Developmental Psych Flashcards

Question

Early Adulthood (18-40yrs)

Answer 1

Psychical/Biological- Individuals reach their physical peak Physical functioning generally increases during 20s & peaks during the 30s Physical performance declines after 30s (muscle mass decreases & body fat increases often cause a change in body shape) Muscle looses tone and both women & men will begin to store fat in different areas Loss in visual acuity (ability to see clearly) due to the lens of the eye starting to lose elasticity Hearing may start to decline Cognitive- The final stage of Piaget’s theory encompassed adolescence & adulthood Piaget suggested an adolescent continues to apply most of the same principles of the formal operational stage in adulthood (use abstract principles & develop their ability to think in the terms of hypothetical possibilities) Some suggests the reason their cognitive development advances because they face more of the realities of the world Make them more aware of diverse opinions & can appreciate the perspective of others Generally become better at planning & problem solving & are more systematic in their thinking processes (Keating, 1990) Social- Career & life after school becomes the focal point of their life A time of greater responsibility & independence (in many cultures) Often elected to support themselves finically Relationships with other matures Emotional- Seeking more intimate relationships Depression is a major concern for individuals in their 20s to mid 30s Characteristics- Physically peak and beginning of the decline at the end of the stage Continues to Piaget’s fourth stage: formal operations Independent and social relationships

Answer 2

Psychical/Biological- Sensory Functions: Decline in sensory function Senses most likely to decline: visual and auditory senses Lenses in the eyes become less elastic, difficult to focus on objects at varying distances Auditory system, sensitivity to higher pitches declining first Body shape: Continues to change Further decrease in muscle mass Decrease in strength and tone of body Gradual changes occur in skin and hair More line forming on face, neck Thinning or greying of hair Menopause for females: Represent first encounter with growing old Average age 51 Monthly menstruation ends, women can no longer bear children -level of oestrogen drops, resulting in changes in mood and/ or appearance -hot flushes or nightly sweats Cognitive- Certain cognitive skills remain stable, capable of complex thinking and problem solving Changes in memory function: long term memory more likely to decline then short term Methods of retrieval: ability to recall information decline ``` Social- Middle aged males and females may go through: Marital discord Divorce Career Difficulties Unemployment ``` ``` Emotional- Psychologist Carl Ryff (1995) believes wellbeing during adulthood consists of 6 elements: Self acceptance Positive relations with others Autonomy (personal freedom) Environmental mastery A purpose in life Continual personal growth ``` Characteristics- Declining vigour, strength and youthfulness make it clear that more then half their years are gone At the same time greater stability comes from letting go of the “impossible dream” Increased attempt to be satisfied with the direction one’s life has taken Accept that hope-for life goals may no longer be possible

Answer 3

Psychical/Biological- Wrinkles appear Skin becomes less elastic and thin Small blood vessels break beneath the surface of the skin and age spots form on the body hair thins and turns grey Gradual decline in muscular strength and flexibility Cognitive- Remain stable if mind is kept active Intelligence test scores show very little decline Social- Friendship among elderly is especially important, this who are married in old age reported to be more happy then those who were single (Lee 1978) Emotional- Emotional development stays stable if kept active and surrounded by family and friends

Answer 4

Play permits the expression of developing motor skills, uninhibited by rules and tother constraints characteristics of organised activities. Includes things like runny, jumping, swinging arms, riding a bike etc. These activities enable the practice of skills.

Answer 5

Organised sport offers the opportunity for children to receive instruction and coaching to develop their skills. Tremayne and Tremayne (2004) remind us that there are other factors that influence the development and general improvement in motor skills. Includes your natural ability or talent inherited from parents, a ‘readiness to learn’, the opportunity to practice, encouragement and support from others (family), positive feedback, motivation (from oneself and others), enjoyment and a sense of competence. Correct training and coaching is important for acquiring, refining and maintaining the relevant skills in sport. Teachers and coaches must be capable of recognising the difficulty of the task (serving a ball) and the skills to learn and organise the instructions accordingly (Tremayne and Tremayne (2004). Pre-school: provides development for perceptual and motor skills using scissors for cutting, crayons or textures for colouring, models using clay, paint brushes for painting, learning musical instruments. Variety in opportunity, activities and resources means that young children are exposed to many shapes, textures and instruments- explore the world and refund hand eye coordination and expand their knowledge of the world. Structured like above, are challenging for children, are important for cognitive development (Sylva, Roy and Painter, 1980). Play also regarded as a source of novels and creativity allowing children to display complex behaviours, reasoning and flexibility in thinking. Balance between structural and unstructured activities maximises opportunities for cognitive language and social development in children. Piaget also studied the role of play in the development for children’s intelligence (Piaget 1951). Piaget's play offered the opportunity for children to master and practice skills at different stages of development.

Answer 6

Mastery Play Symbolic or Make-Believe Play Play with Rules

Answer 7

Play that involves enjoyment of movements for their own sake. The child learn to master and coordinate motor skills. The plat is mainly repetitive and exhortatory.

Answer 8

Children begin to make use of symbols in play, to learn language and to engage in pretend play whereby they transform themselves into something or someone else.

Answer 9

As children’s thinking becomes more logical, around the age of 7yrs, games start to incorporate rules. To start with these made up rules, but later children incorporate standard rules into their play that are laid down for all players. Peers are considered to be a major agent for socialisation. Peers of equal status; much less likely to be directive or controlling. Opportunities to try out new ideas, behaviours and roles and develop new skills.

Answer 10

1) Solitary Play 2) Onlooker Play 3) Parallel Play 4) Associative Play 5) Cooperative Play

Answer 11

The child plays alone and seems uninterested in the activities of other children who may be playing nearby.

Answer 12

The child watches other children’s play with apparent interest but doesn't join in.

Answer 13

The child plays alongside other children with similar toys and in similar ways and may mimic other children, but doesn’t interact.

Answer 14

This involves social interaction that has little organisation. The children seem interested in each other, but there is little planning in the activities they undertake together.

Answer 15

Involves children interacting in a grip that has a sense of identity and purpose. Roles may be identified ‘I’ll be the doctor and you be the nurse’ and rules may be set. Parton found in pre-school years there was an increase in association and cooperative play and decrease in solitary and parallel play. Young children show greater awareness of other children and talk to others as they develop their roles in play activities. Provides basis for later social skills thought to adulthood.

Answer 16

When trying to explain development, it is important to consider the relative contribution of both nature and nurture. • Nature refers to the process of biological maturation inheritance and maturation. • Nurture refers to the impact of the environment, which involves the process of learning through experiences.

Answer 17

Genetics, hereditary factors

Answer 18

Environmental factors To eliminate nurture researchers have used twins who have been adopted by different families

Answer 19

There’s a massive debate between nature or nurture on general intelligence Genetic theorists downplay the impact of special educational programs successfully used with the underprivileged (Weiten, 2008) They believe that intelligence cannot be improved significantly because of the genetic background that we all have Gallen believed that intelligence ran in families A view supported by Lewis Terman, creator of the Standford- Binet test. Intelligence does seem to run in families, but families typically share both genes with the environment Twin adoption studies help study this concept, with their IQ results (together and apart)

Answer 20

Identical twins | Develop from the same egg and so have identical genes and therefore features at every level

Answer 21

Non-identical twins | Develop from separate eggs and therefore are no more alike than siblings

Answer 22

When Monozygotic and Dizygotic twins are compared. They share the same environmental conditions so if the intelligence of the identical twins is closer, then it must be due to genetic factors. McGue and associates (1993) reviews over 100 studies of intellectual similarity for different types of relationships and living conditions

Answer 23

Figure 12.22 is the IQ similarity of people of various relationships Higher correlation show greater similarity Results show that greater genetic similarity is associated with greater IQ similarity, as is living together (environment) Identical twins reared together with a correlation of 0.9 indicates that identical twins share the same intelligence with each other and it is genetic

Answer 24

Adoption studies Environmental Influence Environmental Deprivation and Enrichment Interaction Between Hereditary and Environment

Answer 25

if adopted children resemble their biological parents IQ level then it’s genetic

Answer 26

if the child resembles the same intelligence as their adoptive parents, then it suggests that intelligence is environmental

Answer 27

when children are raised in poverty and isolation etc IQ is linked to the environment

Answer 28

reaction range: genetically determined IQ limits

Answer 29

James Flynn gathered data from over 20 nations and has demonstrated that IQ performance has risen in the Western world since the 1930s by about 3 IQ points every 10 yrs. Supports environmental factors