Developmental Psychology Flashcards
cross-sectional study
uses participants of different ages to compare how certain variables may change over life span; can produce quick results
longitudinal study
research that takes period over long period of time; studies one group of participants steadily
teratogens
chemicals or agents that cause harm if ingested or contracted by the mother during pregnancy
placenta
filters out potentially harmful substances; yet teratogens pass through this barrier and affect fetus
fetal alcohol syndrome
children of alcoholic mothers who drink during pregnancy; may result in malformed skills or mental retardation
fetal alcohol effect
moderate drinking during pregnancy, and children may have specific developmental/behavioral problems or learning disabilities later in life
rooting reflex
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
sucking reflex
when object is placed into baby’s mouth, the infant will suck on it
grasping reflex
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
moro reflex
when startled, a baby will fling their limbs out and quickly retract them to make themselves as small as possible
babinski reflex
when a baby’s foot is stroke, they will spread out their toes
Who was Konrad Lorenz and what did he discover?
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.
Who was Mary Ainsworth and what did she discover?
she researched the idea of attachment by placing infants into new situations. She recorded their actions and categorized them into three, broad categories
secure attachment
(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
avoidant attachment
(21% of babies) resist being held by parents and explore new environment and do not return parents for comfort
anxious attachments
(12% of babies) show extreme stress when parents leave but resist being comforted by them when they return
authoritarian parents
set strict standards for children’s behaviors and apply punishment for violations of these rules
permissive parents
do not set clear guidelines for children or rules are constantly changing
authoritative parents
have set, consistent standards for children’s behavior; but standards are reasonable and explained
What is the difference between continuity and discontinuity?
People who grow continually grow at a steady rate; discontinuously is where there are periods of both rapid development and some of little change
zone of proximal development
range of tasks child can preform independently and the tasks that child needs assistance with
What are Freud’s psychosexual stages?
- oral stage
- anal stage
- phallic stage
- latency stage
- genital stage
fixation
remaining preoccupied with behaviors associated with stage; either an under or over supply
oral stage
infants seek pleasure with their mouths. People who are fixated might overeat, smoke and in general have childlike dependence on things and people
anal stage
infants learn toilet training and seek pleasure of excreting things. People who are fixated might be overly controlling or out of control.
phallic stage
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
Oedipus complex
boys resent father’s relationship with mother
Electra complex
girl’s resent mother’s relationship with father
latency stage
children go through a period of calm up to puberty; involved in low psychosexual activity.
genital stage
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.
What are the stages of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory?
- trust versus mistrust
- autonomy vs. shame and doubt
- initiative vs. guilt
- industry vs. inferiority
- identity vs. role confusion
- intimacy vs. isolation
- generativity vs. stagnation
- integrity vs. despair
trust versus mistrust
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.
autonomy vs. shame and doubt
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.
initiative vs. guilt
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.
industry vs. inferiority
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.
identity vs. role confusion
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.
intimacy vs. isolation
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.
generativity vs. stagnation
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.
integrity vs. despair
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.
assimilation
incorporating our experiences into existing schemata; if information does not fit we accommodate them.
What are Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory?
- sensorimotor stage
- preoperational stage
- concrete operational stage
- formal operational stage
sensorimotor stage
(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.
object permanence
realizing that even through sensory range, objects continue to exist when we can’t see them
preoperational stage
(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.
concrete operations stage
(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.
formal operations stage
(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.
information-processing model
points out that our abilities to memorize, interpret and perceive gradually develop as we age rather than in distinct stages.
morality stages
- preconventional
- conventional
- postconventional
preconventional stage
youngest children focus on making decisions to avoid punishments
conventional stage
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”.
postconventional stage
examines the rights and values involved in the choice. We must weigh altruism or limiting certain rights for the good of the group.
