Chapter 9 Human Development Flashcards
Fundamental Issues: Nature vs Nurture
Developmental psychologist investigate the influence of biological, environmental, social, cultural, and behavioral factors on the development at every age and stage of life.
Critical period
A period during someone’s development in which a particular skill or characteristic is believed to be most readily acquired.
Cross-sectional research
Studies a variable or group of variables among a group of participants at different ages or developmental stages
Longitudinal research
Tracks a particular variable or group of variables in the same group of participants over time, sometimes years
Sequential research
A cross-sequential design is a research method that combines both a longitudinal design and a cross-sectional design. It aims to correct for some of the problems inherent in the cross-sectional and longitudinal designs
Conception/Zygote
When the single sperm enters the egg, conception occurs. The combined sperm and egg is called a zygote
Germinal period
Also called the zygotic period represents the first two weeks of prenatal development. By the end of the 2 week germinal period, the single-cell zygote has developed into a cluster of cells called the embryo
Embryonic period
Begins at week 3 and extends through week 8. Most susceptible to teratogens. Development of sex organs. The embryo is housed in the amniotic sac. The umbilical cord nourishes the baby and removes waste. The placenta acts as a filter.
Fetal period
The main task during the next seven months is for the body systems to grow and reach maturity in the preparation for life outside the mother’s body
Teratogen
Harmful agents or substances that can cause abnormal development or birth defects
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Excessive drinking can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, which is characterized by physical and mental problems. Abnormal facial features, poor coordination, learning disabilities, behavior problems, and intellectual disability.
Infant Abilities
At birth, they possess motor reflexes such as the sucking reflex and the grasping reflex. Newborns can also hear, smell, touch, taste, and see, and these sensory abilities develop quickly.
Rooting reflex
The infant turns towards the source of touch and opens his mouth
Sucking reflex
Touching the newborn’s lips evokes the sucking reflex
Babinski reflex
The Babinski reflex occurs after the sole of the foot has been firmly stroked. The big toe then moves upward or toward the top surface of the foot. The other toes fan out.
Moro reflex
The Moro reflex is an infantile reflex normally present in all infants/newborns up to 3 or 4 months of age as a response to a sudden loss of support, when the infant feels as if it is falling.
Infant Perception
Infants lack perceptual knowledge, which must be gained through experience with the world around them. As infants’ senses mature, they begin to coordinate information obtained through multiple sensory modalities.
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operations, Formal Operations
`Sensorimotor
0-2 years old. They develop their senses
Preoperational
2-7. Symbolic thought emerges. Language development. Egocentric. Cannot solve conservation problems.
Concrete operational
7-11. Reversibility obtained. Can solve conservation problems. Logical thought. Cannot solve hypothetical problems.
Formal operational
11-on. Logically solves all problems. Able to think abstractly
Object permanence
The understanding that an object continues to exist even when it can no longer be seen
Conservation
Two equal physical quantities remain equal even if the appearance of one is changed
Hypothetico-deductive reasoning
According to this description scientific inquiry and research proceeds by means by formulating hypotheses that can be either proved or disproved through experimentation and observation.
Critique of Piaget’s Theory
1) Piaget underestimated the cognitive abilities of infants and young children.
2) Piaget underestimated the impact of social and cultural environment on cognitive development
3) Piaget overestimated the degree to which people achieve formal operational thought process
Les Vygotksy’s sociocultural perspective
Children are able to attain higher levels of cognitive development through the support and instruction that they receive from other people
Cooing
At 3 months, infants begin to “coo”. Repeating vowel sounds such as ahhhh or oooo, varying the pitch up or down
Babbling
At 9 months, babies begin to babble in their parent’s languange. Babbling seems to be a biologically programmed stage of language development.
Features of young children’s speech
Infant-directed speech is characterized by very distinct pronunciation, a simplified vocabulary, short sentences, high pitch, and exaggerated intonation and expression.
Social Development
Social Development refers to how people develop social and emotional skills across the lifespan, with particular attention to childhood and adolescence.
Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development
There are 8 stages. Each stage is age based and has a Psychosocial conflict which has positive or negative resolutions
Attachment
The phenomena of children having an innate desire for to be cared for by a primary caregiver. Which gives them a sense of security which creates a encouraging environment for development.
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative. Dictator, push-over, or compromise
Lawrence Kohlberg’s Levels and Stages of Moral Development
Preconventional, Conventional, Postconventional.
Preconventional is guided by external consequence. No internalization of values or rules.
Conventional is guided by conformity to social roles, rules, and expectations that a person has learned or internalized.
Postconventional is guided by a strong sense of universal legal and personal morality
Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
/ securely attached
/ avoidantly attached
This is a test where a parent and a child are in a room of toys. In the room is also a stranger. The mother will leave and the behavior of the child dictates how secure the child is to the mother. Ideally, the child should explore, but use the mother as a base. An insecure child will either not explore at all or not care about the stranger. They will also be hard to console when the mother returns. This test seems to have a long lasting effect on the child’s future development
