Developmental psychology/ coping with illness and disability Flashcards
Nature vs nurture
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 is temperament
innate aspects of individual’s
personality, such as introversion/extroversion
What is reciprocal socialisation
socialisation is bidirectional
therefore children socialise parents just as parents socialise children
What are the two types of attachment
Secure - free exploration and happiness on mother’s
return
Insecure - little exploration and little emotional response to mother
What is the ainsworth strange situation test
Assessment of attachment
- It tests how babies or young children respond to the temporary
absence of their mothers – researchers are interested in two things:
1. How much the child explores the room on its own
2. How the child responds to the return of his mothe
What is piaget’s model of cognitive development
- Sensorimotor Stage (infants – 2 yrs) - Infants understand the world primarily through sensory
experiences and physical (motor) interactions with objects - Preoperational Stage (2-7 yrs) - World is represented symbolically through words and mental
images; no understanding of basic mental operations or rules - Concrete Operational Stage (7-12 yrs) - Children can perform basic mental operations concerning
problems that involve tangible (concrete) objects and situations
What is the transactional definition of stress
stress is a condition that results when the
person/environment transactions lead the individual to perceive a
discrepancy between the demands of the situation and the coping resources available
What is the application of the transactional definition of stress
can be applied to hospitalisation for medical/surgical procedure.
For the patients, there are mental demands of the threat to wellbeing from hospitalisation (including the severity, pain etc) and there may be limited coping resources as there is little they can do.
What is the dual process hypothesis
proposes that procedural and sensory information work in different ways. Procedural info allows patients to match ongoing events with expectations in a non-emotional manner whereas sensory info works by “mapping” a non-threatening interpretation onto these expectations
What is the effect of percieved control of distress
An increased perceived control decreases distress
What is problem focused coping
efforts directed at changing the environment in some way or changing one’s own actions or attitudes
Eg - seeking health info
What is emotional focused coping
efforts designed to manage the stress-related emotional responses in order to maintain one’s own morale and allow one to function
eg - meditation
Give 3 strategies for helping children cope with treatment
- Tell - using simple language and matter-of-fact style, the child is toldwhat is going to happen before each procedure
- Show - the procedure is demonstrated using an inanimate object, a member of staff or the dentist himself/herself
- Do - procedure does not begin until child understands what is to be done
What is the auerbach study
Amount of Information and Distress
Study on the effect of information given vs individual desire for
information
Patients undergoing a dental extraction are given either general
information or specific information regarding the procedure
Patients with a high desire for information experienced less
distress when given specific information
Patients with a low desire for information experienced less
distress when given general information
What is the langer and rodin study
Study on the effect of perceived control on health (nursing home study)
There were 2 floors in a nursing home
The residents on one floor were given more choice and
independence than the other
The floor given more choice reported greater engagement in activities, had a better general wellbeing and lower 18 month mortality rate
