Developmental Psych Flashcards
What is Developmental Psychology
Developmental psychology is the study of change over time
– in physiology, cognition, emotion, and social behavior
Case study: Genie significance
The consequences of extreme social isolation on language development
Genie was a feral child, grew up with little to no contact with people
Critical period
if a function does not develop during an age bracket, it
will be very hard to develop later in life
• For language, it’s between the ages of 5 and puberty
Developmental Progression (5 stages)
•Prenatal period: conception → birth
• Infancy: birth → 18-24 months
• Childhood: end of infancy → onset of puberty
• Adolescence: end of childhood → 18-21 years
• Adulthood: end of adolescence → death
Periods of Prenatal Development
•
•Zygote: conception → 2 weeks
• Embryo: 2 weeks → 2 months
• Fetus: 2 months → birth
I
Teratogens
agents from the environment that may cause harm in a
growing human organism.
Sources of tetrogens
Sources – nature, industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, disease,
behavio
What is the most sensitive period of prenatal development
Embroyonic development: the period when the main body plan is being formed
Are tetrogonic effects always the same?
No! It varies based on individual differences (interactions between genes and the environment)
Sleeper effects
Effects of teratogens that show up later in life, sometimes make
identification of teratogens difficult
Synaptic pruning
process whereby the synaptic connections
in the brain that are used are preserved, and those that are not
used are lost.
What influences the development of the Brain
Development of the brain is shaped through its experiences
with environment
• Diminished vs. enriched environments can change the extent of
brain development
Newborn basic motor skills
Newborns have various basic reflexes that aid survival:
e.g., grasping, rooting, sucking reflexes
• Dynamic systems theory
Development is a
self-organizing process; new forms of
behavior emerge through consistent
interactions between biological beings and
their cultural and environmental contexts
How do infants learn
Imitation
(first social interaction)
Perception
• Taste, smell, hearing are well-developed
• Vision increases in acuity over the first year
• Preference for contrast
Attachment
The close and enduring bond between children and
their parents or other primary caregivers
3 types of attachement
Secure (considered the healthiest): Infant prefers parent over a stranger
• Avoidant: Infant is unresponsive to presence or absence of parent
• Resistant: Infant disturbed by parent’s absence, difficult to comfort after
What is a type of attachement in other species
Imprinting - a sensitive (i.e., critical) period during which
young animals become strongly attached to a nearby ad
Harry Harlow
Harlow’s monkeys and their “mothers”:
The findings established the importance
of contact comfort — physical touch and
reassurance — over feeding in aiding
social development
1
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development/STAGE THEORY/SCHEMA
Stage theory – each stage reflects different ways of thinking about the world
• Schema – ways of thinking about the world based on personal experience
Assimilation vs Accommodation
• Assimilation - People translate incoming information into a form they can
understand – their existing view of the world
• Accommodation - People adapt current knowledge structures or make
new ones in response to new experience – they modify their view of the
world
Adolescence
The onset of puberty marks the beginning of adolescence
• Puberty – process leading to sexual maturity and the ability to reproduce
• Timing varies, depending on biological and environmental influences
Adolescent Risk Taking
The adolescent brain undergoes a phase of reorganization
• The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) of the brain is not fully
developed until the early 20s, so adolescents have a
difficult time thinking critically about the consequences of
their actions or planning
• The limbic system (driven mostly by emotions and urges)
matures more quickly than the prefrontal cortex
• This disconnect results in teenagers being more likely to act
on their impulses
When does identity develop
adolescent. They develop and learn more about the world, they start
creating a sense of identity
