Development Pt. 1

Question 1

What is developmental psychology?

Answer 1

study of physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the human cycle from infancy to old age

Question 2

What are the four major issues of developmental psychology?

Answer 2

1. morality = start as immoral or as inherently good?
2. nature vs nurture: how does genetic inheritance/ nature interact with experiences/ nurture to influence development
   - empiricism = learning = nurture
   - nativism = brain structure = nature
   - constructivism = both
3. continuity of stages = what parts of development are gradual and continuous and which parts change abruptly?
4. Stability and change = what traits stay throughout life and how do we change?
   - end of history illusion = recognize that we changed but assume little to no change in future development

Question 3

What is the process of brain development in infants?

Answer 3

• starts 16 day after conception; born with 23 billion neurons
• neurogenesis = neural growth
• synaptic pruning = cut back on connections

Question 4

What is the process of motor development in infants?

Answer 4

roll over
sit unsupported at 6 mo
crawling at 8-9 mo
start walking at 12 mo
independently walks at 15 mo

Question 5

What are the methods of researching infants?

Answer 5

sucking = suck when excited

habituation = how much attention

looking times = longer when interested
- brain scans when looking at displays

Question 6

What was piaget’s stages of development?

Answer 6

approach = ask children to solve problems and their reasoning

view = think differently than adults and development occurs in a series of stages based on how they comprehend the world

Question 7

What was the first stage of piaget’s stages of development?

Answer 7

sensorimotor at 0-2 yrs = experience through senses and actions

1. ≠ understand reason so they copy actions and have stranger anxiety
2. object permanence at 6 mo = understand objects exist even if they can’t see or hear them
3. schemas - mental images of objects, places, events, etc
   - assimilation = take in new info/exp to fit into schema
   - accommodation = schemas changed/ created to fit new info

Question 8

What was the second stage of piaget’s stages of development?

Answer 8

pre operational (2-7 yrs) - objects are connected to another by principles
- symbolic thought/ pretend play + intuitive reasoning
- theory of mind = think about their own and other’s mental states (w/o = egocentrism)

Question 9

What was the third stage of piaget’s stages of development?

Answer 9

concrete operational (7-11 yrs) - think logically about events and understand changes in form before changes in math/quantity

• less egocentric
  ≠ reason abstractly
  understand conservation = properties retained even when material or appearance is changed

Question 10

What was the fourth stage of piaget’s stages of development?

Answer 10

formal operational (12 yrs - adult) = develop ability to engage in abstract and scientific reasoning
- changes in moral reasoning

Question 11

what were the reflections of piaget’s stages of development?

Answer 11

limitations = children may be more competent and development is more continuous

• think like scientists

Question 12

What was the background behind Kholberg’s levels of moral thinking?

Answer 12

Impulse control lagged reward seeking which lead to reward seeking overcoming impulse control

Question 13

What are the different levels of moral thinking and the focus that they are associated with?

Answer 13

Pre-conventional (<9 yrs) = individual only has self interest and obeys the rules to avoid punishment or to gain rewards

conventional morality (early adolescence) = an individual upholds laws and rules to have social approval/ maintain social order

post-conventional morality (adolescence+) = an individual’s action reflect their beliefs and ethical principles