Human development Flashcards
What is the “interactionist perspective” on the nature vs nurture debate?
The interactionist perspective argues that development arises from the interaction of innate psychological structures and mechanisms (nature) with environmental input and experiences (nurture). It suggests that both nature and nurture are essential and interconnected in shaping development.
Why is the nature vs nurture question is sometimes called “worse than useless”?
Compare a rock to a baby stranded alone on a desert island. It argued that no amount of environmental exposure could make the rock develop, as it lacks innate capacities. On the other hand, even with innate potential for development, the baby would fail to properly develop without environmental input. This shows the futility of trying to fully separate nature and nurture, as both are necessary for development to occur.
What did Plato argue about innate ideas in humans?
Plato argued that humans are born with innate ideas and that concepts like virtue can’t be learned.
What was Aristotle’s view on how humans form ideas?
Aristotle argued that humans need experience to form ideas.
What does the “tabula rasa” concept proposed by John Locke refer to?
It refers to the idea that a newborn’s mind is a blank slate, with no innate ideas present at birth.
What perspective do most modern views take on the nature-nurture debate?
Most modern views take an interactionist perspective, seeing nature and nurture as intertwined in development.
What are the four stages of cognitive development proposed by Jean Piaget?
Sensorimotor: Birth to 2 years
Preoperational stage: 2 to 7 years
Concrete operational stage: 7 to 11 years
Formal operational stage: 11 years and older
What is the main characteristic of the sensorimotor stage?
In the sensorimotor stage, infants learn about the world through their senses and motor actions. They lack representational thinking and are bound to the immediate present, with no concept of object permanence.
What cognitive abilities develop in the preoperational stage?
In the preoperational stage, children develop the ability to mentally represent the world through language, symbolic play, and imagery. However, their thinking remains illogical, egocentric, and centered on perceptual appearances.
What logical abilities emerge in the concrete operational stage?
In the concrete operational stage, children develop logical reasoning abilities, but these are tied to concrete situations and experiences. They can perform mental operations like classification, seriation, and conservation.
What is the main cognitive advancement in the formal operational stage?
In the formal operational stage, adolescents develop the ability to think abstractly, reason hypothetically, and engage in systematic, logical thinking. They can consider possibilities, form and test hypotheses, and think metacognitively about their own thought processes.
What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous development?
Continuous development is gradual and smooth, while discontinuous development involves qualitative shifts between stages.
What does the global/domain-general view of development propose?
It proposes that cognitive changes occur uniformly across all domains at a particular age or stage.
What does the local/domain-specific view of development suggest?
It suggests that development is uneven, with some cognitive domains progressing faster than others at a given age.
How does infant vision compare to infant hearing at birth?
At birth, infants are functionally blind, while hearing is relatively well-developed.
