Developmental and Social Psychology

Question 1

Need to belong theory

Answer 1

people have an innate motivational drive to form and maintain interpersonal bonds with other people

Question 2

Satiation

Answer 2

the satisfaction of a desire or need

Question 3

Social Identity theory

Answer 3

Social identity is the portion of an individual’s self-concept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group

Question 4

Social and Personal identities

Answer 4

Social identity refers to people’s self categorisation in relation to their group membership and personal identity refers to the unique ways that people define themselves as individuals

Question 5

In-groups and out-groups

Answer 5

An in-group is a group to whom you belong to and anyone else outside of the group is perceived as being in the out-group

Question 6

Group prototypes

Answer 6

the identity of a group is captured in prototypical members who are perceived to embody the characteristics that define the group

Question 7

Sense of belonging

Answer 7

The subjective feeling of deep connection with social groups, physical places, and individual and collective experiences

Question 8

The social cure

Answer 8

capable of promoting adjustment, coping and well-being for individuals dealing with a range of illnesses, injuries, trauma and stressors through social connection

Question 9

Social prescribing

Answer 9

An approach in health care that connects people to activities, groups, and services in their community to meet the practical social and emotional needs that affect their health and well-being.

Question 10

Non-verbal communication

Answer 10

Thoughts and feels are sent and received, without using words

Question 11

Forced choice paradigm

Answer 11

A format for question responses that requires respondents to provide an answer, usually from a selection of possible answers.

Question 12

Free choice paradigm

Answer 12

A format for question responses that does not require respondents to provide an answer, but rather to freely generate it themselves. E.g. asking patients to generate an emotion themselves instead of looking at pictures and choosing one.

Question 13

Discrete emotion theory

Answer 13

Theory of emotion that assumes a small set of discrete emotions.

Question 14

Dimensional emotion

Answer 14

An emotion can be represented by a specific position within the continuous space that is defined by a small number of underlying dimensions.

Question 15

Encoding

Answer 15

Expressing/emitting non-verbal behaviour

Question 16

Decoding

Answer 16

Interpreting the meaning of non-verbal behaviour

Question 17

Cultural display rules

Answer 17

Cultural norms learned early in life that govern the regulation of expressive behaviours depending on social contexts.

Question 18

Affiliation

Answer 18

Tendency to form social bonds with others

Question 19

Ostracism

Answer 19

the exclusion of someone from society or a group

Question 20

Privacy Regulation Theory (Irwin Altman, 1975)

Answer 20

The need for privacy regulates over time, and people need different amount of social interaction in different situations

Question 21

Dunbar number

Answer 21

A suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships with

Question 22

Reciprocity

Answer 22

A social norm of responding to a positive action with another positive action

Question 23

Determinants of attractiveness

Answer 23

Physical attractiveness, Similarity to self, reciprocity, proximity

Question 24

Determinants of physical attractiveness

Answer 24

Dimorphism, Symmetry and Averageness

Question 25

Dimorphism

Answer 25

the gradient of masculine and feminine traits

Question 26

Temporal Need-Threat Model

Answer 26

Reaction to ostracism in three stages:
1. reflexive
2. reflective
3. resignation

Question 27

Nature

Answer 27

The hereditary information present at the moment of conception that may affect later development

Question 28

Nurture

Answer 28

All the external elements that may influence development

Question 29

Stability

Answer 29

Individuals who are high or low in a characteristic will remain so at later ages (emphasis on nature)

Question 30

Plasticity

Answer 30

change is possible and likely if new experiences support it

Question 31

Continuous development

Answer 31

stable, consistent growth, i.e. Plant growth

Question 32

Discontinuous development

Answer 32

growth takes place in stages, such as in butterfly development (caterpillar -> chrysalis -> butterfly)

Question 33

active development

Answer 33

sees children as active participants in their environment and that they will affect their development themselves significantly

Question 34

passive development

Answer 34

Sees children as helpless to their environment

Question 35

Critical period

Answer 35

Significant brain development can happen if the necessary experience is available. If not, development in that area becomes difficult or perhaps impossible

Question 36

Sensitive period

Answer 36

a phase of time during which brain development happens more easily, but can still occur later

Question 37

Involuntary responses

Answer 37

Developmental psychologists can study very young children and babies by observing or measuring their involuntary responses, such as gaze, heart rate or brain activity through ERPs

Question 38

Voluntary responses

Answer 38

As children develop more motor control and independence, researchers can study their behavioural choces

Question 39

Gillick competence / Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act

Answer 39

Children under the age of 16 can consent to their own treatment if they’re believed to have enough intelligence, competence and understanding to fully appreciate what’s involved in their treatment.

Question 40

Sensorimotor Stage

Answer 40

Birth to 2 years
World experienced through senses and actions

significant achievements: development of means end behaviour, child’s gradual separation of self from external environment, object permanence

End of stage: onset of deferred imitation

Question 41

Deferred imitation

Answer 41

the process in which an individual observes an action and then performs that action at a later time

Question 42

Preoperational Stage

Answer 42

2 - 7 years
Use words and images to represent things -> semiotic functions
Egocentric, are unable to separate their own perspective from that of others
lack logical reasoning

Question 43

Concrete Operational Stage

Answer 43

7 - 12 years
Understand concrete events and analogies logically; perform arithmetical operations

Able to solve conservation tasks

Question 44

Conservation task

Answer 44

to test a child’s ability to see that some properties are conserved or invariant after an object undergoes physical transformation

Question 45

Formal Operational Stage

Answer 45

12+ years
Formal operations, utilise abstract reasoning, moral reasoning

Question 46

Schemes

Answer 46

Basic mental structures, coordinated and systematic pattern of action or way of reasoning, means of interacting with environment

Question 47

Assimilation

Answer 47

Process of interpreting an experience in terms of current ways of thinking

Question 48

Accommodation

Answer 48

Modifications in behaviour and thinking that occur when old schemes no longer fit

Question 49

Equilibration

Answer 49

Innate self regulatory process that, through assimilation and accommodation, result in more organised, powerful and complex schemes for adapting to the environment

Question 50

Maturation

Answer 50

the gradual unfolding over time of genetic programmes for development

Question 51

Zone of proximal development

Answer 51

Vygotsky’s concept in educational psychology
represents the space between what a learner is capable of doing unsupported and what the learner cannot do even with support

Question 52

Scaffolding

Answer 52

the help that teachers/caretakers provide in the zone of proximal development

Question 53

Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis

Answer 53

proposed by Bowlby
A lack of attachment relationship leads to ongoing relationship difficulties, behavioural and emotional problems

Bowlby’s central conclusion:
“What is believed to be essential for mental health is that an infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment” (1953)

Question 54

Monotropy

Answer 54

Infants are born with the innate need to create one main and special bond with their attachment figure

Question 55

Secure base (security theory)

Answer 55

A secure place for a child leads to confidence in exploration
Caretaker allows child to maintain a balance between closeness and exploration

Question 56

The strange situation

Answer 56

8 Stages:
1. Mother and baby in playroom
2. The child is encouraged to explore
3. Stranger enters
4. Mother leaves
5. Mother returns
6. Both adults leave
7. Stranger returns
8. Mother returns

-> used for categorisation of the quality of attachment

Question 57

Secure attachment

Answer 57

Infant plays with the toys and potentially interacts with the stranger while mother is present, may show distress when mother leaves but is quite easily comforted by her when she returns
- associated with sensitive care giving, responsive to infant’s needs

Question 58

Insecure-Avoidant Attachment

Answer 58

Infant tends to be distant and aloof in mother’s presence, emotionless, superficial play, on return, infant will ignore mother
- Associated with impatient, unresponsive or intrusive care giving

Question 59

Insecure-Ambivalent Attachment

Answer 59

Infant adapts poorly to strange environment and is very distressed when the mother leaves and is difficult to comfort on return. Minimal or no interaction with the stranger and is associated with inconsistent care giving

Question 60

Insecure-Disorganised Attachment

Answer 60

No organised, observable way of dealing with stress, inconsistent behaviours and tendency to be wary of mother. Associated with frightening or fearful caregiving, but highly complex

Question 61

Resilience

Answer 61

Normal development under difficult conditions

Question 62

Alloparenting

Answer 62

Care provided by individuals other than parents

Question 63

Basic psychological needs theory

Answer 63

three psychological needs that are universally important for psychological wellbeing and autonomous motivation:
Autonomy, competence and relatedness

Question 64

Relationships motivation theory

Answer 64

Focus on mutually autonomy-supportive nature of close relationships

Question 65

Galinsky’s 6 Stages of parenthood

Answer 65

Image-making (planning and pregnancy)
Nurturing (birth - 2 years)
Authority (toddler/pre-school)
Interpretive (school)
Interdependent (adolescence)
Departure (moving away)

Question 66

Authoritative Parenting style

Answer 66

high responsiveness, high demandingness
encourage independence of children within limits, expect age-appropriate behaviour and use reasonable and fair punishment for misbehaviour
-> successful parenting style

Question 67

Permissive Parenting Style

Answer 67

high responsiveness, low demandingness
nurturing and accepting of child, low expectations for child’s behaviour and achievements, avoid discipline
-> children tend to be immature, impulsive, short tempered, unaccustomed to rules, and insensitive to others

Question 68

Authoritarian Parenting style

Answer 68

low responsiveness, high demandingness
restrictive, controlling, children are expected to follow rules without explanation or feedback
-> tend to be low in self-esteem , anxious in unfamiliar situations, underdeveloped/external focused morality

Question 69

Disengaged Parenting Style

Answer 69

low responsiveness, low demandingness
emotionally unsupportive, low in warmth, uninvolved
-> children tend to be emotionally withdrawn in social situations, attempt to provide for themselves, lack internal sense of discipline

Question 70

Determinants of Parenting Behaviour Model

Answer 70

Belsky 1984, influences on parenting:
Parent characteristics (personality, age, knowledge on child development)
Child characteristics (temperament, birth order, gender)
=> bidirectional (affect each other)
contextual factors (financial situation, school, religion, politics, support, autonomy in childbearing situation, stress)

Question 71

Synaptic Pruning

Answer 71

A very complex filing system being completely reviewed and tidied up, occurs during puberty, creates more differentiated, specialised brain

Question 72

Myelin Formation

Answer 72

A thickening of the myelin which allows messages to travel around the brain more quickly and efficiently, integrates the brain more efficiently

Question 73

Hormonal brain changes in puberty

Answer 73

more cortisol: worry, stress, anxiety
more varying serotonin: risk of low mood
increased dopamine: sensitivity to rewards, risk taking
melatonin: released later at night for adolescents than adults -> social jet lag

Question 74

De-idealisation

Answer 74

process of individuation, in which children gain more autonomy and start de idealise their parents