Development Flashcards

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1
Q

basic outline of the early brain development

A

Brain Stem:
-connects brain to the spinal cord
-carries messages via the spinal cord
-automatic functions
-highly developed at birth
Cerebellum:
-matures late
-near top of spinal cord
-coordinates sensory info and motor activity as well as movement (balance)
Thalamus:
-deep inside the brain in each hemisphere
-information hub: receives and sends signals around the brain
Cortex:
-divided in 2 hemispheres
-outer covering of brain, very thin and folded
thinking and processing
-frontal, visual, auditory, motor areas in each hemisphere

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2
Q

roles of nature and nurture

A

nature: inherited
nurture: environmental influences on development

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3
Q

smoking during pregnancy

A

affects the size of the brain and body because nicotine slows down brain growth

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4
Q

infection during pregnancy

A

in the womb, german measles can cause brain damage (more specifically hearing loss)

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5
Q

voices during pregnancy

A
  • babies learn to recognise mother’s voices

- brain is changing before you are born in response to external stimuli

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6
Q

the interaction between nature and nurture

A
  • both aspects at the same time

- brain forms due to nature (product of genes) but the environment has a major influence even in the womb

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7
Q

outline Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (9t)

A

Theory:
-changes in thinking (cognition) over time (as we get older)
-children think differently from adults
Stages:-young children aren’t able to think logically about the world (brains aren’t mature enough)
-as the child gets older their brain develops and different kinds of thinking such as being able to think in abstract ways
Schemas:
-the world is represented in the mind where knowledge is stored
-as the child develops the construct more and more detailed and complex schemas
-number of schemas increase as we grow older through assimilation and accommodation
Assimilation:
when we understand a new experience and add that new information to a new schema
Accommodation:
receiving new information that changes our understanding so a new schema is formed

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8
Q

what is a strength of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (9t)
*a lot of research

A

P- enormous amount of research (evidence) to test his ideas
E- many studies have been conducted to test Piaget’s theory
L- we can be more certain about what aspects of his theory need refining which has helped improve our understanding of how children’s thinking develops

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9
Q

what is a weakness of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (9t)
*sample

A
P- his research involved middle class European children 
E- children were in European academic families who valued academic abilities, in other social classes/cultures a greater value may be placed on a more basic level of concrete operations (eg.making things rather than abstract ideas)
L- theory may not be universally applicable
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10
Q

what is a strength of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development (9t)
*real world application

A

P- has real world application
E- the theory has helped change classroom teaching so it’s now more activity based
L- demonstrates it’s positive value (usefulness)

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11
Q

conservation

A

although appearance changes, quantity stays the same

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12
Q

Piaget and conservation

A

-Piaget showed that younger children can’t conserve quantities
-showed children 2 identical rows of 6 counters each, equally spaced; the children correctly reasoned that each row had the same number
-however when the counters in one of the rows were pushed together the young children struggled to converse and usually said there were less counters
—->this is challenged by the naughty teddy study
they wondered if Piaget’s results were due to the fact that the children saw the counters being changed and may have thought this meant that there was an actually deliberate change in the number of counters

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13
Q

outline the naughty teddy study (9s)

McGarrigle and Donaldson

A

A: aimed to see whether the child’s reaction would be different if there was no deliberate change in the row of counters
M: -80 children aged 4/6 years old
-introduced to “naughty teddy” who could spoil their game
-shown 2 rows of equal counters
-teddy jumps out of box and pushes the counters in one row about, transforming display by making one row look smaller
-child was then asked if the rows were the same
R: -deliberate change: 41% gave the correct answer (same number in each row)
-accidental change: 68% gave the correct answer
-older children did better than younger children
C: -Piaget’s method doesn’t show what children can do (nursery kids conserved quantity)
-older children did better than younger ones which supports Piaget’s idea that the way children think changes as they grow older

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14
Q

what is a weakness of the naughty teddy study (9s)

*sample

A

P- primary children all came from one school
E- primary kids may have done better than the nursery kids due to their educational backgrounds, may have coped better due to their better developed language/better educated families
L- challenges validity of conclusions as other factors can explain the difference

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15
Q

what is a weakness of the naughty teddy study (9s)

*distracted

A

P- the children’s better performance in the accidental condition may be because they didn’t notice any change had taken place
E- the children may have been distracted by the teddy and didn’t realise anything had changed so they kept their original answer (that both rows were the same)
L- just means that the children weren’t looking, not conserving

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16
Q

what is a strength of the naughty teddy study (9s)

*challenges Piaget

A

P- challenges some of Piaget’s assumptions
E- shows that Piaget confused young children with his style of questioning, children are actually more able
L- helps to refine his theory

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17
Q

egocentrism

A

to see the world only from one’s point of view

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18
Q

Piaget and egocentrism

A

Three mountains task
-a child is shown a model of 3 mountains with a doll place opposite
-the child is asked to choose what the doll would “see” from a range of pictures
-the children describe what they see and not what the doll would see
-only children over 7 could consistently choose the correct picture
—->challenged by the Policeman Doll Study
he suggested that the children may have less difficulty if the task made more social sense

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19
Q

outline Hughe’s policeman study (9s)

A

A: aimed to create a task that would be more understandable than Piaget’s
M: -30 kids 3 1/2 to 5 year olds
- children were asked to hide a boy doll from two policeman dolls on a model with different sections
-practice was given beforehand
R: -90% could hide the boy doll away from 2 policemen
-with a more complex task (more sections) the 3 year olds had more trouble (60% correct) whereas the 4 year olds had 90% success
C: -children aged 4 are mostly not egocentric
-Piaget underestimated younger children’s abilities
-correct that thinking changes with age

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20
Q

what is a strength of Hughe’s policeman study (9s)

*made more sense

A

P- task made more sense to the children than Piaget’s version
E- policeman task was more realistic and a similar to something they’d experience in everyday life, the children also had practice so they fully understood task
L-more realistic test of abilities/the children’s capabilities

21
Q

what is a weakness of Hughe’s policeman study (9s)

*unintentional cues

A

P- researcher may have unintentionally hinted about the correct answer
E- researcher may have unconsciously given cues (gazing in a certain direction) and influenced the child’s behaviour
L- results may lack validity

22
Q

what is a strength of Hughe’s policeman study (9s)

*challenges Piaget

A

P- challenges some of Piaget’s assumptions
E- study shows that Piaget’s task confused the children making them appear like less able thinkers
L- helps to refine his theory

23
Q

stages of cognitive development

A

Sensorimotor Stage (0-2):
-learn to coordinate sensory and motor info
-object permanence
Pre-operational Stage (2-7):
-lacks reasoning ability
-can’t think in a consistently logical way
-lack of conservation
-egocentric
Concrete Operational Stage (7-11):
-most can conserve
-less egocentric
-better reasoning abilities
-struggle to reason about abstract ideas and imagine things they can’t see
-logical thinking applied to physical objects
-class inclusion
Formal Operational Stage (11+):
-capable of formal reasoning
-children can draw conclusions about abstract concepts and form arguments

24
Q

what is a weakness of the stages of cognitive development

*underestimated

A

P- underestimated what young children are capable of
E- younger children performed better than Piaget predicted, they were just unable to cope with unusual tasks which confused them
L- some aspects of children’s thinking develops earlier than Piaget proposed

25
Q

what is a weakness of the stages of cognitive development

*overestimated

A

P- overestimated what children are capable of
E-suggested that children 11+ are capable of abstract reasoning but most can’t cope with Watson’s card sorting task in abstract form
L- optimistic about what children can do, but some never even reach this stage

26
Q

what is a strength of the stages of cognitive development

*basic idea

A

P- his basic idea is correct
E- all studies found that that younger children didn’t cope as well as older children
L- supports Piaget’s overall view that thinking changes with age, valid

27
Q

applying Piaget’s theory to education

A

Readiness:
-can only teach something to a child if they’re biologically “ready”
-activities must be at appropriate level for the child to fully understand/be competent
-if the child isn’t mature enough they’ll only acquire the skills superficially
Learning by Discovery and the Teacher’s Role:
-children must play an active role in their education (not rote learn)
-the child’s thinking will develop better in a stimulating learning environment
Individual Learning:
-children go through all the same stages in the same order but at different rates
Application to Stages:
-sensorimotor: stimulating sensory environment
-pre operational: discovery learning rather that written work
-concrete operational: physical materials to manipulate
-formal operational: scientific experiments to develop logical thinking

28
Q

what is a strength of applying Piaget’s theory to education

*influential

A

P- it was very influential (enormous effect on UK primary education)
E- positive impact on education as more child centered activities were put in place (as opposed to the very teacher centered learning back then)
L- demonstrated the value of Piaget’s theory for education

29
Q

what is a weakness of applying Piaget’s theory to education

*practice

A

P- suggests that practice shouldn’t improve performance if a child isn’t ready but not all research supports this
E- thinking can develop at an earlier age if given enough practice (not just when ready)
L- challenges notion that education should be centered around Piaget’s stages

30
Q

what is a weakness of applying Piaget’s theory to education

*traditional methods

A

P- discovery learning may not always be the best approach
E- Bernett found that children taught using the more formal methods did better in some subjects (like maths and English) than children taught using a more child centered active approach
L- direct instruction is a better teaching method in some subjects

31
Q

outline Dweck’s mindset theory (9t)

A

mindset: set of assumptions we have–> affects success
Fixed Mindset:
-abilities/talent is fixed in their genes
-aren’t doing well , give up
-no amount of effort will change the situation
-focused on performance goals (doing well=feel good)
Growth Mindset:
-can improve with effort
-enjoy challenges
-focused on learning goals (working hard=feel good)
Dealing with failure:
-fixed: failure indicates lack of talent=give up
-growth: opportunity to learn more and put in more effort
Continuum:
-people are a mixture (not just one or the other)
-depends on the situation

32
Q

what is a strength of Dweck’s mindset theory (9t)

*research evidence

A

P- research evidence shows that a growth mindset leads to better grades
E- Dweck found that children taught a growth mindset had better grades and motivation
L- shows that a growth mindset can be taught and can improve performance

33
Q

what is a weakness of Dweck’s mindset theory (9t)

*involves praise

A

P- any sort of praise may be damaging
E- praising effort can still lead to doing things for approval from others rather than self satisfaction which can discourage independent behaviour
L- praise of effort may not be the best way to motivate learners

34
Q

what is a strength of Dweck’s mindset theory (9t)

*real world application

A

P- has real world application
E- in business, sport and relationships ect. seeing failure as a lack of effort rather than talent motivates future effort
L- shows the positive value

35
Q

the role of self-praise and self-efficacy

A

Positive Effect of Praise:
-reward
-makes someone feel good so behaviour is repeated and motivation is increased
-praise must be honest and sincere for efficacy
Praise Effort rather than Performance:
-praising effort enables control as you can always increase your effort and get motivated from others getting their effort praised
-praising performance is demotivating as if you see someone get praised for doing a task better than you in can be upsetting
Self-Efficacy:
-understanding of your own abilities
-past experience leads you to have expectations about future performance (repeated failure=lowers self efficacy and vice versa)
-can also come from what others say
The Effect of Self-Efficacy on Motivation:
-influences what you choose to fo
-high sense of self-efficacy=willing to make greater effort and persist longer, resilience and greater task performance

36
Q

what is a weakness of the role of self-praise and self-efficacy
*opposite effect

A

P- praise may reduce rather than increase motivation
E- praise makes you feel good but doesn’t increase motivation in the long term, research showed that when children were offered a reward for doing something the students who didn’t receive a reward were less interested in doing the same task
L- suggests that external rewards destroy internal motivation

37
Q

what is a strength of the role of self-praise and self-efficacy
*support

A

P- support from research that shows that reduced self efficacy leads to poor performance
E- African American students did worse on an IQ test if thy were reminded of their race due to the stereotype that African Americans don’t do well on IQ tests (lowered their self efficacy)
L- strengthens validity

38
Q

what is a strength of the role of self-praise and self-efficacy
*practical application

A

P- has practical application (how to best reward performance)
E- students criticised for their effort increased their effort and performed better on a test than those previously praised as they ended up giving up when they didn’t do well
L- shows that the kind of feedback received is important

39
Q

what is a learning style

A
  • people differ in how they learn

- matching teaching to learning style will improve learning

40
Q

verbaliser

A
  • focus on words
  • gather and process info by hearing and reading
  • remember info by repeating it and focusing on sounds
  • solve problems by talking about it/writing it down
41
Q

visualisers

A
  • pictures
  • visual processing
  • spatial relationships (diagrams and mindmaps)
42
Q

kinaesthetic learners

A
  • hands on
  • learning by active exploration
  • prefer carrying out physical activities
43
Q

what is a strength of learning styles

*change from traditional methods

A

P- change from traditional methods (that only use verbal)
E- teachers have adopted a varied approach by using a mix of learning styles
L- benefits student’s learning

44
Q

what is a weakness of learning styles

*no supporting evidence

A

P- no supporting evidence
E- no good quality studies which challenges claim that learning styles improve performance
L- seriously undermines the value of measuring learning styles and applying the idea to improve performance

45
Q

what is a weakness of learning styles

*too many

A

P- too many different styles (makes it impossible to put into practice)
E- Coffield identified 71 different types so it’s difficult to work out preferred type
L- suggests that learning styles aren’t a useful concept (unworkable)

46
Q

outline Willingham’s learning theory (9t)

A

Theory:
-critical of learning styles theory as it had no evidence
-cognitive psychology and neuroscience can be used to improve learning
Praise:
-important to praise process (effort) rather than ability
-should be unexpected
-praise before a task led to less motivation in the future
-if performance depends on praise it destroys your natural sense of motivation
Memory and Forgetting:
-key reason for forgetting in not having the right cues
-rather than trying to memorise, practising retrieval of the information is more effective
Self-Regulation:
-self control is being able to control your behaviour, emotions, attention ect
-research has shown that young children who showed a high ability to delay gratification (marshmallow) performed higher on tests of school progress
Neuroscience:
-learning disorder like dyslexia have been associated with poor function in specific areas of the brain (brain waves in dyslexics are different)
-could benefit progress by receiving help earlier

47
Q

what is a strength of Willingham’s learning theory (9t)

*evidence

A

P- all evidence based
E- based on scientific basis
L- great validity

48
Q

what is a strength of Willingham’s learning theory (9t)

*real world application

A

P- focuses on applications to learning
E- positive impact on education as he gives an alternate approach to learning styles
L- research has real world value

49
Q

what is a weakness of Willingham’s learning theory (9t)

*misleading

A

P- diagnosis on the basis of brain difference may not be possible
E- dyslexia can’t be diagnosed by brain waves as learning disorders are likely to have a number of causes
L- diagnosis of a condition such as dyslexia based of brain differences is unlikely and may be misleading