Intro to Child Development

Question 1

why learn about child development?

Answer 1

• better raising children
• choosing social policies
• understanding human nature

Question 2

nativist v. empiricist

Answer 2

• nativist: evolution left some abilities in infancy, some things are innate
• empiricist: possess “learning mechanisms”, help us learn, but nothing is innate

Question 3

Plato’s views on child development?

Answer 3

• raising children is essential to a successful civilization
• children have innate knowledge at birth

Question 4

Aristole’s views on child development

Answer 4

• essential for a successful civilization
• all children are individuals, education must be catered to an individual’s needs

Question 5

Jean-Jaques Rousseau + John Locke

Answer 5

• TABULA RASA - BLANK SLATE
• Locke - valued discipline, Rousseau - valued freedom/development

Question 6

Nature v. Nurture

Answer 6

• whether or not our genes or our environment affect us more
• we develop as a result of BOTH interacting
• all depends on the timing of our experiences

Question 7

genome

Answer 7

a person’s complete hereditary information, expressive proteins change in response to experience

Question 8

epigenetics

Answer 8

study of change in gene expression that are mediated by the environment

Question 9

methylation

Answer 9

biochemical process that influences behavior by suppressing gene activity and expression, related to stress levels

Question 10

The Active Child

Answer 10

• the more a child is active, the more it will contribute to their development
• selective attention, preferences, drawn to facial appearances, internal motivation (learning language in toddlers), fantasy/rule play (develops fear, coping, self-control, etc.)

Question 11

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

Answer 11

• continuous theory v. stage theory
• development is continuous or happens in qualitative stages
• JEAN PIAGET - cognitive development stages

Question 12

Mechanisms of Change

Answer 12

• how do we see changes in development?
• seen in brain activity, behavior (effortful attention, controlling emotions and impulses, etc.)

Question 13

Sociocultural Context

Answer 13

• culture, economy, historical era, politics
• seen in cross-cultural comparisons (ex. sleeping arrangements)

Question 14

cumulative risk

Answer 14

accumulation of disadvantages over years of development

Question 15

Individual Differences

Answer 15

caused by differences in genetics, treatment, reactions, and environment
ex. easy v. difficult children, treatment from parents

Question 16

the scientific method

Answer 16

• approach to testing beliefs
• must contain a TESTABLE HYPOTHESIS, that answers a question
• measurements must be directly related to the hypothesis

Question 17

reliability

Answer 17

• the degree to which independent measurements of a give behavior are consistent
• interrater: amount of agreement in observations of different raters
• test-retest: results under similar testing conditions are similar on multiple occasions

Question 18

validity

Answer 18

• degree to which the test measures what it intended to
• internal: whether effects observed can be attributed to the factor being tested
• external: ability to generalize findings to the general public, beyond the experiment

Question 19

structured interviews

Answer 19

• predetermined questions, used when collecting self-reports on the same information
• cheap! can gather a lot of data at once
• the possibility of biased questionnaires, time-consuming

Question 20

clinical interview

Answer 20

• used to obtain in-depth information on an individual child, not as predetermined
• misremembered information, answers may be biased
• a more in-depth look, not as structured

Question 21

naturalistic observation

Answer 21

• observe in a “natural” environment, researchers do not influence behavior
• impossible to have all context, behaviors of interest may be rare

Question 22

structured observation

Answer 22

• participants are provided with identical situations, and behaviors are recorded
• allows for more comparison between children
• not extensive information, less natural behavior in lab setting

Question 23

variables

Answer 23

attributes that vary across individuals

Question 24

correlational designs

Answer 24

• studies intended to indicate how two variables are related to each other
• correlation is the relationship between two variables, measures +/- 1

Question 25

direction of the causation problem

Answer 25

correlation does not indicate that either variable “causes the other”

Question 26

third variable problem

Answer 26

may be the result of an unspecified third variable (confounding)

Question 27

experimental designs

Answer 27

gold standard: randomized controlled trial
- allows for conclusions to be drawn
- random assignment and experimental control
- experimental v. control groups
- independent v. dependent variables

Question 28

cross-sectional design

Answer 28

• participants of different ages are compared on a given behavior over a short period
• reveal similarities/differences between children, fast
• do not show behavior changes over timr

Question 29

longitudinal

Answer 29

• same participants studied over a substantial time period
• unpractical, expensive
• shows change/stability over time

Question 30

microgenetic design

Answer 30

same participants studied repeatedly over a short period
- typically done on the verge of an important change
- do not yield information on stability and change over time

Question 31

sequential design

Answer 31

• multiple cohorts, some over time
• expensive and complicated, but valuable information

Question 32

brain imaging

Answer 32

EEG: measures electrical activity, noninvasive, fast, can be done on infants
NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy): analyzes changes in hemoglobin concentration
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): not portable, difficult for small children