Human Development Flashcards
Development
age related intellectual, physical, emotional, and personal changes that occur throughout the life span
What do development theorists allude to?
interaction
What are the 3 stages of prenatal development?
Germinal Period: conception to implantation on the wall of the uterus (approx. 2 weeks)
Embryonic Period: Implantation to the 8th week, arms, legs, gingers, toes and a distinctive heartbeat appear. Starts to develop sexual characteristics
Fetal Period: 9th week to birth; develops functional organ system and increases in body size
What is a zygote?
Fertilized human egg. Contains 23 chromosomes from both the mother and father
What is a teratogen?
and environmental agent that can potentially damage the developing fetus.
Why does experience matter for the new born fetus?
To allow its neuronal connections to fully mature and refine it’s internal communication network
What is Puberty?
period during which a person reaches sexual maturity
Menopause
Time during which a woman’s menstrual cycles slows down and finally stops. (around the age of 50)
What is neuroplasticity?
the brain’s ability to change and adjust it’s connections
Dementia
physically based losses in mental functioning (pathological aging)
What capabilities do babies possess that are used to understand their level of mental development?
(1) They show preferences (to one stimuli or another)
(2) They notice novelty (new things in the environment)
(3) They can learn to repeat activities in response to reward
What is the preference technique?
Two stimuli are presented simultaneously and the researcher records which one the baby looks at longer
Habituation
decline in responsiveness to repeated stimuli - used to access perceptual abilities (and to understand how they remember their worlds)
Reward Techniques
Reward a simple motor movement to see if they baby learns that if they perform that movement they can get a reward for it (kicking leg and mobile)
What are schemas?
Mental model of the world that people use to guide and interpret their experiences - this is part of Piaget’s theory that we are all born with a natural tendency to organize the world
Where does much of what we know about development of thought processes during childhood come from?
Jean Piaget
What does Piaget argue is the governing process of building our mental models of the world as we age?
Assimilation: people fit or assimilate new experiences into existing schemas
Accommodation: Process through which people change existing schema to accommodate new experiences
What are Piaget’s 4 stages or developmental periods?
Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational
Sensorimotor Period
birth - 2: schemas revolve around sensory and motor abilities
Object Permanence
Ability to recognize that an object still exists even when you are no longer looking at it
Preoperational Period
Age 2-7: children begin to think symbolically, but often lack the ability to perform mental operations
Conservation
ability to recognize that the properties of an object remain the same despite superficial change in the objects appearance
Egocentrism
The tendency to see the world from your own unique perspective only - characteristic of preoperational period
Concrete Operational Period
Age 7-11: children acquire the capacity to perform a number of mental operations but still lack ability of abstract reasoning
Formal Operational Period
11 - Adulthood: thought processes become adult like, and people gain mastery over abstract thinking
Why do some people not like Piaget’s theory?
because it is a stage theory. Other people like to think of cognitive development as a process of continual change or adaptation (stage theory presupposes that once a child enters a new stage they should be very quick in learning the characteristics of that stage).
Other people do not like that he has lumped adulthood into one stage - do people not develop intellectually beyond that?
Morality
ability to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate actions: may be tied to a child’s level of cognitive development
What are the stages of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development?
Preconventional, conventional, and post conventional
Preconventional
Decisions about right and wrong are made primarily in terms of external consequences
Conventional
actions are judged to be right or wrong based on whether they maintain or disrupt the social order
Postconventional
Actions are judged on the basis of personal codes of ethics that are general and abstract and that may not agree with societal norms
What are some alternatives to Kohlberg
- Psychometric: shame and guilt, do not wanted to be judged. The ID misbehaves, and is at odds with the superego, which administers self punishment
- Social learning: Morality is conditioned through rewards and punishments
Temperament
Behavioural tendencies that have biological origins
What are the types of temperaments that babies are categorized in to?
- Easy: happy, readily establish routines and tend not to get upset very easily
- Difficult: resist new experiences, the establishments of routines, and often get upset
- Slow to warm up: more complex mixture of different temperaments
Attachment
Strong emotional ties formed to one or more intimate companions (makes sense from a survival aspect - it helps make sure that your needs are met)
What is a critical period?
An ideal time in infancy when certain events must occur to have their maximum effect.
What can temperament be influenced by?
If the child will develop attachments with a care giver quickly
Stange situation task
gradually subjecting a child to a stressful situation and observing his or her behaviour toward the part or caregiver; this test is usually used to classify the attachment style of the child: secure, resistant, or avoidant
Secure Attachement
Children can explore happily when the parent is present, level of stress increases when the parent leaves, but the child is easily consoled and resumes playing. The child notices when the mother returns and is happy.
Resistant Attachment
React to stress in an ambiguous way, may indicate a lack of trust of the parent. They are wary of new situations and refuse to leave their mother’s side. When mother leaves they cry, but are unlikely to greet the mother when they come back into the room
Avoidant Attachment
Show no strong attachment to the mother. Not bothered by strangers in the room, no concern when the mother leaves the room and do not greet her when she enters.
Erikson’s Crises of Development
His theory on personality development - that at each stage the individual’s personality is shaped by a series of psychosocial crises that they must confront
Trust vs. Mistrust
First Year: develop knowledge about how people differ and who they can trust to meet their survival needs
Autonomy vs. Shame or doubt
Two: development of self control, Can I control my own actions?
Initiative vs. guilt
three-six: Developing a sense of drive or initiative. Can i carry out my own plans?
Industry vs. inferiority
6-12: Developing a sense of personal ability or competence
Identity vs role confusion
Adolescence: Developing a single unified concept of self.
Intimacy vs. isolation
Young Adulthood: Questioning the meaning of relationships with others
Generatively vs. stagnation
have you contributed to the success of your children and future generations
Integrity vs. Despair
acceptance of life, both success and failure
Gender Schemas
the organized set of beliefs and perception held about men and women
Gender roles
specific patterns of behaviour that are consistent with how society dictates males and females should act
