Developmental Psychology Flashcards
What does how the baby progresses depend on
the interchange between the changing environment and the maturing organism
Consider the influences of heredity and environment in human development
Nature sets out their course via gender, genetics, temperament and maturational stages
Nurture shapes this predetermined course via the environment; parenting, stimulation and nutrition
What are babies able to recognise at delivery (40 weeks gestation)
recognise their mother as a memory of her has been built up in-utero via hearing, smell and taste.
Describe the hearing of a newborn
Babies can hear in the womb
Receptive hearing begins at 16/40 Functional hearing begins at 24/40
As a result, newborn babies are already familiar with their mothers’ voices when delivered. Prefer their mothers’ voices to the voices of other women when recorded voices were played back
Describe the smell of a newborn
Babies seem primed to learn very quickly about the smells associated with their mothers.
e.g. amniotic fluid, maternal breast milk
Describe the taste of a newborn
A newborn senses all of these tastes except one: salt they cannot taste this until about 4 months old
Describe the sight of a newborn
Preference to watch mothers’ faces
Preference for looking at faces and face-like stimuli (open eyes and happy face)
What is reciprocal socialisation
Children socialise parents just as parents socialise children
Bidirectional
What are the ways in which parents give babies the resources to thrive and develop
scaffolding
reciprocal socialisation
provision of a stimulating
enriching environment (both physiologically and psychologically)
What is the “internal working model” Bowlby (1969)
established through this social process; The baby doesn’t do this on his own but coordinates his systems with those of the people around him
What is the attachment theory
Bowlby
a biological instinct that seeks proximity to an attachment figure (carer) when threat is perceived or discomfort is experienced.
What is the role of the sense of safety in a child
The sense of safety the child experiences provides a secure base from which they can explore their environment thus promoting development through learning whilst being protected in the environment.
What is the name of a parental treat characterised by who treat their children as individuals with minds; they respond as if their children’s acts are meaningful—motivated by feelings, thoughts, or intentions (an attempt to communicate)
Mind-mindedness
Describe securely-attached children (+proportion)
65%
Free exploration and happiness upon mother’s return
Describe insecurely-attached children (+proportion)
Avoidant-insecure children: Little exploration and little emotional response to mother
