History and theories

Question 1

What is development science?

Answer 1

Field of the scientific study that focuses on ways in which people change, as well as stay the same, from conception to death

Question 2

Goals of development science

Answer 2

is to understand the basic biological and cultural processes that account for the complexities of development

Question 3

The period from infancy to puberty
- 5 stages

Answer 3

1. parental period (conception to birth)
2. infancy (birth through 2)
3. Early childhood (ages 2 to 5)
4. Middle childhood (6 to 12)
5. Adolescence (13 through 18-20)

Question 4

Domains of development

Answer 4

1. Social- deals with social skills and interraction
2. Cognitive - deals with the mental processes and abilities such as memory, academic skills, etc.
3. Emotions- how you express, label, and deal with emotions
4. Physical - fine motor skills such as balance and walking
   All these domains influence each other

Question 5

Why do researchers study child development?

Answer 5

To gain insight info in things like:
- human nature
- why adult behave certain ways
- sex differences
- culture

and more

Question 6

What are the 6 fundamental issues concerning the process of development?

Answer 6

1. sources of development
2. Plasticity
3. Continuity/Discontinuity
4. Individual differences
5. Universality development
6. Active/passive learner

Question 7

What are the two key concepts of “Sources of Development” (uppsrettur þróunar)

Answer 7

Nature and Nurture

Question 8

Define Nature

Answer 8

It refers to the individual’s inherited biological prepositions
- genetic makeup

Question 9

Define Nurture

Answer 9

It refers to the influence on the individual of the social and cultural environment and of the individual’s experience
t.d. vinir, fjölskylda ofl

Question 10

Define Plasticity (Sveigjanleiki/mótanleiki )

Answer 10

the quality or state of being plastic.

Question 11

Plasticity - Critical periods

Answer 11

is a period durning which specific biological or environmental events are required for normal development to occur
t.d. if an infant is not exposed to any light in the first 6 months, the vision will be damaged

Question 12

Plasticity - Sensitive periods

Answer 12

You are always able to do it/learn it, but it gets harder over time. This is more common in human development. The thicker the door the harder it is to open it.
t.d. learning 2 language at the same time

Question 13

Continuity & Discontinuity

Answer 13

• Continuous change is the gradual accumulation of small quantitative changes
• discontinuous change consists of abrupt radical qualitative changes (like stages).

hugsa um hænu og firðildi

Question 14

what are the 2 questions about Individual Differences

Answer 14

1. what makes individuals different from one another?
2. To what extent are individual characteristics stable over time?

Question 15

Universality specific

Answer 15

the path of development is common to all individuals and the stages of development from infancy to adulthood are common for all the individual’s, and it has no change across cultures

Question 16

Context specific

Answer 16

developmental changes are different in various cultures, community and society
- andstæðan við universality

Question 17

Active/passive learner

Answer 17

Active = prewired to act on the world
Passive= shaped by experience

Question 18

Psychodynamic theories

Answer 18

• they focus on biological drives and life experiences
• sigmund Freud (mental structures of personality)
• Erik erikson (stage development)

Question 19

Behaviourist theories

Answer 19

Focus on development as a result of learning and on changes in behaviour as a result of forming associations between behaviour and its consequences
- you learn on how to behave

Question 20

Watson and his theory

Answer 20

Focus shift to external, observable behaviours and their consequences

Question 21

Skinner & babybox

Answer 21

according to him it is so easy to make association (hugtengingu) and shaping the development of the baby

Question 22

Constructivist theory

Answer 22

focus on children’s active construction of reality based on their experiences with the world
t.d. schema of a cat

Question 23

Piaget en schema’s

Answer 23

as children strive to master their environments, they change their schemas through adaption

Question 24

Sociocultural theory

Answer 24

culture on development

Question 25

Vygotsky and Zone of proximal development

Answer 25

hringur 1. out of reach (what you cannot do, even if you get support) 2. Learns through scaffolding (you can move from unassistent area to zone of proximal) 3. Current understanding (can do without any help)

Question 26

Modern theories of development are: 4

Answer 26

1. evolutionary theories 2. social learning theories 3. information-processing theories 4. system theories

Question 27

Evolutionary theories

Answer 27

- Explain human behavior in terms of how it contributes to the survival of the species. - Look at how our evolutionary past influences individual development. · Key theorist Darwin* development of human characteristics influenced by survival and evolution of species.

Question 28

Social learning theories

Answer 28

-focus on learning of associations between behaviors and their consequences -emphasis on learning that occurs trough the observation of, and interactions with, others · Key theorist -Bandura modeling: process by which children observe and imitate others self-efficacy: beliefs about personal abilities to meet standards and achieve goals* behavior modification

Question 29

Information-processing theories

Answer 29

-look at cognitive development in terms of how children come to perceive, remember, organize, and manipulate information in increasingly efficient ways -often include description of mental functioning in terms of a computer

Question 30

system theories

Answer 30

-envision development in terms of complex wholes made up of parts and explore how these wholes and their parts are organized and interact and change over time

Question 31

Influential types

Answer 31

-dynamic system theory* addresses how new, complex system of behavior develop from interaction of less complex parts - ecological system theory* focuses on organization and interactions of the multiple Environment contexts within which children develop.

Question 32

Modern theories of development: system theories

Answer 32

- See children in the context of five interrelated, nested system. ..microsystem ..mesosystem .. exosystem ..macrosystem ..chronosystem

Question 33

Bronfenbrenner's theory - 4 environmental system

Answer 33

- Microsystem: the setting in which the individual lives (immediate context) - Mesosystem: relations of microsystems or connections between contexts (e.g., relation of family exp to school experiences) - Exosystem: experiences in a setting where the individual does not have an active role. - Macrosystem: involves the cultural in which the individual lives-values, beliefs, customs...