Child Development Flashcards
Definition of Development
The sequence of physical & psychological changes that human beings undergo as they grow older
Definition of Developmental Psychology
The scientific study of age related changes in behaviour, thinking, emotion and personality
What is Continues development
(Quantitive change)
Emphasizes that development and changes in individuals occur gradually
eg - as you grow older you learn more vocabulary
What is Discontinutity
(Qualitive change)
People pass through stages of life that are qualitatively different from each other
eg - children go from only being able to think in very literal terms to being able to think abstractly. They have moved into the ‘abstract thinking’ phase of their lives.
Sources of Development
Is development guided by genetic programming in cells, or is it more the external enviroment
eg - nature vs nuture
Nature vs Nuture
“Nature” influences of biological/genetic predispositions to human traits
“Nurture,” influence of learning and “environmental” factors on traits
Epigenetic’s
Interaction between biology and environmental factors
Data Collection methods in Developmental Psychology
Self Report
- relies on an individual’s own report of their symptoms, behaviors, beliefs, or attitudes
Observation
- a method in which a person observes behaviour to note changes in people or places
Experimental Methods
- manipulating one variable to determine if this causes changes in another variable
Clinical Interview Methods
- to determine if someone is suffering from a mental disorder
Research Designs in Developmental Psychology
Longitudinal Design
- looking at people over time
Cross Sectional Design
- compare differences in groups at a single point in time
What is Cognitive Development
Intellectual Growth
Cognitive Processes
Which we get to know ourselves and our worlds
- Memory, learning attention
- Perception, thought, problem solving
Who is the Father of Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget 1896-1980
- Observed Children
- Proposed a sequence of development that children follow
- Four “stages” of cognitive development
What are the 4 stages of cognitive development
Sensorimotor stage
Pre-operational stage
Concrete operations stage
Formal operations stage
Sensorimotor stage
- Birth to 2 years
- Object permanence / object’s don’t exist when they are out of sight
- Cognition closley tied to external stimulation
Birth - 3 months
Look at visual stimuli
Turning head towards noise
3 months
Following moving objects with eyes
Stares at place where object had disappeared, but will not search for object
5 months
Grasp and manipulate objects
Anticipate future position of object
8 months
Searches for hidden object
A not B effect - search in the last place they found the object not where they saw it last
12 months
Will search in the last place they saw the object
Schema Formation
- A mental representation or set of rules that define a particular behaviour
- Helps us understand current and future experiences
- Form by 2 processes known as assimilation and accomodation
Assimilation
the process by which new information is modified to fit in with an exisiting schema
Accomodation
the process by which an exisiting schema is modified or changed by a new experience
Representational Thought
- ability to form mental representations of others behavior
- occurs towards end of sensorimotor period
Deffered imitation
a childs ability to imitate the actions he or she has observed others perform in the past