Human development Wk 11 Flashcards
what is developmental psychology?
is the study if of how behaviour changes over a life span
how can change of behaviour occur?
physical maturation and shaped by experience (nature Vs nurture)
what is the post hoc fallacy
assuming that things that occur first cause things that occur after the fact
(which is not the case)
what did har and Ridley find about children with greater vocabularies
parents who peak to their children a lot produce children with larger vocabs
what are some explanations for childrens good vocab
can be either nature or nurture - environment or perhaps they are genetically predisposed
how might nature and nurture work together?
tendency of individuals with certain genetic predisposition to seek out and create environments that permit the expression of these predispositions
eg. extroverts may deliberately engage with other like themselves
explain gene expression
some genes ‘turn on’ only in response to specific environmental events
what are epigenetics?
whether genes are active is regulated by day to day and movement to moment environmental conditions
what are gene environment interaction?
the effects of genes may depend on the environment and how the individual responds to the environment
what is an example of environment interaction?
People who possess a gene that results in low production of an enzyme called monoamine oxidase (MAO) may be at increased risk of becoming violent criminals
Whether this genetic risk factor is associated with violent behaviour depends on whether children were exposed to a history of maltreatment (such as physical abuse)
(pretty much if the environmental around the child enforces the gene that enhances becoming violent criminals)
what is the Niche picking hypothesis?
genetically similar people will select similar environments, this leading to a similar IQ’s
what is gene expression?
environmental influences actually turn genes off and on throughout our lives
implications of gene expression?
children with gene that predispose them to anxiety many never become anxious unless a highly stressful event could occur and trigger these genes to become active
what are some examples of epigenetics?
- DNA methylation
- histone modification
what is DNA methylation?
additional of a methyl group (chemical caps that stop a gene from being expressed)
what is histone modification?
a protein that DNA wraps around. squeezes it so tightly so it can’t be read. (Can relax the histones, which make the DNA accessible to read by proteins)
what is behavioural epigenetics?
provides a framework for understanding how the expressions of genes is influenced by experiences and the environment to produce individual differences in behaviour, personality, cognition and mental health
what is the Lamarckism hypothesis?
is the hypothesis that an organism can pass on characteristics that it has acquired during its lifetime to its offspring.
(It is also known as the inheritance of acquired characteristics)
what is cross sectional design?
design in which researchers examine people who are of different ages at a single point in time –snapshot approach
benefits and down side of cross sectional design
continent - quick
covert effects
what are covert effects
occur when a commonly aged group of people in research indirectly affect results due to their common age related influences
e. younger people are better at computer games
what is longitudinal design?
Psychologists track the development of the same group of people over time.
what is bilateral influence?
development and experience have bidirectional influences on each other. Two way street
eg. parents influences their children behaviour which in turn influences parent reaction
what is a zygote?
a fertilised egg. Made up of genetic material
what is an embryo?
a developing baby (up to eighth week of gestation)
what is a fetus?
after the eighth week of pregnancy and until birth occurs
what are some obstacle to normal fetal development?
- premature birth
- lownbirth weight
- exposure to hazardous environmental influences
- biological influences
what is the viability point
the point in pregnancy at which infants can typically survive on it sown (25 weeks)
what are teratogens?
environmental factors that can affect prenatal development negatively.
they range from drugs, chicken pox and xrays
explain infant reflexes
infants are born with a large set of automatic motor behaviours or relax they fulfil important survival needs
motor skill development in infants ?
fine and gross motor skills developed in a predictable way
differences in motor skill development between genders
females: develop fine motor skills more quickly (drawing)
males: develop gross motor skills quicker (jumping climbing)
brain development?
around 8 to 9 years of age the brain experiences growth increases to nearly the same size as an adult brain
is different parts of the brain develop such as the frontal lobes children cognitive capacity increases
what are primary sex characteristics?
primary features such as the reproductive organs and genitals that distinguish the sexes
what are secondary sex characteristics?
sex differentiation characteristic that do no relate directly to reproduction such as breast enlargement and deepening voices
when do adults reach peak levels lf strength , agility and stamina?
20’s
what begins to decline after the age of 30
strength, agility, stamina, balance, coordination
when does fertility decline in women?
35yo but remain fertile until around 50
does sperm quality decrease ?
yes
does temperament remain stable from birth, across life span?
yes
babies with a highly reactive ……………. …………… are more likely to have strong reactions too potentially …………. situations
1 - limbic stems
2- stressful
what is the significance of attachment?
-refers to bonds that form between newborn and primary caregivers
what is imprinting?
-basic form of attachment
what are the 4 type of parenting style in two dimensions of warmth and control
warm behaviour:
- permissive
- authoritative
- low warmth
- uninvolved
- authoritarian
