Developmental Psychology Flashcards
Developmental Psychology
Describes and explain changes in human behavior over time
British Empiricist School of Thought
Believe that all knowledge is gained through experience
Tabula Rasa
Child’s mind at birth is considered a blank slate ; without predetermined tendencies
Functionalist System of Thought
Studies how the mind functions to help the individual adapt to the environment
Psychodynamic Orientation
Stressed the roles of subconscious conflicts in the development of functioning and personality
Cognitive Structuralists
Emphasize the thinking ability of people during development
Cross-Sectional Studies
Compare groups of subjects at different ages
Longitudinal Studies
Compare specific groups of people over an extended period of time
Sequential Cohort Studies
Several groups of different ages are studied over several years
Case Study (Clinical Method)
Look at facts about a particular person and their environment in order to gain a better perspective
Nature / Nurture Controversy
Nature - human capabilities are innate (present at birth) and differences are largely due to genetics
Nurture - human capabilities are determined by the environment and shaped by experience
**Capabilities are actually a result of a dynamic interaction between nature and nurture
Family Studies
Studying one family to determine degree of genetic influence
Monozygotic Twin Studies
Twins are genetically identical (sharing 100% of their genes)
Dizygotic Twin Studies
Twins are genetically similar - share approximately 50% of their genes
Adoption Studies
Compare the similarities between the biological parents and the adopted child to similarities between the adoptive parents and the adopted child
Down’s Syndrome
Genetic anomaly where an individual has an extra 21st chromosome - results in varying levels of mental retardation
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
Degenerative disease of the nervous system - the enzyme needed to digest phenylalanine (found in milk and other foods) is lacking
Klinefelter’s Syndrome
In males - a possession of an extra X chromosome
They have an XXY configuration - they are often steril and have mental retardation
Turner’s Syndrome
Females with only one X chromosome - they fail to develop secondary sex characteristics and have physical abnormalities
Zygote
The sperm cells fertilizes the egg cell and forms a single cell
Germinal Period
Prenatal stage lasting two weeks after time of conception where the fertilized egg travels down the Fallopian tube and is implanted into the uterine wall
Embryonic Period
The 8 weeks following the Germinal Period - embryo increases in size (2 million %); begins to look human and first movements will occur
Fetal Period
Begins in the third month - fetus’ brain has measurable electrical activity & the baby grows in size
Prenatal Development Stages (in order)
- Zygote
- Germinal Period
- Embryonic Period
- Fetal Period