Deverlopmental Psychology Flashcards
What does developmental psychology examine?
Changes in physical, biological, psychological & behavioural processes as we age
What are the critical & sensitive periods?
Critical period = age where experiences must occur
Sensitive period = optimal age range
What is Visual Mapping Change?
- No change (constant)
- Continuous (gradual changes)
- Stages (discontinuous changes)
- Inverted U-shape
- U-shape function
What is inverted U-shape?
Emerges early - peaks
- diminishes with age
What is U-shape function?
Emerges early - disappears
- re-emerges
What are Research Designs?
Longitudinal, Cross-sectional, Sequential (Cohort - sequential)
What is longitudinal research design?
Test some cohort at different times
What is Cross-sectional research?
Compare different ages at some time
What is sequential research?
Test several cohorts as they age,
Pros and cons of both longitudinal and cross-sectional
What are longitudinal pros and cons?
- Some people (reduces variability across samples)
- Red conclusions about development
- Time-consuming
- People drop out
- Generalizability
What are the pros of Cross-sectional?
Data from many age groups (fast)
What are the cons of cross-sectional research?
- Cohort effects
- Different experiences, cultural changes, environmental changes (e.g. iPod, cloud, ChatGPT)
What is genotype?
- Actual genetic ‘instructions’
- ‘Blueprint’
What is phenotype?
- Expressed
- Observable, visible
What are the 3 stages of Prenatal Development?
- Gestalt stage
- Embryonic stage
- Fetal stage
What is gestalt stage?
(2 weeks)
- zygote (about 1 week)
- blastocyst attaches to uterine wall (placenta)
What is embryonic stage?
- 2nd-8th week
- placenta & umbilical cord develop - basic systems
What is fetal stage?
- begins at 9th week
- refinement, growth
- brain development
What environmental influences negatively impact prenatal development?
Teratogens
Maternal malnutrition
Maternal stress (stress hormones)
How do teratogens negatively impact prenatal development?
Environmental agents that may cause abnormal development
How does maternal malnutrition negatively impact prenatal development?
Miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, impaired brain development
How does maternal stress negatively impact prenatal development?
Premature birth, infant irritability, attentional deficits
What can newborns do?
- can discriminate different speech sounds
- can acquire classically conditioned responses
- can do simple observational learning (initiate adult facial expressions)
How do the reflexes of motor development work?
Innate behaviours
- startle (moro)
- babinski (foot)
- blink
Disappear (some stay - some signal trouble)
How do most skills follow stage-like sequences of motor development?
- Age of acquiring skill varies
- Sequence does not
- Some have U-shaped function (stepping reflex)
What is Cognitive Development?
Children are not ‘adults in miniature’
- thinking changes ‘qualitatively’
- natural-born “scientists”
- actively explore & seek to understand their world
What are schemas?
Modified to create equilibrium between environment & understanding
What are the stages of Piaget’s stage model?
Sensorimotor Stage
Preoperational Stage
Concrete Operational Stage
Formal Operational Stage
What is sensorimotor stage?
- from birth to 2 years
- understand world through sensory experiences/physical interactions with objects
- begin to acquire language
What is object permanence?
- Understanding objects continue to exist even when they can no longer be seen
- Mental/cognitive representations (about 8 months)
What is preoperational stage?
- ages 2-7
- world represented symbolically through words and mental images
- symbolic thinking enable pretend play
- child doesn’t understand conversation
- thinking displays irreversibility (appearance/reality), centration, animism, egocentrism
What is concrete operational stage?
- ages 7-12
- easily perform basic mental operations involving tangible (concrete) problems and situations
- often have difficulty with abstract reasoning
What is the formal operational stage?
- develops around 11 or 12
- can think logically about concrete & abstract problems
- able to form & test hypotheses
What are Information-Processing Approaches?
- development is continuous and gradual
- not stage-like
- cognitive growth occurs as information processing abilities gradually become more efficient
How do children process information as they age?
- information - search strategies improve
- information - processing speed quickens
- memory capabilities improve
- metacognition develops
What is the theory of mind for cognitive development?
- beliefs about how the mind works & what others are thinking
- lying, deception provide evidence for theory of mind
- rudimentary understanding develops around 3 to 4
What is temperament of emotional and social development?
- biologically based style of behaviour & emotional reactions
- can be relatively stable but predictions are difficult
What is attachment?
Strong emotional bond between children & primary caregivers
How does Harlow explain attachment?
Contact comfort more important than nourishment in fostering attachment
What is the attachment process?
- Asocial phase (newborn-6 weeks)
- Indiscriminate attachment behaviours (6 weeks - 7 months)
- specific attachment behaviour (7-8 months)
What is stranger anxiety?
- 6-7 to 18 months
- distress over contact with unfamiliar people
What is separation anxiety?
- 12-16 months to 2-3 years
- distress over being separated from primary caregiver
- shows similar pattern across cultures
What is secure attachment?
- explore & react positively to strangers
- distressed when mother leaves
- happy when mother returns
What are the 3 types of insecure attachment?
Resistant, avoidant, disorganized (mix of both)
What are the consequences of attachment?
- secure infants better socially adjusted, academic gains
- insecure infants more behavioural problems
What is the consequence of attachment for infancy?
infancy = sensitive but not critical period
- prolonged attachment deprivation = long-term risks
- not all in deprived environments at risk (resilience; negative stuff is dismissed; find supports)
How does physical development affect adolescence?
- Adolescence begins at puberty (rapid maturation in which person becomes capable of reproduction)
- Primary & secondary sex characteristics mature
- menarche & production of sperm occur
How does psychological outcomes of physical changes affect adolescence?
- effects on mood and behaviour
- timing & perception of whether maturation is early or late is important
How does cognitive development affect adolescence?
- increase in abstract reasoning abilities
- more flexible and creative thinking
What is adolescent egocentrism of adolescence & social development?
- overestimation of uniqueness of feelings, experiences (personal fable)
- oversensitivity to social evaluation (imaginary audience)
What is identity formation of adolescence?
- Erikson
- Identity = sense of who we are, where we are going, how we fit into society
- resolve confusion about which way to go
What are the 3 levels of Kohlberg’s Stage Theory for Moral development?
Level 1: Preconventional Reasoning
Level 2: Conventional Reasoning
Level 3: Postconventional Reasoning
What is Kohlberg’s Stage Theory?
Analyzed responses to ethical dilemma
- 3 levels with 2 substages each
What is Preconventional Reasoning of Kohlberg’s Stage Theory?
- Judgments of ‘right’ & ‘wrong’ based on actual or anticipated punishments & reward
- Judgments not based on internalized moral values
What is Conventional Reasoning of Kohlberg’s Stage Theory?
- moral judgments based on conformity to expectations of social groups
- person adopts other people’s values/social order
What is Postconventional Reasoning of Kholberg’s Stage Theory?
- More judgments based on general principle
- Principles have been internalized & are part of person’s value system (following one’s conscience)
What are the criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory?
- Western cultural bias
- Gender bias
- emphasis on thinking not behaviour
- moral development occurs within social context
- cognitive + behavioural components
What is Carol Giligan’s criticism of Kohlberg’s theory?
- His theory emphasized justice
- Women place value on caring
What is the physical development of adulthood and aging?
- muscles weaken, body becomes less flexible
- basal metabolism slows
- visual activity, fertility decline (menopause)
- many middle-aged adults remain vigorously active
What is the Cognitive Development of adulthood and aging?
- perceptual speed declines
- long term memory declines/slower
- spatial memory for object location declines
- memory recall declines more strongly from recognition
What factors are linked to enhanced cognitive function?
- Above-average education
- cognitively stimulating lives
- spouse with greater intellectual capabilities
- processing information more quickly
