Exam 2 - Development Flashcards
“Nature vs. nurture” is a…
False dichotomy
Behavior and personalities are always a combination of both…
Nature and nurture
The terms “nature and nurture” originated with…
Richard Mulcaster
Mulcaster defined “nature” as…
“Biological endowment”
(genetic inheritance)
Mulcaster defined “nurture” as…
The environmental conditions in which an individual develops
____ looked for the importance of one factor over another, beginning the “nature vs. nurture” debate.
Francis Galton
Galton claimed that ____ dominated when explaining intellectual abilities.
Nature
Galton was particularly interested in predicting and understanding…
Intelligence
The combination of genetic and environmental influences on a trait is called…
Epigenetics
____ studies the molecular mechanisms through which the environment can affect gene expression.
Epigenetics
Chemical markers called the ____ determine how/to what extent genes are expressed.
Epigenome
According to epigenetics, the development of a behavioral characteristic in an individual is always the product of…
Multiple causal factors
____ is defined as “extreme and persistent sadness, despair, and loss of interest in activities”.
Depression
List the two major types of depression.
Major depressive disorder
Persistent depressive disorder
Clinical depression is usually a form of…
Major depressive disorder
List key characteristics of major depressive disorder.
(four)
- Acute sadness and loss of interest for at least 2 weeks
- Fairly rapid onset
- More severe symptoms
- Relatively temporary
Persistent depressive disorder is also called…
Dysthymia
List key characteristics of persistent depressive disorder.
(three)
- Chronic, depressed mood for more days than not over 2+ years
- Longer-lasting symptoms
- Usually less severe symptoms
List the three major explanations for the causes of depression.
- Biological/genetic
- Cognitive
- Biopsychosocial
Depression may have a genetic component because…
About half of people with depression have some family history of the disorder.
The cognitive view of depression suggests that…
Someone who is depressed is thinking differently (more negatively) than someone who is not.
The biopsychosocial explanation for depression suggests that…
Genetics, brain chemistry, and cognitions make some people more prone to depression than others.
The diathesis-stress model suggests that…
Both a predisposition and a precipitating event is needed for a mental disorder to develop.
List four symptoms commonly seen in people with schizophrenia.
- Delusions
- Disordered thinking
- Inappropriate emotions
- Small range of emotions
List five things thought to contribute to the development of schizophrenia.
- Genetic factors
- Brain anatomy/neurotransmitters
- Complications during pregnancy or birth
- Childhood head injury
- Stress
Schizophrenia clearly has a strong genetic component, but…
The genetic factors are extremely complex.
Which neurotransmitters are involved in schizophrenia?
- Dopamine (for certain)
- Glutamate (most likley)
The brains of people with schizophrenia generally have larger…
Ventricles
List three main issues in developmental research.
- Nature and nurture
- Stability and change
- Gradual vs. “staged” development
____’s approach to childhood development has been gaining popularity in recent years.
Lev Vgotsky
List the four main components of Vgotsky’s approach to development.
- Very social
- Culture and adult interaction are vital
- Culture affects children’s cognitive development
- Language is an essential part of thinking by the age of 2
Vgotsky emphasized that children learn by…
Talking and interacting with adults
Vgotsky’s approach states that speech should be…
Internalized over time
List the three main things that characterize attachment.
- Physical closeness
- Separation anxiety
- Clinging
List the four categories of attachment observed in children.
- Secure
- Insecure-avoidant
- Insecure-ambivalent (resistant)
- Disoriented/disorganized
How does an infant with a secure attachment style behave?
- Briefly distressed when caregiver leaves, but continues to explore and play.
- Excited to see caregiver return.
How does an infant with an insecure-avoidant attachment style behave?
- Is not distressed when caregiver leaves, and may interact with the environment.
- Has minimal reaction to caregiver returning, and may move away.
How does an infant with an insecure-ambivalent attachment style behave?
- Becomes upset when caregiver leaves.
- Becomes both angry and clingy when caregiver returns; remains irritable.
There is some evidence in variance of attachment styles across…
Cultures
Individualistic cultures tend to have a higher proportion of ____ infants.
Avoidant
Collectivist cultures tend to have a higher proportion of ____ infants.
Ambivalent
Early attachment relationships tend to predict…
Attachment in adult relationships
For elementary schoolers, the primary source of support is usually…
Parents
For middle and high schoolers, the primary source of support is usually…
A same-sex friend
For college students, the primary source of support is usually…
A romantic partner, but parents also become more supportive
Adolescents tend to engage in more ____ than other age groups.
Risk-taking behaviors
List the four ways in which adolescents tend to think differently than adults.
- Imaginary audience
- Personal fable
- Hypocrisy
- Pseudostupidity
Elkind described the differences in how adolescents think as…
“Adolescent egocentrism”
