormal development helps to:
a. maximize normal development
b. recognize and treat people with abnormal development
speech pathologist
a worker who helps children learn language, especially pronouncing words.
4 areas of human psychology
a. physical
b. cognitive (mental)
c. social (behavior to/with others)
d. emotional (feelings)
physical development (5)
changes in size, proportion, appearance, motor skills,
and coordination
cognitive development (6)
changes in thinking, reasoning, memory, attention, imagination and language.
social development
changes in relationships and interactions with other people
emotional development
changes to the way we feel and how the feelings are expressed
Do the 4 areas of human development overlap?
yes.
e.g. language and humour effect social relationships (friendships).
an example of physical state interacting with psychological states
tired or stressed leads to losing your temper with friend
why do we separate physical and psychological states in psychology?
helps make the study of mental states easier.
two important areas of study of human development are
a. HOW they develop (describe)
b. WHY they develop that way (explain)
why do human development scientists focus mainly on childhood
greatest changes happen there
give the ages of the lifespan stage INFANCY
0 - 2 years
give the ages of the lifespan stage CHILDHOOD
2-10 years
give the ages of the lifespan stage ADOLESCENCE
10-20 years
give the ages of the lifespan stage
EARLY ADULTHOOD
20 - 40 years
give the ages of the lifespan stage
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD
40 - 65 years
give the ages of the lifespan stage
OLDER ADULTHOOD
65 + years
Are the ages of lifespan stages the same for everyone
no
Do these stages depend on culture?
Give an example
yes.
e.g. adolescence may not occur inindigenous cultures.
the child moves to adulthood with a ritual.
cognitive development compares thinking and learning to __________
an adult
Who pointed out there are many approaches to children’s cognitive development
Siegler 1998
3 ideas of how a child develops cognitively are
a. simply get older
b. interact with others to learn
c. biological restrictions
Which type of cognitive theory regards the child as an incomplete adult?
biological
what disadvantage is there to biological cognitive theory?
may underestimate what the child can learn
all the theories describe the development of ________ and how children ________ under various conditions
knowledge learn
How to scientists test if children learn with age?
by testing children of different ages
what is Garton’s definition of Cognitive Development?
an individual, progressive acquisition of knowledge.
It is predictable and able to be described accurately.
Psychologists that study cognition try to look for ____ related changes in thinking
age
Psychologists that study cognition study the mind in __________ to what the child needs to learn.
i.e. they only study the mind, not what the child is learning.
p94
isolation
The famous scientist that studied cognitive development was
Jean Piaget (1896 - 1980) Swiss.
How many stages of cognitive development did Jean Piaget describe?
4
What is the first stage of cognitive development according to Jean Piaget?
sensori-motor stage
What is the age range for the first stage of cognitive development, the sensori-motor stage?
0-2 years.
What is the second stage of cognitive development according to JP
pre-operational stage
What is the age range for the second stage of cognitive development, the pre-operational stage.
2-6 years
what is the third stage of cognitive development according to JP
concrete operational stage
what is the age range for the third stage of cognitive development, the concrete stage
7-11 years
what is the fourth stage of cognitive development according to JP
formal operational stage
formal operational stage
12+ years (if at all)
not everyone reaches this stage.
development (def)
- a relatively permanent change, happens over time
- qualitative (new thing)
- related to age
are all changes development?
No
Explain why changes such as in the menstrual cycle are not development
changes not permanent.
changes not new
if a brain injury causes a change in brain function, is it considered development?
no. injuries are not typical
Do all people develop in the same way ?
No. people can do things at different ages and maybe different ways.
quantitative change
change in the amount of behavior - how often it happens.
qualitative change
a new behavior occurs.
Some scientists think development includes enhanced coping power.
Why is this not included in all definitions of development?
Some behaviors are good in some circumstances and bad in others.
e.g. losing visual memory.
Good if you then start to read. Bad if you don’t!
Who believed that children were like “little scientists”?
jean piaget
what does ‘a little scientist” refer to?
Jean Piaget says that children try to ACTIVELY make sense of the world.
(like a scientist does with experiments)
What is the opposite of actively trying to make sense of the world?
PASSIVELY soaking up knowledge.
schemas
mental constructions that help people organize and interpret information
How are schemas changed?
EXPERIENCES give new information that is used to modify, add to or completely change an existing schema.
Known as ASSIMILATION
Piaget wondered that if physical attributes are inherited, then perhaps ________ ones were too.
mental
Piaget was particularly interested in a child’s _______ development
moral
When Piaget gave children IQ tests he was interested in their ________ answers.
wrong
Piaget found that children’s minds were _________ differently than adults’ minds.
organized
Piaget found that not only do children know less than adults, but that their knowledge is…
of a different kind.
i.e. their mind is organized differently
Who were Piaget’s first subjects?
His own children
What may vary in Piaget’s stages of Cog development?
the age cut-offs.
What stays the same in Piaget’s stages of Cog development?
the order or sequence of the stages.
Adaptation
change to improve/adjust to the world.
How do children adapt?
They use experiences to gather new information.
What knowledge do infants have ?
sensory perceptions and motor activities
How can infants respond to stimuli?
simple motor movements.
Which Piaget stage features an EGOCENTRIC view of the world?
Pre-operational
Which Piaget stage does the child learn language?
Pre-operational
Which stage do children start to use concrete logic?
Concrete operational
What kind of logic can children of 10 years of age usually NOT do?
abstract or hypothetical logic.
What complex skills can a FORMAL OPERATIONAL child do?
Can think in abstract concepts
Include, logic, deductive reasoning, systematic planning.
Assimilation
a process by which people include new experiences and information in their current schemas.
Accommodation
changing our schemas to include new experiences and information that cannot fit into existing schemas.
Physical development is well documented.
Most children learn to ______ before they walk
crawl, sit
Physical development has the same S________ of moves learned but different A______ when it happens
sequence age
Physical development involves learning new S______
skills
Physical development also involves P_______ skills as well as learning new ones
perfecting
Some children learn particular, special skills such as S______
sport
Gross Motor Skills
Large movements e.g. crawling and sitting.
Gross Motor Skills involve large muscles in…
arms, legs, torso, feet.
Fine Motor Skills
Small, fine movements e.g. picking up small objects
Fine Motor Skills involve small muscles in …
fingers, toes, wrists.
Puberty
the time of sexual maturation.
Change in sexual characteristics and general size.
Girls generally achieve puberty by _____ years
15
Boys generally achieve puberty by ____ years
17
Children now generally enter puberty earlier/later than past years.
earlier.
May be due to nutritional changes or family structure with non-biological male present for girls etc.
Secular growth trends
generational changes in things like time puberty starts.
Menopause
Time in women where menstruation stops and ability to have children ceases.
Menopause usually occurs between ____ and ____ years
40’s to 50’s
In menopause, the hormone _______ decreases
oestrogen / estrogen (spelling varies)
Menopause causes changes such as increased risk in
3
osteoporosis ( brittle bones), cardiovascular ( heart disease), dry skin
Men do not go through menopause, but some changes are (2)
sperm production lessens
prostate enlarges and stiffens and makes urination difficult.
Social Development
changes in SELF knowledge and understanding of OTHER people, skills in making and maintaining friendships and reasoning about behavior.
Is social interaction important?
YES. It is FUNDAMENTAL to human development and behavior.
e.g. humans have whites to eyes to show more clearly where we are looking
As children grow older they try to I________ other people’s behavior, feelings and thoughts.
interpret
Other people’s B_______, F________ and
T________ affect our own.
behavior, feelings and thoughts.
e.g. your friend is sad and you feel sad too.
People constantly make J________ about other people.
judgements
How do we find out about people? (personality or goals or thoughts) (4)
we watch their behavior, actions, talk and communication styles
Can we tell what a person is thinking by their actions?
Give an example
Yes. If a person is smiling we can assume they are happy or pleased.
How do other people help us modify our behavior?
Give an example
their reactions tell us if our behavior/language is acceptable or not.
E.g. you tell a joke and no one laughs/ everyone laughs.
We make judgements on others based on how they P_______ themselves
present.
e.g. goth vs business man
Name a situation where your presentation is important
job interview, meeting new people at a party.
What do you consider when you present yourself at a job interview?
clothes, shoes, hair and make-up accessories, language and voice.
You see your neighbour leave the house in a suit. What does this tell you about your neighbour?
He is a professional or is going to a formal event etc.
Your see your friend at a distance. She is waving her hands in the air.
What does this tell you about your friend?
She is excited or angry.
Why do people wear black to a funeral?
Why would thongs not be appropriate?
to show respect for dead person ( deceased) and their family.
Thongs are too casual and show you do not care about the person and their family’s feelings.
Social Interaction is A_______ or E________ others based on their behavior and talk.
assessing evaluating
You can evaluate others based on their language.
What do you think of a person who swears a lot?
You may think they are rough, not educated, not smart, etc
You meet a man called Tim who uses many big words when he talks. What does this tell you about Tim?
He is well educated. He may be showing off or trying to impress others.
When we judge people, we GAIN, C______ or refine our opinions over time.
change
When you met your best friend you didn’t know much about them. Now you know them much better.
How did your opinion of them change over time?
Answers may vary.
e.g. I thought she was very quiet, but i know now that she can be talkative once she knows you.
We can predict behavior based on
- P_____ E________
- C_________ situation
Past experience
Current
Your friend loses her purse. You think she will be very upset. Your prediction is based on two things:
- How she has reacted in the past
2. The current situation - her purse has important cards and money
Social cognition depends on how well you can W______, R_______ (past) and I_________ (present)
social situations.
We then use the information to A______ ourselves and others
Watch, remember interpret.
Assess
In social situations we need to N_______ and R______ what has happened /is happening
notice/note remember/recall
As we develop and our social experience grows, these processes of social cognition will become more A_________.
automatic
Social interactions allow us to use other people’s P______ and E_________.
Perspectives and Experiences.
They give us valuable feedback
Two scientists that studied social cognition are
- Jean Piaget ( 1896-1980)
2. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
What position does Jean Piaget hold about how children learn?
generally they learn about the world ALONE
Piaget said that social interaction was/was not important to how children develop.
was not
Piaget said that children could/could not see other people’s point of view
could. (Moral problems)
Piaget used M_____ C_________ to study children’s social development
moral conflicts
Vygotsky said that children learn from
others with more knowledge.
Vygotsky’s theory is about how children …
take knowledge from others and make it into something they can use.
Vygotsky’s theory is about C____________ between children and older people like (3).
collaboration
adults - parents and teachers and older children
Two important concepts in Vygotsky’s theory are…
instruction and learning
What does Vygotsky assume about how children learn?
- Cognitive development occurs with other forms of development.
- Learning occurs in a social and cultural setting.
(Think of learning in Australia today vs Aust aborigines 1000 years ago.)
Vygotsky says that the r_________ for finding a solution transfers from the _______ to the child.
responsibility adult
Both Piaget and Vygotsky say L_________ is important
language ( i.e. people need to talk/communicate to learn)
To solve a problem, both teacher and learner need to think about the problem in the same way. That is they have a C________ P________ of the problem
common perception
Why is it important for the teacher and learner to have a common perception of the problem?
they can work together to solve the problem.
If the teacher and learner disagree about the problem, what stages can they use to resolve their differences?
- argue or disagree
- negotiate and discuss
- Come to a common conclusion
social regulation
occurs when one person tries to change to emotional responses of another person.
Your teacher frowns at the girls talking in the back row. This is an example of …
social regulation
social regulation such as D______ who does what
R ______
discussion about Roles
If the teacher and learner can agree on what roles they will take it makes…… easier.
problem solving
Most scientists think that cognitive and social development are/are not related.
are
emotions (def)
very strong feelings
emotional development is simple/complex process
complex
A strong form of non-verbal communication are F______ E________.
facial expressions
Some simple emotions that babies have are
joy, anger, sadness, fear.
As children grow, they develop more complex emotions such as …
shyness surprise, elation, embarrassment, shame, guilt, pride and empathy.
Primary school children can easily identify emotions.
TRUE/FALSE
FALSE children this age are still learning to identify their emotions.
Primary school children are still learning to
I________,U_________ and M__________ their emotions
identify, understand, manage.
As children age, the situations that cause emotions change/ don’t change.
change. What makes a baby sad will not be the same as a 6 year old.
As children grow, they learn how to M______ their emotions and develop new T_________ for this
manage techniques
Very young children experience their emotions through their P_________ reactions.
Give two examples
Physical
Heart racing. waving hands
Behavior - crying
A children grow, their emotions are effected by their ________ ( cognition)
thoughts
As children age, their emotions become more C_______
complex
The 4 components of emotion are:
- physical response - heart rate and breathing
- feelings
- thoughts and judgements
- action signals - desire to approach, run or fight.
Two examples of a physical reaction to an emotion are:
- change in heart rate
2. change in breathing rate, depth
children get better at predicting the world by B_______ relationships with others
building
As children get older their L________, T_______ and P________ gets better. This helps their S______ development
language thinking planning
social
As children’s emotional development increases they can:
W_____ longer for what they want.
N________ with others
wait
Negotiate ( bargain)
Scientists say emotional and social skills help with A__________ performance
academic
Young children’s parents check on their development by:
2
- comparing with children of similar age
2. consulting with professionals, like doctors or child workers.
List 3 examples of what an 18-24 month child can do in regard to language
see table on page 99
List 3 examples of what a 2 - 3 year old child can do in regard to language
see table on page 99
