developmental psychology - full (assessment revision) Flashcards
What does the frontal lobe of the brain handle?
- cognitive abilities like planning and problem solving
- motor cortex- movement
What does the temporal lobe of the brain handle?
Auditory cortex- processing sound
What does the parietal lobe of the brain handle?
Processing sensory information like touch and pain
What does the occipital lobe of the brain handle?
Visual cortex- makes sense of images
What does the cerebellum of the brain handle?
Movement and balance
What is the cortex / what does it do?
Outer covering of the brain where cognitive functioning takes place- eg: speech and language
What is the thalamus / what does it do?
The thalamus is located in the centre of the brain and is a hub of information- it sends and receives signals.
EG- receives visual information from the eyes and sends it to the occipital lobe.
What is the cerebellum / what does it do?
The cerebellum is located at the top of the spinal cord and its roles include:
- balance / movement
- co-ordinating sensory and motor activity
- contributes to other functions like speaking, language and emotions.
What is the brain stem / what does it do?
The brainstem connects to the spinal cord and controls autonomic behaviors.
EG: heartbeat, digestion, breathing
It also carries motor / sensory information between the body and brain.
Define nature.
Traits, characteristics and behavior that are inherited / present from birth.
Define nurture.
Traits, characteristics and behavior resulting from environmental influences.
Give at least 3 examples of nature-related traits.
- genes
- hormones
- brain structure
- height (both)
- weight (both)
- IQ (both)
Give at least 3 examples of nurture-related traits.
- friendships
- culture
- socialisation
- height (both)
- weight (both)
- IQ (both)
What are dizygotic twins?
Twins that share 50% DNA (non-identical)
What are monozygotic twins?
Twins that share 100% DNA (identical)
Give 3 things that affect the development of a foetus / baby in the womb. (positive, negative or neutral)
How?
- smoking (nicotine slows down brain growth)
- german measles (causes brain damage and hearing loss)
- books read to the baby while in the womb (the baby responded better to a book read after birth that was also read during pregnancy)
Define cognitive development.
Changes that take place in a person’s thinking.
State the stages of cognitive development in order.
1) Sensorimotor (0-2)
2) Pre-operational (2-7)
3) Concrete operational (7-11)
4) Formal operational (11+)
State 1-2 key feature(s) of the sensorimotor stage.
- Children learn about the world through their senses and doing things.
- Children develop object permanence (main feature)
State the key feature of the pre-operational stage.
Egocentrism - being unable to see things from others’ perspectives.
State key features of the concrete operational stage.
- Less egocentric
- Reasoning skills that only apply to physical objects
- Children have developed conservation
State the key feature of the formal operational stage.
Children are capable of formal reasoning and systematic problem-solving.
Define schema.
A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing.
Define assimilation.
Using new information taken on board and adding it to an existing schema.