Developing through the lifespan Flashcards
1
Q
Developmental psychology
A
Study of physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
2
Q
Central questions of developmental psych
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- continuity (what is the nature of the change? quantitative or qualitative?)
- sources of development
- plasticity (can course of development change? sensitive and critical periods)
- individual differences
- active (choices made by you)/passive (choice not made by you)
3
Q
2 types of research strategies
A
- Cross-sectional study
- Longitudinal study
4
Q
Cross-sectional Study
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Compares people of different ages at the same point in time
5
Q
Longitudinal study
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Follows and retests the same people over time
6
Q
Advantages & disadvantages of cross-sectional study
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Advantages:
- Fast
- leads to representative sampling
Disadvantages:
- Cohort effect (might be something atypical that only one of the age groups was exposed to)
7
Q
Advantages & disadvantages of longitudinal study
A
Advantages:
- can identify normative developmental traits
- stability of individual attributes
Disadvantages:
- very time consuming
- expensive
- people may get practice over time and skew results
- cross-generational effect (not a good representation of other generations)
8
Q
Prenatal development begins with what?
A
Conception; sperm penetrate one ovum–> zygote is formed
9
Q
Three periods of prenatal development
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- Germinal period
- Embryonic period
- Fetal period
10
Q
Germinal period
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Involves the zygote
11
Q
Embryonic period
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- 3-8 weeks
- called the “embryo”
- when major organs FORM
12
Q
Fetal period
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- 9 weeks until birth
- Called the “fetus”
- when organs begin to function
13
Q
Teratogens
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Agents that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
Ex: smoking, substance use, thalidomide
14
Q
Brain development
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- axons, dendrites begin spouting
- forming of connections with other neurons
- brain shows rapid growth
15
Q
Infancy (2 stages)
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- Cephalocaudal principle (from head to foot)
- Proximodistal development (from inner body parts to outer)
16
Q
Adolescence
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- begins at puberty
- development of sex characteristics (primary and secondary)
-includes the main landmarks for men and women
17
Q
Primary sex characterisitcs
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Reproductive
18
Q
Secondary sex characteritics
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Non-reproductive
Ex: development of facial hair
19
Q
Main landmark for woman
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Menarche (first menstrual period)
20
Q
Main landmark for man
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Production of sperm
21
Q
Sensory abilities
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These decrease with age (vision, smell, identification)
22
Q
Life span
A
The maximum age possible for members of a given species.
Includes the cellular clock theory and the wear and tear theory.
23
Q
Cellular clock theory
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Hayflick limit; Our chromosomes have telomeres which shorten every time they divide.
24
Q
Wear and tear theory
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Body wears out over time with constant use and abuse of organs
25
Life expectancy
The number of years that an average member of a species is expected to live. About 82 years for humans. Usually differs between countries.
26
Jean Piaget
Father of cognitive development
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Schema
A concept or framework that organizes and interprets info
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Assimilation
The process of interpreting new info in terms of existing schemas. *Schema stays the SAME*
Ex: a baby will put a watch in their mouth the same way they would put a rattle in their mouth.
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Accomodation
The process of modifying existing schemas in response to new information. *Schema CHANGES*
Ex: Instead of putting a beach ball in mouth, baby will likely hug it instead.
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Changing Schemas of the Earth - Piaget's Processes
Shows how children's understanding of Earth evolves from rectangular/disc shapes (preschool) to accurate sphere (5th grade) through assimilation and accomodation.
31
4 stages of Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
1. Sensorimotor (0-2 years)
2. Preoperational (2-6 years)
3. Concrete operational (6-12)
4. Formal operational (12-adult)
32
What did Piaget believe?
All children are mini scientists and are actively contributing to their own development
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Sensorimotor stage
The infant explores the world through direct sensory and motor contact. Object permanence and separation anxiety develop.
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Preoperational stage
The child uses symbols (words and images) to represent objects but does not reason logically. The child also has the ability to pretend. Child is egocentric.
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Concrete operational
The child can think logically about concrete objects and can thus add and subtract. The child also understands conservation.
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Formal operational
The adolescent can reason abstractly and think in hypothetical terms.
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Object permanence (sensorimotor stage)
Awareness that things continue to exist even what they cannot be seen, heard, or touched directly
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Egocentrism (preoperational stage)
Inability to take the perspective of another person. Only know their own POV.
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Theory of mind
Understanding people's ideas about their own and other's mental states. Included the Sally Anne task and the Smarties Task
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Sally Anne task
Tests if children understand false beliefs through a story where Sally leaves a ball in a basket, Anne moves it, and children must predict where Sally will look upon returning.
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Smarties Task
Shows children a candy box containing pencils and tests if they can separate their current knowledge from their initial expectation and understand others' false beliefs.
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Conservation (concrete operational stage)
Objects' properties remain the same despite changes in their forms
ex: moving a liquid to a different size cup
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Hypothetical-deductive reasoning (formal operational stage)
Abstract and higher forms of thinking
ex:
Premises:
-All poodles are dogs
-All dogs are animals
Conclusion:
-Therefore, all poodles are animals
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Do cognitive abilities decline?
No, BUT there is a decline in memory due to impairments in sensory acuity
45
4 types of parenting styles
1. Authoritative (high demandingness, high responsiveness)
2. Permissive (low demandingness, high responsiveness)
3. Authoritarian (high demandingness, low responsiveness)
4. Neglectful (low demandingness, low responsiveness)
46
Best parenting style
Authoritative
47
Attachment
An emotional tie with others
48
Harlow Monkey example of attachment
Monkeys preferred cloth 'mother' over wire 'mother' with food.
Contradicted Freud's theory that attachment is purely about satisfying biological needs.
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The 2 styles of attachment
1. Secure attachment
2. Insecure attachment
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Strange situation (attachment)
A caregiver-infant "separation and reunion" procedure that is stages in a lab to test the security of a child's attachment
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Secure attachment
The baby is secure when the parent is present, distressed by separation, and delighted by reunion
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Insecure attachment
- avoidant
- resistant (anxious)
- disorganized/disoriented
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What do attachments form?
Internal working models (the belief that an important person in your life will provide comfort when needed). This becomes the model for all future relationships.
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Consequences of secure attachment
- believe in romantic love
- satisfying relationships
- trust, happiness
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Consequences of resistant attachment
- emotional highs and lows
- obsessive
- jealousy
- more upset in conflicts
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Consequences of avoidant attachment
- fear of intimacy
- believe love is doomed to fade
- less warm and supportive in conflicts
57
Kohlberg's 3 levels of moral reasoning
1. Preconventional level
2. Conventional level
3. Postconventional level
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Preconventional level
Morality judged in terms of reward and punishment. "What will I get out of it?"
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Conventional level
Morality judged in terms of social order and approval. "living up to expectations"
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Postconventional level
Morality judged in terms of abstract principles, like equality and justice
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Effect of culture on Kohlberg's levels of moral reasoning
Cross cultural differences. In some cultures, the norm is to think about the individual. In others, the group matters more (conventional level)
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Does behavior = reasoning?
No
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Erikson's stages of psychosocial development
Erikson believed that personality is going to develop through a series of crises that the person faced.
1. Trust vs. Mistrust (Infancy)
2. Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (Toddlerhood)
3. Initiative vs. Guilt (Early Childhood)
4. Industry vs. Inferiority (Middle Childhood)
5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence) - 'What role will they take?' 'Who am I?'
6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood)
7. Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood)
8. Integrity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood)
64
Problems with Erikson's stages of psychosocial development
- hard to validate
- cross-cultural issues
65
Temperament
Individual's innate disposition or behavioral style and characteristic response.
- easy
-difficult
- slow to warm up
- unclassifiable
66
Social and personal development - peer influences
Conformity: whether you get along with your peers.
Other gender peers also play a role.
67
Identity Crisis
An adolescent's struggle to establish a personal identity, or self-concept
68
Stereotypical image of adolescents
Risky, rebellious, have conflict with parents
69
Does life satisfaction vary with age?
No, it remains constant throughout all ages
70
Does self-esteem vary with age?
Yes, this tends to decrease as we get older.
71
Dying / Death - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's 5 stages
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
*not everyone follows these, people will have unique experiences!
72
Zygote
the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.
73
Embryo
the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.
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Fetus
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.
75
Fetal alcohol syndrome
physical and cognitive function deficits in children caused by their mother’s heavy drinking during pregnancy. In severe cases, symptoms include a small, out-of proportion head and distinct facial features.
76
Habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.
77
Maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.
78
Cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.
79
Scaffold
in Vygotsky’s theory, a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking.
80
Stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.
81
Critical period
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces typical development.
82
Imprinting
the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life.
83
Basic trust
according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers.
84
Self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, “Who am I?”
85
Puberty
the period of sexual maturation, during which a person usually becomes capable of reproducing.
86
Identity
our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.
87
Social identity
the “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships.
88
Intimacy
in Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in young adulthood.
89
Emerging adulthood
a period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults.
90
Menopause
the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.
91
Neurocognitive disorders
acquired (not lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse. Also called dementia in older adults.
92
Alzheimer's disease
a neurocognitive disorder marked by neural plaques, often with onset after age 80, and entailing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities
93
Social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.
