Developmental Psychology Flashcards
Use this deck to study methods of studying development, physical development, and theories of cognitive, moral, and social development. The AP Psych exam, along with most introductory undergrad psych exams, devote 7-9% of their multiple choice questions to the content in this deck.
The life-span perspective of developmental psychology defines it as what?
the study of changes in abilities, thoughts, and behaviors that occur as one ages
What are three key debates in the field of developmental psychology?
- nature vs. nurture
- continuity vs. discontinuity
- stability vs. change
Which pervasive debate in developmental psychology deals with the extent to which heredity and the environment each influence behavior?
nature vs. nurture debate
Stability vs. change, a controversy in developmental psychology, deals with what issue?
whether or not personality traits present during infancy endure throughout the lifespan
Which theorist is credited with successfully championing the view that development occurs across an entire lifetime?
Erik Erikson
What is the difference between life-span psychologists and child psychologists?
both study development, but child psychologists focus on the earlier portion of the life-span
What is defined as the typical sequence of developmental changes for a group of people?
normative development
What research method is most often used in normative development?
cross-sectional method
Describe the cross-sectional method.
this method compares groups of people of different ages on similar tasks
What is one shortcoming of the cross-sectional method?
data collected reveals little about the actual development of any single individual
Describe the longitudinal method.
involves following a small group of people over a long portion of their lives, assessing change at set intervals
What are two shortcomings of the longitudinal method?
- difficult to conduct due to attrition of participants
- expensive to conduct
What is a benefit of the longitudinal method?
the study of individuals over time rules out the differences between subjects that other studies include
Describe the cohort effect.
when there are differences in the experiences of each age group as a result of growing up in different historical times
In which study method are cross-sectional groups assessed at least two times over a span of months or years?
cohort-sequential studies
What is maturation?
biological readiness
Maturationists emphasize which of the following?
- conceptualizing different learning cues and incorporating them into future interactions
- genetically programmed growth and development of the body
- learning through various social interactions over the life-time
genetically programmed growth and development of the body
From the maturation perspective of development, what is the benefit of greater preprogrammed physiological development of the brain?
more complex conceptualization and reasoning
Locke proposed the idea of __________, which states that all development is the direct result of learning; the organism develops more complex behaviors and cognition because it acquires more associations.
tabula rasa
True or false:
Continuous development is gradual.
TRUE
One example of continuous development is social skill building.
One example of stage-oriented, or __________, learning is experiencing a growth spurt.
discontinuous
The time during which a skill or ability must develop is referred to as the __________.
critical period
What are the two divisions of culture in developmental psychology?
- collectivist
- indivualist
Which type of culture promotes personal needs above the needs of the society?
individualist
Western cultures are typically viewed as individualist cultures.
What do collectivist cultures emphasize?
the needs of society, which are placed before the needs of the individual
Many Asian cultures are considered collectivist cultures.
Stages are patterns of behavior that occur in a __________.
fixed sequence
How do the developmental stages of psychology work?
each stage has a unique set of cognitive structures (or sets of mental abilities) that build on the cognitive structures established in the previous stage
What are the three realms of development?
- physical
- cognitive
- social
When does physical development begin?
at conception
What are the three phases of gestation that the zygote experiences?
- germinal stage
- embryonic stage
- fetal stage
During which stage of gestation does the zygote experience rapid growth, movement, and sexual differentiation?
the fetal stage
Alcohol is one example of a __________, wherein exposure could lead to fetal alcohol syndrome.
teratogen
This condition, appearing in children whose mothers have consumed high levels of alcohol during pregnancy, is characterized by mental retardation, growth deficiency, and central nervous system damage.
fetal alcohol syndrome
What six reflexes is the neonate equipped with?
- sucking reflex
- palmar reflex
- Babinski reflex
- head-turning (rooting) reflex
- Moro reflex
- orienting reflex
When I put my finger in a neonate’s hand and she grabs it, this exemplifies which reflex?
palmar reflex
Although most of the infant reflexes disappear as the child matures, which reflex persists into adulthood?
orienting reflex
According to the Babinski reflex, what response will an infant have to being stroked on the bottom of the foot?
the toes will splay out
When a loud noise occurs, the infant’s limbs will splay out. This exemplifies which infantile reflex?
the Moro reflex
What is the head-turning, or rooting, reflex?
the response elicited by touching the baby’s cheek
Which reflex is triggered by placing something in the baby’s mouth?
the sucking reflex
Placing a drop of sugar water in an infant’s mouth will spur what response?
stereotyped ingestive response
The neural system is responsible for the perceptual and motor development. What is responsible for the development of the nervous system?
environmental interaction
__________ refers to the development of learning, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving.
Cognitive development
Jean Piaget’s developmental theory is based on what concept?
a child’s attempt to reach a balance between what he encounters in the environment and what cognitive structures he brings to the situation (equilibration)
What is one way through which children attempt to reach equilibration, according to Piaget’s theory?
assimilation
Assimilation involves incorporating new ideas into already-existing mental representations, or __________.
schemas
What process must a child undergo when faced with information that does not easily fit into an existing schema?
accommodation
True or false:
Piaget believed that the stages of development were flexible.
FALSE
Piaget believed that the stages occur in a fixed order, and that a child can only be in one stage at any given time.
What are Piaget’s stages of development?
- sensorimotor
- pre-operational
- concrete operational
- formal operational
Which three stages in Piaget’s theory of development are characterized by the child’s use of schemas?
- pre-operational
- concrete operational
- formal operational