Developmental psychology Flashcards
Giedd et al
Aim: To explore child and adolescent brain development
Procedure: MRI and neuropsychological testing.
161 participants (6-20) longitudinal study.
Results: White matter grows linearly.
- Grey matter grows and then reduces its size due to pruning.
- Grey matter has regional variation: frontal lobe peaks at 11.5. temporal lobe peaks at 16.5
Conclusion: The brain grows at different times and rates.
Chugani et al
Aim: Investigate the effects of early deprivation on brain development.
Procedure: PET scans used in 10 children (mean age 8.8)
- Adopted from Rumanian orphanages.
- Political situations bad: 20 hours unnattended children.
Parents described their children as having largely caught up with their peers but seemed to have some attention difficulties.
2 control groups:
1. 17 normal adults (mean age 27)
2. 7 epileptic children
Results: Compared to 17 adults and epileptic children, adopted children showed decreased glucose metabolism in some brain areas. –> connected to periods of stress.
Conclusion: Dysfunction of these brain areas could be due to environmental factors.
Piaget and Inhelder
Aim: To test egocentrism and theory of mind in children.
Procedure: 3 mountain study (3 dimmensional models).
- Child explored models.
- Researcher presented a doll. Positioned facing mountains.
- Child given pictures (one showing what they were seeing, another one showing what the doll was actually seeing and some others)
- Asked what the doll was seeing.
Results: 4 year olds pointed towards the picture they were seeing.
7/8 year olds picked the correct picture.
Conclusion: Children below 7 don’t have theory of mind and can’t understand logic.
Borke et al
Aim: To test egocentrism in children.
Procedure: Replicated Piaget and Inhelder’s study.
- Instead of a doll, they used a Sesame Street character.
- Avoided using pictures, instead, they had two white models.
1. Table for child to move around (turntable)
2. Table for child to look at.
- Children had to tell the researcher what the sesame street character saw.
Results: Children as young as 3 were able to use the turntable to match the characters POV.
Conclusion: Piaget and Inhelder’s study might have been biased due to the nature of the task which was too cognitively complex for children.
Nichols et al
Aim: Find out if children working in groups would learn more efficiently than if working alone.
Procedure: 90 highschool participants.
Group 1: Half semester traditional lecture, half semester cooperative learning.
Group 2: Half semester cooperative learning and half semester traditional learningn.
Group 3: Only traditional learning.
Results: Group 1 and 2 had higher motivation in their cooperative learning semester. Both group 1 and 2 had higher achievements and for froup 2, achievements decreased once it switched to traditional learning.
Conclusion: When working in groups, children increase their sensations, perceptions, memory and attention, therefore scaffolding. They also learn from interacting with one another.
