Chapter 9 -- Development Flashcards
What are core developmental issues?
Things that delineate the interacting forces of nature and nurture
– Maturation: Refers to biologically determined
changes that follow an orderly sequence
Things that determine the importance of early experiences
– The notion of “critical periods”
Things that assess whether change is continuous or in
qualitative stages
What is a critical period?
Critical period concept suggests that the brain is set to acquire a function during a limited period of time.
* If key experiences do not occur during a critical time
period, the function may not develop or be
fully developed
– The case of Genie: a girl who was isolated until the age of 13. Although Genie made some gains in language, her syntax never approached normal levels. The case of Genie
supports a critical period for language acquisition.
What is cross-sectional developmental methodology?
- comparing groups of different
ages at the same time - useful for assessing age differences
– not useful for examining age changes - each age group (cohort) has different life experiences
What is the longitudinal developmental method?
Longitudinal method compares same group at
multiple time points
What is the sequential developmental method?
Sequential studies examine different age groups at
multiple time points, reducing cohort effects.
What are the 3 phases of prenatal period?
Germinal period (1st 2 weeks after conception)
Embryonic period: 3rd to 8th weeks of gestation
Fetal period: from 9 weeks to birth
What are teratogens?
environmental agents that harm the fetus (viruses, chemicals)
What is fetal alcohol syndrome?
the mother consumes
alcohol during pregnancy, the fetus is exposed to
the alcohol, which can lead to abnormal physical
development and to learning disabilities
What are the 3 most important infant reflexes?
Rooting: stroking a baby’s cheek causes their head to turn towards you for feeding.
Sucking reflex: tactile stimulation of the mouth produces rhythmic sucking.
Moro/Startle: Loud noises/falling sensation causes babies to extend limbs and cry. Survival instinct to help the infant cling to its mother
What is preferential looking?
A research technique that involves giving an infant a choice of what object to look at.
How do schemas develop?
assimilation: an individual’s incorporation of new information into existing knowledge.
accommodation: an individual’s adjustment of their schemas to new information.
What are Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development?
1) sensorimotor stage (0-2 yrs)
2) preoperational (2-7 yrs)
3) concrete operational (7-11 yrs)
4) formal operational (12+ yrs)
SMART PEOPLE CANT FORGET
What happens during the sensorimotor stage?
Infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with motor (physical) actions.
Object permanence: Piaget’s term for the crucial accomplishment of understanding that objects and events continue to exist even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched.
What is temperament in emotional development?
A measure of mood based on activity level and how much activity (how much does a baby laugh, cry, etc.).
Best single predictor of personality type at the age of 10.
It helps us categorize children
- easy children
- behaviourally inhibited
- difficult children
- slow to warm up/difficult mix
What is secure attachment in emotional development?
- Curious, searches its environment
- Consistent caregiver
What is anxious-ambivalent attachment in emotional development?
- Babies are anxious and ambivalent about the safety that the caregiver provides for them
- Inconsistent caregiver
What is avoidant attachment in emotional development?
- The baby is indifferent towards the presence or disappearance of a caregiver.
- No trust in caregiver. Child’s needs have not been met through neglect.
What happens during the preoperational stage?
Thought is more symbolic than sensorimotor thought.
What happens during the concrete operational stage?
the individual uses operations and replaces intuitive reasoning with logical reasoning in concrete situations.
What happens during the formal operational stage?
thinking about things that are not concrete, making predictions, and using logic to come up with hypotheses about the future.
What is Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Cognitive Theory?
- Cognitive development is an interpersonal process that happens in a cultural context
- Cognitive development allows children to be competent in their particular culture
- They’re not learning how to think of the world, but THEIR WORLD
What is information processing theory?
- Explains how individuals encode, manipulate, and monitor info, and create strategies for handling it by compares the human mind to a computer
- Focuses on memory and executive function
What are Erikson’s Stages of socioemotional development during infancy and childhood?
Trust vs mistrust
Autonomy vs shame/doubt
Initiative vs guilt
Industry vs inferiority
Identity vs. Confusion
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Generativity vs. Self-Absorbtion
Integrity vs. Despair
What are Diana Baumrind’s 4 basic styles of parenting?
Authoritarian
Authoritative
Neglectful
Permissive
What is Kohlberg’s preconventional level of moral development?
Moral reasoning is based on operant conditioning
What is Kohlberg’s conventional level of moral development?
Individuals abide by standards learned from parents or laws.
What is Kohlberg’s postconventional level of moral development?
Individuals recognize alternative moral courses, options, and develops a personal moral code.
What are the 5 foundations that people take into account as they consider moral issues?
Care
Fairness
Loyalty
Authority
Purity
What is prosocial behaviour?
Behaviour that is intended to benefit other people.
What is synaptic pruning?
Neurons that were seldom stimulated during childhood lose their synapse.
How does the brain change during adolescence?
The amygdala develops faster than the prefrontal cortex
- explains risky behaviour and emotional outbursts
What is conservation?
Understanding that the basic
properties of an object are constant even if the object
changes shape.
According to James Marcia, what are the 2 dimensions that characterize an adolescent’s identity and status?
Exploration: investigating various options for your career and personal value.
Commitment: deciding which identity path to follow and making a personal investment to attain it.
What did Jeffery Arnett identify as the 5 main features of emerging adulthood?
- Identity exploration (in love/work)
- Instability
- Self-focus
- Feeling “in between”
- Age of possibilities
How do older adults navigate the physical changes associated with age?
Selective optimization with compensation: older adults will match their goals with their current abilities and compensate for declines by finding other ways to do the things they enjoy.
- EX: A mother with grown up kids may want to work part-time as a babysitter.
What is the cellular-clock theory?
cells can divide a maximum of about 100 times and as we age these cells become less capable of dividing.
What is the free-radical theory?
The frailty associated with old age results from the production of unstable oxygen molecules known as free radicals produced inside our cells.
- General feeling of poor well-being, weight loss, decreased strength, poor balance
What is the hormonal stress theory?
Aging in the body’s hormonal system can lower resistance to stress and increase the likelihood of disease.
What are Gottman’s 4 principles at work in successful marriages?
- Nurturing fondness and admiration
- Turning toward each other as friends
- Giving up some power
- Solving conflicts together
