Development

Question 1

describe the brain stem

Answer 1

highly developed at birth
connects the brain to the spinal cord
carries motor and sensory nerves to the brain from the body
controls autonomic functions such as heartbeat, breathing

Question 2

describe the cerebellum

Answer 2

matures late in development
located near the top of the spinal cord
main role is the coordination of movement and sensory information (sensorimotor)

Question 3

describe the thalamus

Answer 3

located deep inside the brain in each hemisphere

acts as a hub of information receiving signals from other areas of the brain and sending these signals on

Question 4

describe the cortex/cerebral cortex

Answer 4

thin and covers the brain and is highly folded
divided into two hemispheres and several regions (frontal, visual, auditory and motor cortexes)
at birth the cortex is BASIC and develops through life

Question 5

nature

Answer 5

the influence of things you have inherited

Question 6

nurture

Answer 6

the influence of your environment on your development

Question 7

give 3 factors affecting brain development

Answer 7

smoking
infection
voices

Question 8

describe how smoking affects brain development

Answer 8

mothers who smoke during pregnancy can have smaller babies with smaller brains as nicotine slows brain growth

Question 9

describe how infection affects brain development

Answer 9

mothers who get German measles during pregnancy can have babies with brain damage such as hearing loss

Question 10

describe how voices affect brain development

Answer 10

DeCasper and Spence
found that babies learn to recognise their mother’s voice and even respond to book passages that had been read to them in the womb showing that your brain is changing in response to external stimuli before you are born

Question 11

cognitive

Answer 11

mental processes especially thinking

Question 12

cognitive development

Answer 12

the change in the way we think across time

Question 13

describe Piaget’s theory of development and the 4 main parts

Answer 13

Piaget believed that children think differently from adults
stages - children’s brain are not mature enough to think in a logical way at the beginning and so their brains develop in stages ; at each stage different kinds of thinking occur
schemas - as children develop they create mental representations of the world which are stored in the form of schemas which become more numerous and complex through assimilation and accommodation
assimilation - when we understand a new experience and add new information to an EXISTING schema
accommodation - when we acquire new information which changes our understanding so we need to form a NEW schema

Question 14

give three brief evaluation points of Piaget’s theory of development

Answer 14

STRENGTH - has led to many studies been carried out
STRENGTH - has helped to change classroom teaching for the better
WEAKNESS - Piaget's research was carried out on middle class Swiss children

Question 15

describe two strengths of Piaget’s theory of development

Answer 15

The theory has led many studies to be carried out which have helped to test the claims of his theory
This is an important part of any theory because if we can’t test it we don’t know if it is right or wrong

Piaget’s research has helped change classroom teaching for the better.
It has led to teachers carrying out more activity-based learning.
This has helped children learn in a more effective way.

Question 16

conservation

Answer 16

the ability to realise that quantity remains the same even when the appearance changes

Question 17

who challenged Piaget’s demonstration that younger children can’t conserve with number or volume

Answer 17

McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘naughty teddy study’

Question 18

aim of McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘naughty teddy study’

Answer 18

to see if younger children could conserve if there wasn’t a DELIBERATE change in a row of counters

Question 19

method of McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘naughty teddy study’

Answer 19

4-6 year olds were shown a naughty teddy and two rows of four counters
teddy jumped out of his box and messed up one of the rows (making it look smaller)
each child was asked before and after the teddy jumped out ‘Is there more here or more here or are they both the same number?’

Question 20

results of McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘naughty teddy study’

Answer 20

41% of the children knew the rows had the same number if the counters were changed intentionally, showing that they could conserve
68% could conserve if the change was accidental
older children gave more correct answers than younger children

Question 21

conclusions of McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘naughty teddy study’

Answer 21

Piaget’s method of testing conservation doesn’t show what children could do

Children aged 4-6 could conserve number when the change was accidental, which Piaget believed they could not do until age 7

This supports his idea of age-related changes but not the age that conservation develops

Question 22

give 3 brief evaluation points of McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘naughty teddy study’

Answer 22

STRENGTH - it challenges Piaget’s theory
WEAKNESS - children may not have noticed the change in the accidental condition
WEAKNESS - the primary school aged children all came from one school

Question 23

describe one strength of McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘naughty teddy study’

Answer 23

it challenges Piaget’s theory
McGarrigle and Donaldson’s study implies that Piaget’s original work confused young children
therefore this study helped to refine this type of child development research

Question 24

describe two weaknesses of McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘naughty teddy study’

Answer 24

the children may not have noticed the change in the accidental condition
Moore and Frye showed that if the teddy did actually take a counter away, the children still said the rows were the same ; meaning that they children weren’t conserving but were instead distracted

primary age children all came from one school so they might have done better than the nursery children due to difference in educational background
therefore, differences between the two groups of children may be due to other extraneous factors

Question 25

egocentrism

Answer 25

to see the world only from one's own point of view

Question 26

what did Piaget suggest about egocentrism

Answer 26

children are egocentric until about 7 years old

Question 27

who investigated egocentrism in children

Answer 27

Hughes 'policeman doll study'

Question 28

aim of Hughes 'policeman doll study'

Answer 28

to create a test of egocentrism that would be more understandable to children younger than 7 years

Question 29

method of Hughes 'policeman doll study'

Answer 29

children aged 3 to 5 years old were shown a model with two intersecting walls + the child was asked to hide 1 boy doll from 1 policeman doll to ensure they understood the task the child's egocentrism was then tested by asking the child to hide the boy doll from two policemen

Question 30

results of Hughes 'policeman doll study'

Answer 30

90% of the children could hide the boy doll from two policemen when a complex model was used with 5 or 6 walls, 60% of 3 year olds and 90% of 4 year olds hid the boy doll correctly

Question 31

conclusions of Hughes 'policeman doll study'

Answer 31

children aged 4 are certainly not egocentric Piaget underestimated younger children's abilities because his three mountains task did not make sense to the children he was however correct in thinking that a child's thinking changes with age

Question 32

give 3 brief evaluation points of Hughes 'policeman doll study'

Answer 32

STRENGTH - the task made better sense to childrem STRENGTH - this challenges Piaget's theory WEAKNESS - the researcher's expectations may have influenced the children's behaviour

Question 33

explain two strengths of Hughes 'policeman doll study'

Answer 33

the task made better sense to children as hiding from a policeman is easier to think about than selecting a view of a mountain top this makes it a more realistic test of children's abilities it challenges Piaget's theory the results imply that Piaget's original study confused young children because the task didn't make sense to them therefore this study helped to refine this type of child development research

Question 34

explain one weakness of Hughes 'policeman doll study'

Answer 34

the researcher's expectations may have influenced the children's behaviour as they may have unconsciously given the children cues how to behave in the naughty policeman task this could have caused the results to lack validity

Question 35

how many stages of cognitive development are there

Answer 35

4

Question 36

name the 4 stages of cognitive development

Answer 36

sensorimotor pre-operational concrete operational formal operational

Question 37

at what age is the sensorimotor stage

Answer 37

0-2 years

Question 38

features of the sensorimotor stage

Answer 38

focus on development is on relating what is seen (sensory) with movement (motor) children under 8 months do not understand that when an object is not visible it still exists (OBJECT PERMANENCE)

Question 39

at what age is the pre-operational stage

Answer 39

2-7 years

Question 40

features of the pre-operational stage

Answer 40

by 2 years, a toddler can walk but language is not fully developed children under 7 years old can't think in a consistently logical way so are EGOCENTRIC and lack CONSERVATION

Question 41

at what age is the concrete operational stage

Answer 41

7-11 years

Question 42

features of the concrete operational stage

Answer 42

at 7 years, most children can CONSERVE and show less EGOCENTRISM LOGICAL THINKING is a key characteristic but can only be applied to physical objects and not objects or situations that cannot be seen

Question 43

at what age is the formal operational stage

Answer 43

11 years +

Question 44

features of the formal operational stage

Answer 44

children can come to conclusions about problems presented in an abstract form they focus on the form of an argument and not be distracted by its content

Question 45

give 3 brief evaluation points of the stages of cognitive development

Answer 45

STRENGTH - shows that children's thinking changes with age WEAKNESS - Piaget underestimated children's abilities WEAKNESS - Piaget overestimated children's abilities

Question 46

describe one strength of the stages of cognitive development

Answer 46

shows that children's thinking does change with age although research has suggested that changes in thinking occur earlier, the fact remains that the changes still occur showing that the basic principle of this theory is valid

Question 47

describe two weakness of the stages of cognitive development

Answer 47

Piaget underestimated children's abilities other research has found that younger children can show conservation and a reduction in egocentrism this suggests that certain types of thinking develop earlier than he proposed he also overestimated what children could do he argued that 11 year old children should be capable of abstract reasoning when other research has found this to be false showing that not all children's thinking is advanced as he suggested

Question 48

what are 4 ways that Piaget's theory can be applied to education

Answer 48

readiness learning by discovery and the teacher's role individual learning application to stages

Question 49

explain how Piaget's theory can be applied to education in terms of readiness

Answer 49

age related change means you cannot teach a child something before they are biologically 'ready' activities should be at the appropriate level for a child's age

Question 50

explain how Piaget's theory can be applied to education in terms of learning by discovery and the teacher's role

Answer 50

children must discover concepts for themselves rather than rote-learning teachers plan lessons that challenge schemas so assimilation and accommodation occurs and thinking will develop

Question 51

describe Dweck's mindset theory and its 4 key points

Answer 51

the difference between people who are successful and not successful is their mindset fixed mindset - abilities are fixed in your genes, effort won't help if you are failing because success is talent based , focused on performance growth mindset - you can always improve with effort , enjoy a challenge rather than focus on success, focus on learning goals, feeling good when working hard dealing with failure - for people with a fixed mindset, failure is due to lack of talents so there is no point in trying harder . for people with a growth mindset, failure is an opportunity to learn more and put in more effort there is a continuum - people are not fixed or growth but a mixture , your position on the continuum depends on the situation

Question 52

give three brief evaluation points of Dweck's mindset theory

Answer 52

STRENGTH - there is evidence that a growth mindset leads to better grades STRENGTH - good real world application WEAKNESS - any sort of praise could be bad

Question 53

describe two strengths of Dweck's mindset theory

Answer 53

there is evidence that a growth mindset leads to better grades Dweck found that 7th grader taught a growth mindset had better grades and motivation that a group that were taught about memory this suggests that this approach can improve performance this theory has good real world application mindset has been used to improve performance in areas such as schools, businesses, sport and relationships in the western world, people often believe in true love and that if a relationship isn't working they give up ; this is a 'fixed mindset' teaching people to see failure as lack of effort rather than lack of talent motivates future effort

Question 54

describe one weakness of Dweck's mindset theory

Answer 54

any sort of praise could be bad the idea of praising people's effort still leads to them doing things for approval from other rather than doing it for themselves growth mindset can therefore discourage the type of independent behaviour it is trying to promote

Question 55

what are the 4 key points about praise and self efficacy

Answer 55

positive effects of praise praise effort rather than performance self efficacy effect of self efficacy on motivation

Question 56

positive effects of praise

Answer 56

praise is a reward and makes someone feel good so they repeat behaviours praise must fit performance and not be used for everything

Question 57

why should you praise effort rather than performance

Answer 57

praising effort is motivating as it gives a sense of control as people can always put in more effort praising others for performance is demotivating particularly when you can't compete

Question 58

what is self efficacy

Answer 58

understanding you own abilities which is related to expectations you have about future performance experiencing success is important and opportunities should be provided by parents and teachers

Question 59

what is the effect of self efficacy on motivation

Answer 59

self efficacy affects motivation because if it is high you will put in greater effort, persist longer, have greater task performance and more resilience than if you think you can't do it

Question 60

what are three brief evaluation points on the role of praise and self efficacy (topic)

Answer 60

STRENGTH - support for self efficacy come from research into the stereotype effect STRENGTH - there is value in understanding rewards WEAKNESS - using praise to encourage learning can have the opposite effect

Question 61

explain two strengths of the role of praise and self efficacy (topic)

Answer 61

support for self efficacy comes from research into the stereotype effect STEELE AND ARONSON found that African-American students scored lower on an IQ test if they had to indicate their race beforehand this suggests that their performance was affected by how they were expected to do - supporting the theory of self efficacy there is value in understanding rewards Dweck found that students who were criticised for their effort performed better on a test than those who had always been praised this shows that the kind of praise given is important

Question 62

explain one weakness of the role of praise and self efficacy (topic)

Answer 62

using praise to encourage learning can have the opposite effect LEPPER found that children were less interested in doing a task if they had been previously rewarded for it this suggests that praise can be demotivating

Question 63

describe a weakness of Piaget's theory of development

Answer 63

``` Piaget only researched middle-class Swiss children. These children were from families where academic studies were more important than making things, less value of basic thinking (concrete operations) Therefore his theory may not be universal. ```