Developmental Psychology

Question 1

cross-sectional study

Answer 1

uses participants of different ages to compare how certain variables may change over life span; can produce quick results

Question 2

longitudinal study

Answer 2

research that takes period over long period of time; studies one group of participants steadily

Question 3

teratogens

Answer 3

chemicals or agents that cause harm if ingested or contracted by the mother during pregnancy

Question 4

placenta

Answer 4

filters out potentially harmful substances; yet teratogens pass through this barrier and affect fetus

Question 5

fetal alcohol syndrome

Answer 5

children of alcoholic mothers who drink during pregnancy; may result in malformed skills or mental retardation

Question 6

fetal alcohol effect

Answer 6

moderate drinking during pregnancy, and children may have specific developmental/behavioral problems or learning disabilities later in life

Question 7

rooting reflex

Answer 7

when touched on the cheek, a baby will turn their head to the side where they felt the touch and seek to put the object into their mouths

Question 8

sucking reflex

Answer 8

when object is placed into baby’s mouth, the infant will suck on it

Question 9

grasping reflex

Answer 9

if an object is placed into a baby’s palm or foot pad, the baby will try to grasp the object with their fingers or toes

Question 10

moro reflex

Answer 10

when startled, a baby will fling their limbs out and quickly retract them to make themselves as small as possible

Question 11

babinski reflex

Answer 11

when a baby’s foot is stroke, they will spread out their toes

Question 12

Who was Konrad Lorenz and what did he discover?

Answer 12

he established that infant animals (geese) imprint on individuals that they see during a critical time period. This proves that the early stages of baby’s environment is important for the relationship between parent and child. This is also called attachment.

Question 13

Who was Mary Ainsworth and what did she discover?

Answer 13

she researched the idea of attachment by placing infants into new situations. She recorded their actions and categorized them into three, broad categories

Question 14

secure attachment

Answer 14

(66% of babies) infants confidently explore new environment when parents are present, are distressed when they leave, and come back to the parents when they return

Question 15

avoidant attachment

Answer 15

(21% of babies) resist being held by parents and explore new environment and do not return parents for comfort

Question 16

anxious attachments

Answer 16

(12% of babies) show extreme stress when parents leave but resist being comforted by them when they return

Question 17

authoritarian parents

Answer 17

set strict standards for children’s behaviors and apply punishment for violations of these rules

Question 18

permissive parents

Answer 18

do not set clear guidelines for children or rules are constantly changing

Question 19

authoritative parents

Answer 19

have set, consistent standards for children’s behavior; but standards are reasonable and explained

Question 20

What is the difference between continuity and discontinuity?

Answer 20

People who grow continually grow at a steady rate; discontinuously is where there are periods of both rapid development and some of little change

Question 21

zone of proximal development

Answer 21

range of tasks child can preform independently and the tasks that child needs assistance with

Question 22

What are Freud’s psychosexual stages?

Answer 22

1. oral stage
2. anal stage
3. phallic stage
4. latency stage
5. genital stage

Question 23

fixation

Answer 23

remaining preoccupied with behaviors associated with stage; either an under or over supply

Question 24

oral stage

Answer 24

infants seek pleasure with their mouths. People who are fixated might overeat, smoke and in general have childlike dependence on things and people

Question 25

anal stage

Answer 25

infants learn toilet training and seek pleasure of excreting things. People who are fixated might be overly controlling or out of control.

Question 26

phallic stage

Answer 26

babies realize their gender and this causes conflicts in the family. Boys go through Oedipus complex, and girls go through Electra complex. People who are fixated could have later problems in relationship

Question 27

Oedipus complex

Answer 27

boys resent father’s relationship with mother

Question 28

Electra complex

Answer 28

girl’s resent mother’s relationship with father

Question 29

latency stage

Answer 29

children go through a period of calm up to puberty; involved in low psychosexual activity.

Question 30

genital stage

Answer 30

children enter this stage and remain it in for the rest of their lives. The focus of sexual pleasure is the genitals; people fixated is what Freud considers normal.

Question 31

What are the stages of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory?

Answer 31

1. trust versus mistrust
2. autonomy vs. shame and doubt
3. initiative vs. guilt
4. industry vs. inferiority
5. identity vs. role confusion
6. intimacy vs. isolation
7. generativity vs. stagnation
8. integrity vs. despair

Question 32

trust versus mistrust

Answer 32

babies’ first social experience of the world centers on fulfillment. They learn whether or not they can trust the world that the world and caregivers to provide their needs.

Question 33

autonomy vs. shame and doubt

Answer 33

toddlers exert will over their own body and controlling temper tantrums. If we learn to control ourselves and our environment in reasonable ways, we can develop a healthy will.

Question 34

initiative vs. guilt

Answer 34

children feel a natural curiosity of their surroundings and they want to understand the world. If those around us scold us for our curiosity, we might feel guilty about asking questions and avoid doing so in the future.

Question 35

industry vs. inferiority

Answer 35

beginning of formal education. We are asked to produce work that is evaluated and we expect to preform well. If we realize that we are behind our peers, we have an inferiority complex, making us feel anxious about our work.

Question 36

identity vs. role confusion

Answer 36

our main social task in adolescence is to discover what social identity we are most comfortable with. We try out different roles to discover which internal sense is the best fit. Before moving on, an adolescent should figure out their stable sense or else they will have an identity crisis later in life.

Question 37

intimacy vs. isolation

Answer 37

young adults figure out how to balance their ties and efforts between work and relationships. This will influence the effort spent on self and others in the future.

Question 38

generativity vs. stagnation

Answer 38

we are looking critically at our life path; to ensure that we create the type of life that we want for ourselves and family. If this is not the case, we try to change our identities.

Question 39

integrity vs. despair

Answer 39

at the end of our life, we look back at our accomplishments and see if we are satisfied. We feel serious regret and fall into despair if we lost opportunities in our earlier lives.

Question 40

assimilation

Answer 40

incorporating our experiences into existing schemata; if information does not fit we accommodate them.

Question 41

What are Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory?

Answer 41

1. sensorimotor stage
2. preoperational stage
3. concrete operational stage
4. formal operational stage

Question 42

sensorimotor stage

Answer 42

(birth to 2 years) babies start experiencing and exploring world strictly through their sense. We start to develop first cognitive schemata that explain the world we experience through our senses. Our challenge is object permanence.

Question 43

object permanence

Answer 43

realizing that even through sensory range, objects continue to exist when we can’t see them

Question 44

preoperational stage

Answer 44

(2 to 7 years) child starts to use symbols to represent real-world objects. This is the beginning of use of language. Children are egocentric in their thinking, as they cannot think from anyone’s perspective but their own.

Question 45

concrete operations stage

Answer 45

(8 to 12 years) children start to think more logically about complex relationships. We learn concepts of conservation, the realization that properties of objects remain the same even when their shapes are changed; for example, this includes volume, area and number.

Question 46

formal operations stage

Answer 46

(12 to adulthood) describes adult thinking as we learn abstract thinking. We also use hypothesis testing, forming a reason of hypothesis. We gain the ability to evaluate and trace our thought processes.

Question 47

information-processing model

Answer 47

points out that our abilities to memorize, interpret and perceive gradually develop as we age rather than in distinct stages.

Question 48

morality stages

Answer 48

1. preconventional
2. conventional
3. postconventional

Question 49

preconventional stage

Answer 49

youngest children focus on making decisions to avoid punishments

Question 50

conventional stage

Answer 50

children are able to move past personal gain or loss and look at moral choice through others’ eyes. They base choices so that they will be viewed as a “hero”.

Question 51

postconventional stage

Answer 51

examines the rights and values involved in the choice. We must weigh altruism or limiting certain rights for the good of the group.