Childhood Flashcards
What is the most obvious form of development visible in babies? How does development in general progress?
Development is orderly and blueprinted. Motor development is most obvious
What are the two basic (weird sounding) principles of physical development?
- Cephalocaudal trend ->development from head to foot. Brain is more developed than legs, for instance
- Proximodistal trend -> centre/core towards extremities spine first, finally fingers/toes. Simple movements->complex ones
What effects do (1) Synaptic pruning and (2) emotional trauma/neglect have on babies?
(1) . babies start out with way more neurons than us, these are cut down and specialized
(2) . Can stunt growth by inhibiting hormonal production
When do babies learn to walk? How do they learn so quickly?
At around 1 year. They get short bursts of 17 falls and 2300 steps PER HOUR during play time
How do children grow? What are some signs of this?
In spurts after long periods of time. Irritability, more sleep/food
Define maturation
Gradual unveiling of biological blueprint through development and AGE not experience
Should parents worry if their child doesn’t readily reach developmental milestones?
No. Milestones are calculated on average, so natural
What are some cultural variations within motor development?
Kipsigis (Kenya): speed it up through training/exercises
Ache (Paraguay): jungle dangerous so carry kids and slow down development (walk a year later)
How might bilingualism effect cognitive development?
Slower initial processing time because you’re learning two languages, but benefits later on
Explain the difference between early and later motor development?
Early: pretty unstoppable (within first year), just development
Later: as seen with cultures, much more succesptible to environmental influence
What is temperament? What is it a precursor to?
Emotional activity/reactivity and mood. Precursor to adult personality
Explain the difference between longitudinal and cross-section studies. What are the perks/flaws of each?
Long: looking at a single group over time (like boyhood)
- pros: more sensitive to developmental changes
- cons: people drop out, costly
Cross: looking at a few groups at once who represent different stages of development
- pros: cheaper, easier
- cons: more prone to historical bias
What did Thomas and Chess establish as the age where temperament is firmly established? Can it change?
Three months old. Good forecast for age 10. Can change, though mostly hereditary
What are the three (four) temperament styles and what percentages of the population do they occupy?
- Easy children: 40%
- Slow warm up: 15%
- Difficult: 10%
- Mix: 45%
What are difficult children more likely to develop?
Emotional problems
Define attachment, when does it develop?
Close emotional bond between babies and primary caregiver. Not immediately, instead solidifies after 6-8 months
What is separation anxiety and when does it peak?
emotional distress caused by separation with caregivers, 14-18 months and then declines
What was thought to be the initial cause of attachment? what disproved this?
Association with feeding/mothers. Monkey experiment (one with fur and one w/o, both feeding) proved this wrong because baby monkeys fled to fur mom when frightened
What is an actual biological basis for attachment theory? How does this relate to reproductive fitness?
Babies coo and babble (are cute) which is intended to elicit feelings of kinship and protection in mothers. Successfully raising your kids is the only way to ensure your genes are passed on
Explain the set up of strange situation procedure. Who did it and what does it measure?
Ainsworth. Baby plays with mom, stranger enters room, mom leaves and then comes back. Measures quality of attachment
What are Ainsworth’s four attachment types?
- Secure attachment: 65%. Comfortable, distressed, comfy again
- Anxious-Ambivalent attachment: 10%. Anxious, distressed, not comfy
- Avoidant: 20% Seeks little contact, not distressed
- disorganized-disoriented: especially insecure. confused about when to approach mother
What is attachment Quality influenced by? What can it impact later on?
- Maternal sensitivity and child reactions (interplay)
2. Relationships, self esteem, gender identity
How does day care impact attachment?
It doesn’t really. Bonding more about QUALITY over quantity. However, difficult temperament kids may suffer in terms of attachment from it
What is the cultural take on attachment?
Pretty universal. More avoidant-attachments in Germany? secure most prevalent world wide
