developmental psychology Flashcards
why is developmental psychology importat
need to know where the child is developmentally - so know how they will communicate and relate with you and you with them
think about how their social context supports or hinders developmental progress
how the developmental leap that they are about to take will influence illness
think about how we can recruit and engage parents/school etc (ie their system) in treatments `
describe the relationship between hereditory and environmental influence on development *
babies have genetic blueprint - programmed to work in a way but not automatic
many systems are ready, but others need human input - eacy baby customised to their surroundings
they are programmed to detect the patterns in env, but we need to input the information - the input changes the outputb
people born in different places have different cultural needs
nature sets course eg by gender, genetics, temprement and maturational stages
but nurture shapes the predertimined course via the environment, parenting, stimulus, and nutritionn
describe how a baby can recognise its mother *
through hearing, smell and taste
hearing - receptive hearing at 16wks, functional at 24 - as newborn babies are familier with and prefer mother’s voice
smell - learn quickly about the smells associated with their mother - smell own amniotic fluid, maternal breast odours and prefer smell to mother’s expressed milk to others - advantage for food and bonding
taste - a newborn senses savoury, sweet, sour, bitter (not salt until 4 months), have a love for sugar, like glutamate (savoury) which is found in breast milk
sight - poor vision initially best at periphery, babies have preference for watching their mother’s faces, have a preference for looking at faces and face-like stimuli, have preference for faces with open eyes and look longer at happy face stimuli
this is reciprical socialisation - babies are social and respond to these stimuli, be aware of who delivered them and expect partners
why is social reciprocal socailisation important *
babies are dependant so need to be noticed to survive - therefore they act to elicit stimuli
learning to relate is critical for future behaviour
describe reciprocal socialisation *
bidirectional between children and parents - via facial expression - requires connection, synchronisation and mutual recognition
if baby reinforces child - child will keep acting and continue to develop in this area - this is scaffolding
baby and mothers actions are influenced by the others
describe the still face experiment *
child plays with mother
when mother stops responding ie has a still face - baby responds with signs of distress - illustrates how parent involvement effects development
describe the effect of parents providing a supportive environment for development *
through scaffolding and reciprocal socialisation, provision of a stimulating and rich environment (physiologically and psychologically) give babies the resources to develop
if have depressed mum - adjust to low stimulation and get used to lack of positive feelings
if agitated mum - stay ovet-aroused and have a sense that feelings explode out of you without control, or switch off feelings completely
well managed - expect world responsive to feelings, bring intense states to normal levels, by being supported in this they learn how to do it themselves
an ‘internal working model’ is determined through this social process - baby develops thsi by coordinating systems with the people around him
what is attachment *
described by Bowlby
biological instinct that seeks proximetry to an attachment figure when threat is percieved or discomfort experienced
purpose of attachment *
sense of safety provides a secure base so they can explore env and so promote development while being protected
when does attachment start and how does it effect life *
begins before birth, mum might start socialising with baby - supported by reciprocal socialisation
the internal working model formed informs our expectations and behaviour in wider situations and through life
what is attachment mediated through *
mind-mindedness
describe mind-mindedness *
parents with mind-mindedness treat children as individuals with minds
respond as if children’s actions are meaningful - ie motivated by thoughts, feelings or intentions - ie trying to communicate
if parent communicates with them helps the child to understand other’s emotions and actions
describe the development of attachment over the 1st yr *
- Birth to 3M; baby prefers people to inanimate objects, indiscriminate proximity seeking eg clinging to carer
- 3-8M; smiles discriminately to main caregivers
- 8 – 12M; selectively approaches main caregivers, uses social referencing / familiar adults as “secure base” to explore new situations; shows fear of strangers and separation anxiety
- From 12M; the attachment behaviour can be measured reliably.
what was the strange situation test *
children were put in unusual env
testing how they respond to the temporary absence of their mother
look at how much they explore room on own and how the child responds to return of mum
how do securely attached children respond to the strange situation test *
explore room freely when mum present
may be distressed when she leaves and explores less
happy when she returns
if cries - approaches mum and holds her - comforted and then ready to explore
his mother is responsive so he knows he can rely on her when under stress
65% children
what are the 3 types of insecurely attached children *
avoidant insecure
resistant insecure
disorganised insecure
how did avoidant insecure children respond to strange situation *
doesnt explore muce
doenst show emotion when mum levaes
no preference for mother over stranger
when mum returns he avoids/ignores - doesnt get comfort from her
how do resistant insecure children respond to the strange situation *
didnt explore much on own
wary of strangers and distressed when mum leaves
when mum returns child is ambivilent - wants to return close proximetry but is angry - so may reject mother’s advances and not easily soothed
how do disorganised insecure children respond to strange situation *
exhibit a mix of avoident and resistant behaviours
confused and anxious
at risk of variety of behaviour and developmental problems
what does secure attachment promote *
independance
emotional availability
better moods
better emotional coping
how does secure attachment affect adolescent and adulthood 8
associated with:
- social competence
- loyal friendships
- more secure parenting
- greater leadersip qualities
- greater resistance to stress
- less mental health problems - depression and anxiety
- less psychopathy - pschizophrenia
- relate to social and romantic relationships
it is a protective factor
what is secure attachment associated with*
fewer behavioural problems - insecure is not a cause for poor attachment
higher IQ and academic performance
moral development
reduce child distress
what are the 2 prongues of secure attachment *
safe haven - protect and comfort, delight in and organise thoughts of child
secure base - support exploration - watch over child, delight in, help and enjoy - child feels like they can take risks
we are responsive to what child is communicating#
they know what to expect from their care giver - allow exploration and provides support and structure
what is the role of play in development *
positive learning effects on the brain and ability to learn
animals in enriched envs have bigger, smarter brains and more brain derived neurotrophic factor - essential for growth and maintenance of braincells
what are the benefits of play *
- Engage & interact with world
- Create & explore own world
- Experience mastery & control
- Practice decision-making, planning
- Practice adult roles
- Promotes language development
- Promotes creative problem solving
- Overcome fears
- Develop new competencies
- Learn how to work in group
- Develop own interests
- Extend positive emotions
- Maintain healthy activity level
what are the different types of play related to ages *
0-2 - solitary - play alone, limited interaction
2-2.5 - spectator - observe other children, wont play with
2.5-3 - parallel - alongside but not with others
3-4 - associate - start to interact with others, may be fleeting co-operation, develop friendships and preference of people, mixed-sex gps
4-6 - co-operative - shared aims of play as others, supportive of others, single sex gps
6+ competitive - winner
describe piaget’s theory of cognition *
proposed childrens thinking changes qualititively with age
an interaction of brain’s biological maturation and personal experiences cause development of schemas
schemas are organised patterns of thoughts and action - development happens as the schemas get more complex and we get new ones
leads to assimilation (add new experience to existing schemas), accomodation (difference made by process of assimilation), which leads to adaption (new experience cause change to existing schema)
describe piaget’s sensorimotor stage *
0-2
understand world through sensory experiences and motor interactions with objects
object perminance - idea object is present even when cant be seen
use words to represent actions, objects and needs
learning based on trial and error - not alwasy assimilated - eventually will be
describe piaget’s preopperational stage *
world is represented sympolically through mental images/words - no understanding of rules
rapid language development
understanding of past and future
no concept of principle of conservation - objects are the same even though look different
irrevesibility - cant mentally reverse things
animism - attributing lifelike qualities ot physical objects and natural events
egocentrism - difficulty viewing the world from someone else’s perspective
describe piaget’s concrete operational stage *
age 7-12
can perform basic mental operations concerning problems that involve tangible (concrete) objects and situations
understand reversibility
less egocentrism
solve conservation problems
trouble with hypothetical and abstract reasoning
describe adolescence *
transitional stage - psycologically and physically
from puberty - period of rapid maturation when a person becomes capable of sexual maturation - to adulthood
cognitive development and physical growth - can extend into early twenties
transition to formal operational stage - abstract thought emerges
think more about moral, philisophical, ethical, social and political issues that require theoretical and abstract reasoning
use deductive logic or reasoning from a general principle to specic information
describe the adaptive adolescent brain *
12-25yrs extensive brain remodelling (myenilisation, synaptic pruning)
create journey from secure world parents to fittikng into world created by peers
thrill/risk seeking
openess to new experiences
social rewards are strong
prefer own age company
less emotionally positive - level off and are more stable by end
storms and stress more likely
limits of piagent *
outcomes have been replicated worldwide
but possibility children act this way to please the adult
some say qn is repeated and weird as it is so obvious that the child thinks you want them to change the ans
when more naturalistic ways of asking qns were used - children performed better
describe the development of the children’s concept of death *
<5 dont think final, take euphamisms concretely, may think caused death because trying t figure out how they impact the world
- 10 develop idea of death as irreversible nad unavoidable, more empathetic to another’s loss, may be preoccupied by justice
- adolesence - long term consequences, think hypothetically, draw parallels and review inconsistencies
this is all dependant on experience eg pets deaths
