human development Flashcards
developmental psychology
study of how behavior changes over time
post hoc fallacy
false assumption that because something occurred before another event, it must have caused it
bidirectional influences
children experiences influence development but development also influences their experiences
cross-sectional design
research people of different ages at a single point in time
limitation of cross-sectional designs
cohort effects: groups who live during one period can differ in systematic ways from groups living in other time periods
longitudinal design
research the same group of people at multiple different times
limitations of longitudinal design
- time consuming and costly
- arent true experimental designs
infant determinism
belief that extremely early experiences are more influential than later experiences
- no evidence for this
childhood fragility
children are delicate and easily damaged
- most kids are actually very resilient in traumatic events
gene-environment interaction
effects of genes depend on the environment in which they are expressed.
- kids with a specific gene for violence aren’t usually violent unless they had a violent upbringing
nature via nurture
tendency of individuals with certain genetic tendencies to seek out and create environments that permit the expression of those predispositions
gene-expression
some genes turn on only in response to specific environmental events
teratogens
environmental factors that can exert negative impacts on prenaal development
ex: smoking, drugs, alcohol, chicken box
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
alcohol consumption can lead to FAS
- learning disabilities, delays in physical growth, facial malformations and behavioural disorders
motor behaviours
bodily motions that occur as a result of self-initiated force that moves the bones and muscles
ex: walking, reaching
reflexes
infants are born with a large set of automatic motor behaviours
- sucking and rooting reflexes are essential for feeding
motor development
- influenced by physical maturity and cultural and parenting practices
- vary in when they occur but they are always achieved in the same sequence
sucking reflex
automatic response to oral stimulation
- if you put something in a baby’s mouth they will suck down on it
- reflex keeps baby alive without them having to learn
menarche
onset of menstruration
spermarche
male’s first ejaculation
assimilation
process of absorbing new experiences into current knowledge structures
- use to acquire new knowledge
accommodation
process of altering a belief to make it more compatible with experience
piaget’s stages
- sensorimotor
- preoperational stage
- concrete operations
- formal operations
sensorimotor
- 0-2 years
- lack of object permanence
- no thought beyond immediate physical experiences
object permanence
understanding that objects continue to exist when outside of view
preoperational
- 2-7 years
- able to think beyond the here and now but egocentric and unable to perform mental transformation
- lack conservation
conservation
understand that despite a transformation in the physical presentation of an amount, the amount remains the same
concrete operations
- 7-11
- can perform mental transformations but only concrete physical object
formal operation
- 12- adulthood
- ability to perform hypothetical reasoning beyond the here and now
limitations of piaget
- development is more gradual
- hard to repeat without language dependent tasks
- culturally biased
pros of piaget
viewed children as different than adults
- learning as an active process
- across multiple domains
lev vygotsky
- social and cultural influences
- scaffolding
- zone of proximal development
- focused more on parenting
-development is gradual and children will be ready for their own development when it happens
scaffolding
parents structure environments for learning and then gradually remove them as child improves
- supports enough until they can support themselves
zone of proximal development
phase of learning during which children can benefit from instruction
- when they are ready for scaffolding
naive physics
intuitive understanding of the world without having studied physics’
- basic understanding of physical objects and how they behave
- understanding that a block sitting on another wont fall
theory of mind
ability to reason about what other people know or believe
- when we see a picture of a child standing on a counter we know that someone must have helped him get there
cognitive changes in adolescence
- frontal lobes dont fully mature until late adolescence and early adulthood which affects impulse control and risk-taking
- more risk taking opportunities when young and have different evaluation of risk
cognitive function in late adulthood
- cognitive decline, memory loss but still cued recall and recognition
- better on vocabulary and knowledge tests
- little decline in material pertinent in everyday life
stranger anxiety
- fear of strangers developing at 8-9 months
- peaks at around 12-15 months
- appears in most cultures
temperament
basic emotional style that appears in early development and is genetic in origin
3 types: easy, difficult and slow to warmup
attachment
- emotional connection we share with those whom we feel closest
- almost ll infants forge this bond with adults
imprinting
- 1930s by konrad lorenz
- baby bird begins to follow around and attach themself to any large moving object they see in the hours immediately after hatching
critical periods
- a specific window of time during which an event must occur
- aka sensitive periods
contact comfort
- assumed that infants bonded with those who provided nourishment
- Harrow’s work with monkeys showed that it was physical contact that was important in developing attachment
- positive emotions afforded by touch
harlows study of monkeys
baby monkeys were separated by their mothers and placed with a terry cloth model and a wire one that would give it food. ate from the wire one but attached to terry cloth one
attachment styles
- how infants react when taken away from primary caregiver
1. secure-attachment (60%)
2. insecure-avoidant (15-20%)
3. Insecure-anxious (15-20%)
4. Disorganized (5-10%) - can change over time and depending on caregiver
mono-operation bias
drawing conclusions on a single measure
parenting styles
- permissive
- authoritarian
- authoritative
- uninvolved
- doesnt really matter as long as basic needs are met
erikson model
series of stages, each characterized by a psychosocial crisis (dilemma concerning an individuals relations to others)
- developing an indentity is the hardest thing for teens
- personality builds throughout whole life
emerging adulthood
-18-25
-many aspects of emotional development, indentity and personality solidify
erikson mode: infancy
trust vs mistrust
- developing general security, optimism and trust in others
erikson model: toddelrhood
autonomy vs shame
- developing sense of independence and confidence
erikson model: early childhood
initiative vs guilt
- dev initiative in exploring and maipulating the environment
erikson mode: middle childhood
industry vs inferiority
- enjoyment and mastery of the developmental tasks of childhood in and out of school
erikson model: adolescence
identity vs role confusion
- achievement of a stable and satisfying sense of role and direction
erikson model: young adulthood
intimacy vs isolation
- development of the ability to maintain intimate personal relationships
erikson model: adulthood
generatively vs stagnation
- satisfaction of persona and familial needs supplemented by development of interest in the welfare of others ad the world in general
erikson moedel: aging
ego integrity vs despair
- recognizing and adjusting to agin and the prospect of death with a sense of satisfaction about the past
