developmental psychology Flashcards
what is developmental psychology?
the study of how and why biological, physical, cognitive, emotional and social abilities develop throughout childhood
what are some of the key debates in developmental psychology?
stability vs change. continuity vs discontinuity. nature vs nurture. critical vs sensitive periods
how long does myelination and synaptogenesis continue until after birth?
about 2 years
what is neural plasticity?
the ability of the brain to form and maintain synapses. this diminishes with age
what are teratogens?
substances which cause atypical development for the child if they are exposed to them in utero. have an adverse effect on development
what is foetal alcohol spectrum disorder? (FASD)
if a baby is exposed to alcohol in the womb, they can experience physical, mental and behavioural impairments
what are some cognitive and behavioural impairments of FASD?
infancy: longer reaction times. pre-schoolers: decreased attention, hyperactivity. childhood: learning problems, memory deficits. adulthood: impaired problem solving and higher rates of substance dependence
what are the four stages of Piaget’s development model?
sensorimotor (0-2 years), preoperational (2-6 years), concrete operational (7-12 years), formal operational (12 years- adult)
what is one key cognitive ability children do not grasp in the sensorimotor stage?
object permanence: the idea that things exist in the world, even when we cannot perceive them
what is the A-not-B error?
in the A-not-B error, infants display perseverative reaching usually until they are 10-12 months old. perseveration= when infants persist with a response, even when this response is no longer appropriate
when do infants begin to use mental imagery?
at the end of the sensorimotor stage (around 2 years), infants begin to use mental imagery. they begin to understand that objects exist independently of themselves and can exist in different locations
what is egocentrism and at what stage are children still displaying this trait?
egocentrism: an inability for children to see/understand things from another point of view. children still display this trait in the pre-operational stage (2-7 years)
what can children in the concrete operational stage (7-12 years) begin to do?
children can begin to solve problems and perform operations, provided those problems are concrete (tangible in some way)
what do children in the concrete operational stage (7-12 years) still struggle with?
children still struggle to understand hypothetical scenarios
what stage do children learn how to conduct experiments?
formal operational stage (beyond 12 years)
what is constructivism?
Piaget was a constructionist. constructionism- a child does not blindly absorb information from the world but actively constructs their understanding of the world
what are considered to be some issues with Piaget’s theory of development?
he did not consider all the influences that affect children’s learning. he tended to measure things in limited ways. the majority of the developments Piaget observed focused on the child by themselves
what theory of development did Vgotsky study?
Vgotsky was a social constructivist. social constructivism- children learn to construct knowledge through interactions with other people. learning is guided by communication and relationships with others
what is Vgotsky’s zone of proximal development? (ZPD)
ZPD- the difference between what a child can do by themselves and what they can achieve with adult supervision or with peers. emphasises the importance of other people in learning
what is social referencing?
when a child uses the emotional responses of others to guide their actions
what is ‘motionese’?
when interacting with a baby, caregivers will use something called motionese. motionese- a specific action style adopted by adults when interacting with infants, like motherese for language. motionese helps infants to process actions
what did Baillargeon et al (1985) find that 4-5 month olds looked longer at?
looked longer at impossible than possible events. suggests they had expectations about what was going to happen. Baillargeon et al. claim that expectations arise because children understood there contact principle at 4 months
what is the contact principle and at what age are infants believed to understand it?
contact principle: inanimate objects in motion act upon each other only when they contact. children believed to understand at 4 months
what is Theory of Mind?
refers to the ability to understand mental states of ourselves and of others
