developmental psych Flashcards
nature vs. nurture
how does genetic inheritance (our nature) influence our behavior?
continuity vs. stages
is development a gradual, continuous process or a sequence of chunks (separate stages)?
stability vs. change
do our early personality traits persist through, life, or become different people as we age
zygote
a fertilized cell with 100 cells that become increasingly diverse
embryo
at about 14 days the zygote becomes
fetus
at about 9 weeks the embryo becomes
teratogen
chemicals or viruses that can enter the placenta and harm the developing fetus
- ex. alcohol (can cause fetal alcohol syndrome)
cross-sectional study
study different people across different age groups to note changes in development (study at the same time)
longitudinal study
study the same group of people as they develop and note changes
reflexes
- infants are born with them
- help with their survival
rooting reflex
baby turns head toward the source of touch
grasping reflex
babies are able to grasp things
habituation
babies tend to look at newer things longer
maturation
when you are biologically ready to do something
- ex. sitting up (motor development), walking, potty training, etc.
jean piaget
created the piaget’s stages of cognitive development
schema
molds that we pour our experiences into
assimilation
the process of incorporating new experiences into our current understanding or schema
accommodation
adjusting or modifying a schema
sensorimotor stage
- ages: birth - 2 years old
- exploring the world through senses (hearing, touch, taste, etc.)
- object permanence, stranger anxiety
preoperational stage
- ages: 2-6 or 7
- thinking with their “gut”
- pretend play, egocentrism, language
concrete operational stage
- ages: 7-11 years
- thinking logically
- conservation, mathematical transformations
formal operational stage
- ages: 12 - adulthood
- thinking abstractly
- abstract thinking, mature moral reasoning
object permanence
knowing an object exists, even if you can’t see it
stranger anxiety
fear of people they don’t know
egocentrism
inability to see from a new perspective
- ex. standing in front of a tv
conservation
physical properties stay the same even if appearance changes
logical thinking
basic thinking
abstract thinking
thinking outside the box ideas and solutions
contact comfort
factor of attachment
harlow’s monkey studies
- harlow worked with baby rhesus monkeys
- gave them wire mother with food
- gave them cloth mother without food
- baby monkey chose to spend time with cloth mother, proving contact comfort is a strong factor in attachment
mary ainsworth’s strange situation experiments
strange situation: parents with a child, leave, then come back…
- secure attachment: 66% - extreme stress, which parent leaves, run to mother when she returns, calms down with mother in the room
- insecure (avoidant): 21% - extreme stress when parent leaves, doesn’t want to be held when the mother returns. parents leave, cannot calm down once the mother returns
secure attachment
an attachment where a child feels comforted by the presence of their caregiver
insecure avoidant attachment
instead of craving intimacy, they’re so wary of closeness that they try to avoid emotional connection with others
self-concept
if there is red paint on their forehead, and they look in the mirror - they rub it off their forehead
- a sense of one’s own identity personal self-worth
permissive parenting
parents submit to children’s demand
authoritative parenting
parents are demanding but explain their rationale for the rules
authoritarian parenting
parents impose rules and expect obedience
adolescence
the life stage between childhood and adulthood
puberty
- adolescence starts with it
- usually occurs early in girls earlier than in boys
primary sexual characteristics
changes that occur during puberty that aid in reproduction
secondary sexual characteristics
changes that occur during puberty that DO NOT aid in reproduction (facial hair, deep voice, growth spurt)
lawrence kohlberg’s moral dilemma research
preconventional stage of morality
right and wrong are based on rewards and punishments
conventual stage of morality
right and wrong are based on authority
post-conventional stage of morality
people have their own moral code
carol gilligan
had a response to kohlberg’s 3 stages of moral reasoning
- kohlberg should have used both boys and girls, not just boys
- boys have an all-or-none view of morality, and girls pay attention to situational factors (girls may ask for more info. before making a call)
erik erikson
created the 8 stages of psycho-social development
trust vs. mistrust
stage: infancy
- parents caring for you (ex. feed you, care for you)
autonomy vs. shame or doubt
stage: toddlerhood
- doing things on their own
initiative vs. guilt
stage: preschooler
- develop their own favorite colors, movies, etc.
industry vs. inferiority
stage: elementary school
- adding pleasure to tasks
identity vs. role confusion
stage: adolescence
- refining a sense of self
intimacy vs. isolation
stage: young adulthood
- struggle to form close relationships
generativity vs. stagnation
stage: middle adulthood
- find ways to add value to life: career meaning to society, having kids
integrity vs. despair
stage: late adulthood
- reflecting on life
emerging adulthood
ages 18-25
- in between indolence and adulthood
dementia
loss of memory
alzheimer’s disease
leads to severe dementia
prospective memory
remember to do things certain things at certain times
- ex. work after school
fluid intelligence
refers to your ability to reason quickly - this deteriorates with age
crystalline/crystallized intelligence
accumulated knowledge and skills, this does not go away with old age
social clock
the social norm to do things
- ex. getting married
kubler-ross 5 stages of grief
- denial
- anger
- bargaining
- depression
- acceptance
