Final Flashcards
Child Development- Continuous
Gradual Change, Example: growing taller
Child Development- Discontinuous
Happens in phases, Example: puberty, bugs growing from larva, caterpillar cocoon butterfly
Physical Development, What is a Reflex?
Genetically wired behaviors that were/are crucial for survival
What are some examples of reflexes?
Grasping, Sucking, Stepping, Startle: moro reflex
When do some reflexes diminish?
Some disappear as infants develop voluntary control
Perceptual and Motor skills are come from…
Genetics and motivation
What are the two study paradigms of infants and imitation?
- Preferential looking and 2. Habituation
What is preferential looking?
Give “choice” and measure preferences
What is habituation?
Decrease in responding to a stimulus after repeated presentations
Brain development: what happens as the Myelination continues?
Visual pathways develop at 6 months, auditory pathways at 4-5 years old, continues until adolescence
Brain development: what happens as there is a dramatic increase in synaptic connections
Dendritic spreading, Unused connections will be pruned
What is stage 1 in Piaget’s theory?
Sensorimotor stage: birth-2 years, Coordinate sensations with movement, Object permanence develops during this period (around 8 months)
What is stage 2 in Piaget’s theory?
Preoperational stage: 2-7 years, representations that are reversible, Lack of conservation: permanence of attributes of certain objects, Uses language, Egocentrism: Three mountains task, Intuitive reasoning, Non-logical
What is stage 3 in Piaget’s theory?
Concrete operational stage: 7-11 years, Early on: operational thinking (i.e conservation), Developed classification skills, Intuition -> logical thinking in concrete contexts
What is stage 4 in Piaget’s theory?
Formal operational stage: 12 years + up, the emergence of logical thinking processes, the ability to understand theories and abstract ideas and predict possible outcomes of hypothetical problems.
What are some physical changes in adulthood? When do they occur?
Early Adulthood: Peak of physical development
Middle adulthood:
Height losses, weight gained, Menopause (late 40s-early 50s)
Late adulthood: Life expectancy has increased, life span has not
What are some cognitive developments in adulthood? When do they occur?
Early adulthood: Marked by relative and reflective thinking, Considerable variation influenced by education
Middle adulthood: Crystallized intelligence (gC) increases, Accumulated knowledge, Fluid intelligence (gF) begins to decline
Working memory capacity, ease of solving new problems
Late adulthood: Speed of processing generally declines, Memories fade somewhat and retrieval skills start to fail, Wisdom (expert knowledge about life) increases in some individuals
Socioemotional development: What are the first 5 stages in Erikson’s theory?
Stage 1: Trust vs. Mistrust
Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and
Doubt
Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt
Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority
Stage 5: Identity vs. Confusion
Socioemotional development: What are the last 3 stages in Erikson’s theory?
- Intimacy versus isolation
- Generativity versus stagnation
- Integrity versus despair
Erikson’s Theory, At what age does Stage 1: Trust Vs Mistrust occur?
Birth/infancy to 18 months
Erikson’s Theory: At what age does Stage 2: Autonomy Vs Shame and Doubt occur?
Toddler/18 months to 3 years
Erikson’s Theory: At what age does Stage 3: initiative vs guilt occur?
Preschool/3 years to 5 years
Erikson’s Theory: At what age does Stage 4: industry vs inferiority occur?
6 years old-11 years old
Erikson’s Theory: At what age does Stage 5: identity vs confusion occur?
12 years old-18 years old
Erikson’s Theory: At what age does Stage 6: intimacy vs isolation occur?
18 years old-40 years old
Erikson’s Theory: At what age does Stage 7: Generativity vs Stagnation occur?
40 years old-65 years old
Erikson’s Theory: At what age does Stage 8: integrity vs despair occur?
65 years old-death
What are the principles for successful marriages/partnerships?
- Nurturing fondness and admiration, 2. Turning toward each other as friends, 3. Giving up some power, 4. Solving conflicts together
Socioemotional development: What does research reveal about midlife?
Not particularly tumultuous, mostly positive, Relatively low in anxiety, Resilience and good coping skills, Few illnesses, but poor physical fitness
What is an attribution?
Explanations for why people behave the way they do
What is Attribution theory?
People motivated to discover underlying causes of behavior
What are the 3 dimensions of causality?
- internal/external causes
- stable/unstable causes
3.controllable/uncontrollable
Define obedience
An individual’s compliance when given an order or command from someone in a position of authority
What is the Stanley Milgram experiment?
Teacher, learner, authority figure, teacher asks the learner question and has to shock them if they get it wrong
What are the factors in the Stanley Milgram experiment that contributed to obedience?
- The person giving the orders was close at hand and was perceived to be a legitimate authority figure
- The authority figure was supported by a prestigious institution
- The victim was depersonalized or at a distance (in another room)
- There were no role models for defiance (no other subjects were seen disobeying authority)
What are two criticisms of the Stanley Milgram experiment?
May not be generalizable, may not be ethical
What is John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory?
Infants rely on “Attachment Figures” for protection, nurture, and emotion regulation
What does does John Bowlby believe the Attachment Behavior System is?
An evolved innate regulator of proximity (hence, safety)
What does John Bowlby believe normative processes that describe separation from mother are?
Protest, despair, detachment
What are the three styles of attachment? (Mary Ainsworth)
- Secure, 2. Avoidant, 3. Anxious-Resistant (Anxious-Ambivalent)
What how would a securely attached baby react when reunited with its mother?
Immediately consoled
What how would an avoidantly attached baby react when reunited with its mother?
Deactivated state
What how would a anxiously attached baby react when reunited with its mother?
Hyper activated state
What is the cause/antecedent of secure attachment?
Responsive care given
What is the cause/antecedent of avoidant attachment?
Unresponsive to child’s needs
What is the cause/antecedent of anxious attachment?
Inconsistently responsive to child’s needs
What is the attachment score between parents?
R = 0.41 between attachment security scores in a sample of children, if you’re securely attached to one parent you’re most likely securely attached to the other
Attachment between children and single parents
Still may be securely attached, Some evidence that they may be more anxiously attached on average
What are some childhood outcomes of being securely attached?
Have better peer relationships, Be better evaluated by teachers, Persist on challenging tasks, Report higher relationship quality in later romantic relationships (also true in samples of children with same sex parents)
What are avoidant children more likely to be classified as?
Bullies
How does insecure attachment effect friendships?
Difficulty making and maintaining friends
How does attachment style effect relationships? (Hazan and Shaver 1987)
Tendency to find a partner of a similar attachment style, early childhood attachment is related to adulthood attachment (but not determinative)
How does secure attachment effect romantic relationships?
More satisfying relationships, Less conflict, More enduring relationships, More likely to provide support to partner in times of distress
(Same for same sex relationships)
What is referred to as “abnormal” and a disorder?
Behavior/mental processes that are:
1. Deviant: atypical, not normal
2. Maladaptive: interferes with functioning
3. Personally distressful: chronic sadness or displeasure
(Only one has to be present but usually more than one is present)
What are three examples of disorders that are “abnormal”?
Anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia
What does etiology mean?
the cause or causes of a disease or condition
What are three etiologies of mental illness throughout history?
Supernatural: Spirits, gods, witchcraft, and fantastic creatures
Somatogenic: Physical causes like physical trauma, genetics, or disease
Psychogenic: Personal experiences, maladaptive thinking, cultural influences
What are the 4 approaches to understanding mental illness?
- Biological approach, 2. Psychological approach, 3. Sociocultural approach, 4. Interactionist Approach/Bio-psycho-social model
Explain the Biological approach to understanding mental illness
Medical model: Psychological disorders are medical diseases with biological origins
Categories:
1. Structural views: brain structure abnormalities
2. Biochemical views: imbalances in NTs/hormones
3. Genetic views: disordered genes: alleles/polymorphism
Explain the Psychological approach to understanding mental illness
A. Psychodynamic perspectives
Ex: unconscious conflicts, early experiences, repressed sexual conflicts
B. behavioral/social cognitive perspectives
Learning, social cognition (self efficacy, control)
C. Trait perspectives/personality psychopathology
Extremely high or low on specific big five trains
D. Humanistic perspectives
Inability to fulfill one’s potential
Explain the Sociocultural approach to understanding mental illness
Emphasis on larger social context
Ex of impacting factors considered:
Marriage, family, relationships and their impacts
Neighborhood and socioeconomic status
Ethnicity, gender, culture
Gender:
Women: internalizing disorders (anxiety, depression)
Men: externalizing disorders (some PDs, drug/alcohol abuse)
Explain the Interactionist Approach/Bio-psycho-social approach to understanding mental illness
Biological
Evolution, individual genes, brain structure, brain chemistry
Psychological
Stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memories
Social
Roles
What is Maladaptive anxiety?
counter productive to human experience, ex: agoraphobia
What is Adaptive anxiety?
developed to aid human problems, ex: performance anxiety
What is the triple vulnerability model of anxiety disorders?
- Biological vulnerability
- Psychological vulnerability (Early experiences or traumatic events)
- Specific vulnerability
(How we deal with anxiety and how it manifests)
Biological and Psychological relate to the diathesis stress model: more genetically predisposed to mental illness, then a stressful event bring it out
Describe the Little Albert Experiment
Little Albert was conditioned to be afraid of white rats, resulted in him being afraid of anything white and fluffy (like bunnies)
How does fear conditioning work?
Ex: Fear of dogs, 1. fear developed (experience of dog biting), 2. fear generalized (fear of all dogs), 3. fear maintained (avoiding all dogs)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Anxiety Disorder
Worry as a core feature
Scope: widespread
Persistence: anxiety on more days than not
Effects: sleep difficulties, irritability
Panic Disorder (PD)
Anxiety Disorder
Physical sensations: Described like near-miss car accidents, rush
How does Panic Disorder (PD) lead to agoraphobia?
People are scared to have a panic attack in public so they want to stay inside
What is the difference between a fear and a phobia?
Phobias are heritable and comorbid with other anxiety disorders
Prevalence: 12.5%
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
Anxiety Disorder
Adaptive vs Maladaptive
Role of functional impairment
What role do social experiences play in the development of SAD:
Recipient of bullying
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Anxiety Disorder
“Strange thoughts” can be normal but OCD causes the thoughts to get stuck
Process: Person has a strange thought, gets stuck on thought, has anxiety, compulsion to address thought, feel better
EX: hand washing
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety Disorder
Follows trauma
Symptoms: Re-experiencing: Flashbacks, Nightmares, Frightening thoughts, Avoidance of places that remind them of trauma and feelings that remind them of trauma, Hyperarousal, Exaggerated startle reflex, “On edge”, Difficulty sleeping
Process: Trauma, the world is dangerous
Hypervigilance, nothing happens
Hypervigilance increases
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Depressive Disorder
Must have 5/9 Symptoms, including symptoms 1 and 2
1. Depressed mood *
2. Diminished interest/pleasure in all activities *
3. Significant weight loss/gain or increase/decrease in appetite
4. Insomnia/hypersomnia
5. Psychomotor agitation/slowness
6. Fatigue/loss of energy
7. Feeling worthless/excessive or inappropriate guilt
8. Diminished ability to concentrate/indecisiveness
9. Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, or a suicide attempt
Major Depressive Episode
Depressive Disorder
Requirements: 2 weeks or more, Patients must have either depressed mood or decreased interest, At least 5/9 of the symptoms most of the day, nearly every day
Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)
Depressive Disorder
Must be experienced for two years
2/6 of the symptoms
1. Poor appetite or overeating
2. Insomnia or hypersomnia
3. Low energy or fatigue
4. Low self-esteem
5. Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
6. Feelings of hopelessness
Bipolar Disorder
Symptoms:
Mania/hypomania: euphoria (at least 3/7) or irritable mood (4/7)
1. Self esteem or grandiosity
2. Goal-directed activity or Psychomotor agitation
3. Talkativeness
4. Risky behavior
5. Decreased Need for sleep
6. Racing thoughts or flight of ideas
7. Distractibility
Bipolar I
Single or recurrent manic episode
No depressive episode required (but common)
Bipolar II
Single or recurrent episodes of:
Depression
Hypomania
Cyclothymic disorder
No major depressive episode
Symptoms at least 50% of the time for two years
No more than two months without symptoms
Alternating between hypomania and depression
Prevalence of Depressive Disorders
Estimated 270 million people worldwide
Major depressive disorder: (lifetime) 16.6%
Major depressive disorder: (12-month) 6.7%
Persistent depressive disorder (12-month) 0.5%
Average age of onset: mid-20s
Risk factors:
Female, low socioeconomic status, caucasian
Recover begins within
3 months for 40%, 12 months for 80%
Relapse: 40%-50%
Prevalence of Bipolar Disorders
Lifetime prevalence: 4.4%
Bipolar Disorder I: 1%
Comorbidities:
Anxiety, substance abuse
Risk factor:
No demographic trends
Onset:
Adolescence
