Development Flashcards
Accommodation
It means modifying an old schema to fit a new object or problem
Assimilation
applying an old schema to new objects or problems
cohort
A group of people born at a particular time or a group of people who enter an organisation at a particular time
conservation
Preoperational children lack this concept as they fail to understand that objects conserve such properties as number, length, volume, area, and mass after changes in the shape or arrangement of the objects
cross-sectional study
it compares groups of individuals of different ages at the same time
dishabituation
when a change in a stimulus increases a previously habituated response
Fetal alcohol syndrome
It is a condition marked by malformations of the face, heart and ears; and nervous system damage, including seizures, hyperactivity, and impairments of learning, memory, problem solving, attention, and motor coordination
If the mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy, the infant may develop it
fetus
about 8 weeks after conception
egocentric
A child sees the world as centred around himself or herself and cannot easily take another person’s perspective
equilibration
It is the establishment of harmony or balance between the two (assimilation and accommodation)
habituation
it is the decreased response to a repeated stimulus
longitudinal study
it follows a single group of individuals as they develop
object permanence
It is the idea that objects continue to exist even when we do not see or hear them
operation
they are reversible mental processes
preoperational stage
The child lack operations
It is the second stage in Piaget’s stages of cognitive development. Throughout most of the preoperational stage, a child’s thinking is self-centred, or egocentric
schema
it is an organised way for interacting with objects
selective attrition
it is a tendency for certain kinds of people to drop out of a study for many reasons
sensorimotor stage
At this early age (1.5-2 years) behaviour is mostly simple motor responses to sensory stimuli
sequential design
A researcher starts with people of different ages and studies them again at later times
stage of concrete operations
When children perform mental operations on concrete objects but still have trouble with abstract or hypothetical ideas
stage of formal operations
Adolescents develop logical, deductive reasoning and systematic planning
Children reach this stage at about age 11
theory of mind
It is an understanding that other people have a mind, too, and that each person knows some things that other people don’t know
zone of proximal development
The distance between what a child can do alone and what is possible with help
zygote
fertilised egg cell
What are the stages and approximate age?
- sensorimotor (birth to 1.5 years)
- preoperational (1.5 to 7 years)
- concrete operations (7 to 11 years)
- formal operations (11 years onwards)
prenatal development
The brain begins to mature long before birth. Exposure to drugs such as alcohol decreases brain activity and releases neurons’ self-destruct programs. Some people manage to do well in life despite unpromising circumstances.
Piaget’s view of children’s thinking
According to Jean Piaget, children’s thought differs qualitatively from adults’ thought. He believed children grow intellectually through accommodation and assimilation.
infant vision and hearing
Newborns stare at some visual patterns longer than others. They habituate to a repeated sound but dishabituate to a slightly different sound, indicating that they hear a difference.
Vygotsky’s thinking
According to Lev Vygotsky, children must learn new abilities from adults or older children, but only within their zone of proximal development.
What are some types of parenting styles?
authoritarian, authoritative, indifferent or uninvolved, permissive parents
authoritarian parents
They set firm controls, but tend to be emotionally more distant from the child. They set riles without explaining the reasons behind them
authoritative parents
They set high standards and impose controls, but they are also warm and responsive to the child’s communications
They set limits but adjust them when appropriate and encourage their children to strive towards their own goals
biculturalism
the partial identification with two cultures
gender roles
the different activities that society expects of males and females
indifferent or uninvolved parents
They spend little time with their children and do little more than provide them with food and shelter
permissive parent
they are warm and loving but undemanding
What is the significance of birth order?
Many studies comparing firstborn versus later-born children have failed to separate the effects of birth order from the effects of family size. Much of the apparent difference between firstborns and later-borns is really a difference between children of small versus large families.
Are there effects of non-traditional child care?
Researchers have found no important differences in personality development between children reared by gay or lesbian couples and those reared by heterosexual couples.
Effects of divorce
Children of divorced parents often show signs of distress, but the results vary across individuals.
attachment
A feeling of closeness towards another person
identity achievement
It is the outcome of having explored various possible identities and then making one’s decision
identity crisis
An adolescent’s concern with the decisions about the future and the quest for self-understanding
Identity diffusion
Those who have not yet given any serious thought to making decisions and who have no clear sense of identity
identity foreclosure
The state of reaching firm decisions without much thought
identity moratorium
People considering the issues but not yet making decisions
midlife transition
People go through a period of reassessing goals, setting new ones, and preparing for the rest of life
still-face paradigm
A parent plays with a child and then suddenly shifts to an unresponsive, expressionless face. Infants who continue looking at the parent with a little sign of distress are likely to show a strong, secure attachment at a year old and beyond
Strange Situation
A mother and her infant (12-18 months) come into a room with many toys. Then a stranger enters the room. The mother leaves and then returns. A few minutes later, both the stranger and the mother leave. Then the stranger returns and the mother returns
RESPONSES:
- Securely attached
- Anxious
- Avoidant
- Disorganised
temperament
A children’s tendency to be active or inactive, and to respond vigorously or quietly to new stimuli
terror-management theory
We cope with our fear of death by avoiding thoughts about death and by affirming a worldview that provides self-esteem, hope, and value in life
