Development Flashcards
(55 cards)
Development
The changes and continuities that occur within the individual b/w conception and death
Maturation
The biologically timed unfolding of changes within the individual according to that individual’s genetic plan
- how that plan unfolds is influenced by specific environmental conditions that shape how the genetically determined process is
Learning
Relatively permanent changes in our thoughts, behaviours and feelings as a result of our experiences
- the acquisition of neuronal representations of new info
What are the two processes that lead to developmental changes?
Maturation and learning
Interactionist perspective
The view that holds that maturation and learning interact during development
__________ maturation restricts the timeline of learning from the environment
Biological maturation
Learning from the environment modulates the ________ of human processes
Maturation
Most of human development occurs during the __________ stages of life
Earliest
- there is subtle developmental changes throughout adulthood
- changes occurring earlier in life are much more dramatic than those occurring later in life
Habituation
A decrease in the responsiveness to a stimulus following its repeated presentation
- can be used to test for colour perception
What does the habituation procedure determine?
To determine if an infant can detect the difference between 2 stimuli
_____________ can test for an infant’s anility to detect novel stimuli
habituation
What is the process of the habituation procedure?
Starts by repeatedly presenting the infant with the same stimulus while measuring changes in physiological responses (eg. HR, breathing) or behavioural-orienting responses (eg. head or eye movement)
When a novel stimulus is presented, the infant will initially show a burst of activity
As the stimulus is repeatedly presented, the infant’s responses will return to baseline levels
- the infant has demonstrated habituation to the stimulus
Dishabituation
An increase in the responsiveness to a stimulus that is somehow different from the habituated stimulus
- communicates the ability to perceive different stimuli
What does event-related potentials (ERP) indicate?
Indicate changes in neural activity in the brain
- how the brain reacts to this stimulus
What is event-related potentials (ERP) a measure of?
A measure of the brain’s electrical activity evoked by the presentation of stimuli
- changes in brain activity in specific areas indicate response to certain stimuli
How does the high amplitude sucking method work?
The rate of sucking on the pacifier indicates the level of preference
- determine if the infant like this stimulus
- infants can control their sucking behaviour to some extent
- can be accurately measured by a special pacifier in this method
How does the preference method work?
The level of attention toward one stimuli relative to another indicated preferences
- determine which of these two stimuli the infant like better
- this method is generally used only after researchers have determined infants can tell the difference b/w the two stimuli
Competence performance distinction
An individual may fail a task not b/c they lack those cognitive abilities but b/c they are unable to demonstrate those abilities
Longitudinal design
A developmental research design in which the same individuals are studied repeatedly over some subset of their lifespan
Pros of longitudinal design
Pros:
- allow for accurate and direct comparisons over time
- allow researchers to assess developmental change
Cons of longitudinal design
Cons:
- not optimal for particularly long studies
- cost & time –> expensive and time consuming
- selective attrition –> when some people are more likely to drop out of a study than others, making samples non-representative of the original population
- practice effects –> changes in participants’ responses due to repeated testing
Cross-sectional design
A developmental research design in which individuals from different age groups are studied at the same point in time
Pros of cross-sectional design
- allow for faster comparisons b/w age groups
- allow researchers to assess developmental change
- relatively less time consuming & expensive; can uncover age differences
Cons of cross-sectional design
- ignore individual & generational effects
- cannot distinguish age effects from generational effects
- cannot directly assess individual developmental change
