Developmental Psychology (Unit 4) Flashcards
What is developmental psychology?
The study of how people grow and change throughout their lifespan, examining the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes that occur across different stages of life.
What is a cross-sectional study?
A research design in which subjects of different ages are compared at the same time,
What is a longitudinal study?
A research design where researchers repeatedly observe and collect data from a group over a long period of time.
Who is Jean Piaget?
A psychologist known for his Theory of Cognitive Development
Piaget’s work focuses on how children develop cognitive abilities through distinct stages.
What are schemas?
Cognitive frameworks that allow a person to interpret/organize information based on past experiences
Define assimilation in cognitive development.
The cognitive process of incorporating new information into existing mental schemas
Define accommodation in cognitive development.
The cognitive process of modifying existing mental frameworks to accommodate new information
What is the sensorimotor stage?
The first stage of child development where infants primarily learn about the world through their senses and motor actions (0-2 years)
What is object permanence?
The understanding that an object continues to exist even when it is not visible (key milestone for development, typically surfaces during the sensorimotor stage)
What is theory of mind?
The ability to understand that other people have their own thoughts, beliefs, and emotions
preoperational stage + markers
the second stage of child development
- symbolic thinking
- struggle with logical reasoning
- egocentrism
conservation
a child’s ability to understand that the volume/amount of a substance doesn’t change when the appearance changes
egocentrism
a child’s inability to understand that the world does not revolve around them
concrete operational stage
child development stage when a child is able to demonstrate logical thinking and understand concrete things/events
formal operational stage
final stage of cognitive development - “adult thinking”
scaffold
temporary guidance provided to a child to help them learn a skill
zone of proximal development
the gap between what a child can do unsupported versus with support
ecological systems theory
a framework that explains how a person’s development is influenced by their environment
stranger anxiety
a developmental marker in which a toddler becomes scared of everyone but their parents
attachment
an emotional tie between two people, specifically with a caregiver
critical period
a specific window of time during child development in which specific skills must be learned in order to develop properly
harry harlow
a psychologist who’s unethical experiments aided greatly with our understanding of attachment
strange situation
an experimental procedure designed to test the quality of attachment between a child and caregiver
secure attachment
a healthy attachment style where a child feels confident that their caregiver will be responsive to their needs
