Developmental psychology and Death, dying and bereavement

Question 1

What are the 4 attachment types

Answer 1

Secure attachment
- Free exploration and happiness on mothers return
- Children show distress when caregiver leaves
- Feel protected by their caregivers
Insecure avoidant
- Little exploration and emotional response to mother
Insecure ambivalent
- Explore little and often wary of strangers even when caregiver is present
Disorganised attachment
- Lack of coherent style/pattern for coping
- Momentary breakdown of usual organised attachment strategies

Question 2

What study was used to assess the attachment of babies

Answer 2

Ainsworth’s strange situation test
Researchers left baby with mother and then added a stranger
Mother then left and left stranger with baby and then baby was left alone
Mother came back and then so did the stranger
Investigators looked at :
- How much the child explores the room on its own
- How the child responds to return of the mother

Question 3

Describe the sensorimotor and pre-operational stages of Piaget’s model of cognitive development

Answer 3

Sensorimotor (0-2 years)
- Understand the world through sensory experiences and motor interactions with objects
- Gradual increased use of words to represent objects, needs or actions
- Learning is based on trial and error
Pre-operational (2-7 years)
- Start to use internal representations of the external world to problem solve
- Inability to take other peoples perspectives into account and only focus on one dimension at a time
- Child is egocentric and uses animism (gives consciousness to every object)

Question 4

Describe the concrete operational and formal operations stages of Piaget’s model of cognitive development

Answer 4

Concrete operational (7-11) years
- Can perform basic mental operations concerning problems that involve tangible (“concrete”) objects and situations
- Understand concept of reversibility and display less egocentrism
- Can solve conversation problems but trouble with abstract reasoning (hypotheticals)
Formal operations (11+ years)
- Theoretical/hypothetical/counterfactual thinking
- Abstract logic and reasoning are easier to understand
- Strategy and planning become possible
- Concepts learned in one context can be applied to another

Question 5

What are Kubler Ross’ stages of adjustment

Answer 5

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

Question 6

What were the 5 myths of coping with loss discussed by Wortman and Silver

Answer 6

Distress/depression is inevitable
Distress in necessary, and failure to experience it is indicative of pathology
The importance of “working through” the loss
Expectations of recovery
Reaching a state of resolution

Question 7

What are Leventhals 5 dimensions of illness representation

Answer 7

Identity : “I have a cold, sore throat and runny nose”
Cause : “My cold was caused by me being run down”
Consequences : “My cold will prevent me from going to lectures”
Timeline : “It will be gone by next week”
Controllability/curability : “If I rest my cold will go more quickly”