Day 3-4 Flashcards
Etiology in the context of child psychopathology
the study of the causes of childhood disorder
Continuous development
developmental changes are gradual and quantitative
Discontinuous development
Stages. changes are abrupt and qualitative
sensitive periods
times in development when environmental influences are really enhanced
behavioral genetics
a branch of genetics that investigates possible connections between a genetic predisposition and observed behavior
molecular genetics
used to identify specific genes for childhood disorders, long term goal is to determine how genetic mutations alter how genes function
when we say most forms of abnormal behavior are polygenic, what do we mean?
influenced by many many genes pairing.
three types of gene environment correlations
- passive: parents read to child a lot
- active: my genes are pushing me to seek out experiences in my environment.
- evocative: you evoke reactions from the environment
benzodiazephine-GABA: what role does it have in psychopathology
anxiety disorder, reduces arousal
dopamine: what roes does it play in psychopathology
in schizophrenia, mood disorders, ADHD.
sensation seeking, exploratory, excitatory
norepinephrine: role in psychopathology
doesn’t play a role in a specific disorders, but generally involved in the fight-or-flight response, attention, and mood regulation.
serotonin: role in psychopathology
Serotonin plays a key role in mood regulation, and its dysfunction is linked to various mental health disorders like sleep and eating disorders, OCD, schizophrenia and mood disorders
3 primary dimensions to temperament
positive affect and approach: surgency
fearful or inhibited: effortful control (they’re cautious)
negative affect of irritability: negative affectivity
what is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) ?
scientific approach that applies principles of learning and behavior to improve socially significant behaviors. primarily based on operant conditioning
what does the Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Theory explain?
how a child’s development is influenced by different layers of their environment
The Five Layers:
Microsystem → The child’s immediate environment (family, school, friends, teachers). These have the most direct impact.
Mesosystem → The connections between the microsystems (e.g., how parents interact with teachers, or how home life affects school life).
Exosystem → Indirect influences (e.g., a parent’s stressful job or community policies that affect the family).
Macrosystem → Cultural values, laws, and societal norms that shape the child’s experiences (e.g., education policies, cultural beliefs about parenting).
Chronosystem → Changes over time, including life transitions (e.g., divorce, moving to a new city, historical events).
Emily’s parents recently got divorced, and this change has affected her mood and school performance. According to Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Theory, which system does this life event belong to?
Microsystem
A divorce affects Emily’s family dynamic, which is a key part of her microsystem.
Jason’s family recently moved to a new country, where the language, customs, and school system are different from what he’s used to. According to Bronfenbrenner’s theory, which system is influencing Jason’s development, and how?
macrosystem, as it involves the cultural values, customs, and societal norms of the new country Jason has moved to.
Lena’s mother is an active member of the school board and helps decide on policies that affect all students, including Lena. Which system does this situation belong to, and why?
This situation belongs to the exosystem, as it involves an indirect influence on Lena.
Tommy was 7 years old when his family moved to a new city. The move disrupted his friendships, schooling, and social environment, but over time, he adjusted and made new friends. This change happened during a period of rapid personal development and affected his identity and social skills as he grew older.
Chronosystem
Sarah is a 5-year-old girl whose parents are very involved in her education. Her mother regularly communicates with Sarah’s teacher to discuss her progress, and the teacher sometimes meets with Sarah’s parents to discuss how her behavior at school reflects what’s happening at home. These interactions between Sarah’s home life and school life create a connection between two important parts of her microsystem.
Mesosystem, interaction between different elements of the microsystem
A developmental psychopathologist wants to compare the average symptom severity between two groups of children: one group diagnosed with ADHD and another group without the diagnosis. What statistical test should the researcher use ?
The researcher should use a T-test because they are comparing the means of two independent groups
In a study investigating the impact of three different types of therapy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Therapy, and Play Therapy) on children with PTSD, the researcher wants to compare the mean improvement scores in PTSD symptoms across all three therapy groups. Which statistical test should the researcher use ?
The researcher should use ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) because they are comparing the means of more than two groups
In developmental psychopathology, when examining the relationship between two continuous variables (e.g., the number of conduct symptoms and language skills), which statistical test would be used to assess whether the variables are related?
The statistical test used would be correlation (r). The correlation test examines whether two continuous variables are associated with each other at a particular point in time, but it does not establish causality.
In a study examining the impact of conduct disorder symptoms and socioeconomic status (SES) on the number of years of school completed, which statistical test would be used to analyze the relationship between these variables? What does this test allow researchers to understand about the individual predictors?
The statistical test used would be multiple regression. This test allows researchers to assess the unique association of each independent variable (conduct disorder symptoms and SES) with the dependent variable (number of years of school completed)
