Developmental Psychology part 1

Question 1

What is developmental psychology?

Answer 1

The science of human development that seeks to understand how and why people change and remain the same over time.

Question 2

What are the 3 types of development in psychology?

Answer 2

1. Physical (neural)
2. Cognitive (intellectual)
3. Social (emotional)

Question 3

What are the 5 basic issues and methods in psychological development?

Answer 3

1. Nature and nurture
2. Sensitive and critical periods
3. Stability and change
4. Continuity and discontinuity
5. Normative versus non‐normative events

Question 4

Describe the idea behind nature and nurture.

Answer 4

A person’s development is determined by the interaction between their genetics (nature) and their environment (nurture).

More complex traits are influenced by environmental factors as well as genes (e.g., intelligence, personality).

Question 5

What is nature?

Answer 5

A person’s nature is their genetic makeup.

Question 6

What is nurture in developmental psychology?

Answer 6

A person’s environment (e.g., family, friends, school, work etc.).

Question 7

What effect does a person’s genetics (nature) have on their development?

Answer 7

A person’s genetics contributes strongly to some characteristics (e.g., physical size, appearance).

Heredity influences which developmental pathways a person will take (predisposition).

Question 8

What effect does a person’s environment (nurture) have on their development?

Answer 8

A person’s environment, combined with their genetics, influences their physical, cognitive, and social development.

Question 9

What are the 5 systems in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory?

Answer 9

1. Microsystem
2. Mesosystem
3. Exosystem
4. Macrosystem
5. Chronosystem

Question 10

What is the critical period issue in psych development?

Answer 10

The critical period concept suggests that the brain is set to acquire a function during a limited period of time.

If key experiences do not occur during a critical period, the function may not develop or may not be fully developed

Question 11

What is maturation?

Answer 11

Maturation refers to biologically based changes that follow an orderly sequence

Question 12

What is the stability and change issue in psych development?

Answer 12

Stability refers to strong consistencies over time in:
1. Intelligence
2. Personality
3. Social skills

Change can refer to the acquisition or loss of a behaviour or function.

Question 13

What are the 2 types of change?

Answer 13

1. Continuous: refers to a gradual alteration of behaviour
2. Discontinuous: refers to stages of growth that are qualitatively different and that are usually ordered in a fixed sequence.

Question 14

What is the difference between a normative and non‐normative event?

Answer 14

Normative events are age related events that most people experience at certain ages.

Non‐normative events are atypical or unexpected events (e.g., exposure to a disaster, loss of a parent) that potentially alters a person’s developmental trajectory.

Question 15

Name and describe 2 different developmental trajectories.

Answer 15

Quantitative differences: differences in the time to reach the stages of development. (e.g., Individuals with a developmental delay or intellectual disability usually go through same stages of development, but at a slower pace)

Qualitative differences: differences in the way people reach developmental stages. (e.g., Individuals with autism spectrum disorders develop social and emotional skills quite differently than their typically developing peers)

Question 16

What are the 3 research designs in developmental psychology?

Answer 16

1. Cross-sectional
2. Longitudinal
3. Sequential

Question 17

How is a cross-sectional study conducted?

Answer 17

The study uses participants from different age groups at one point in time to determine age-related differences.

Question 18

How is a longitudinal study conducted?

Answer 18

The study uses the same participants that are tested at various ages to determine age-related changes.

Question 19

How is a sequential study conducted?

Answer 19

Sequential studies examine different age groups at multiple time points to reduce cohort effects.

It is a combination of cross‐sectional and longitudinal designs.

Question 20

What are the first 5 periods of development?

Answer 20

1. Prenatal = conception to birth
2. Infancy and toddlerhood = birth to 2 years
3. Early childhood = 2-6 years
4. Middle childhood = 6-11 years
5. Adolescence = 11-18 years

Question 21

What is the overarching idea in Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Theory?

Answer 21

Children’s thinking changes qualitatively with age.

Question 22

What are the 4 stages to Piaget’s Stage Model?

Answer 22

1. Schemas
2. Assimilation
3. Accommodation
4. Disequilibrium

Question 23

What is a schema according to Piaget’s Stage Model?

Answer 23

A schema is an organised pattern of thought and action ‐ as we develop, we acquire new schemas and our existing schemas become more complex.

Question 24

What is assimilation according to Piaget’s Stage Model?

Answer 24

The process by which new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas.

Question 25

What is accommodation according to Piaget’s Stage Model?

Answer 25

The process by which new experiences cause existing schemas to change.

Question 26

What is disequilibrium according to Piaget’s Stage Model?

Answer 26

An imbalance between existing schemas and new experiences.

Question 27

Describe Piaget’s concept of constructivism.

Answer 27

Through engaging with the world and things in it, children come to construct schemas, or mental representations, that
help us understand how the world works.

Question 28

What is the main idea behind Vygotsky’s theory of development through social interaction?

Answer 28

Vygotsky believed learning from contact with others is crucial for psychological development: you learn ‘scripts’ for activities in the world to help you assimilate into society.