Intro To Child Psychology Flashcards
What is developmental psychology?
The study of human growth and changes across the lifespan including physical, cognitive, social, intellectual, perceptual, personality, and emotional growth.
Developmental psychology examines how individuals develop and adapt throughout various life stages.
Why do we study developmental psychology?
To learn how people grow, develop, and adapt at different life stages, providing insight into the various stages of development and how to support healthy development across the lifespan.
This field helps us understand the factors influencing development.
What is child psychology?
A subset of developmental psychology, focusing on conception through adolescence.
Child psychology examines the period of life where the most development occurs.
How does studying child psychology help us?
1: Understand Yourself
2: Be a responsible parent or adult in a child’s life
3: Work with children
4: Protect children’s rights
These aspects emphasize the importance of child psychology in personal and social contexts.
What does physical development involve?
Growth of the body and the development of both fine and gross motor skills.
Physical development is one of the three main domains of child development.
What are the three domains of child development?
Physical, Intellectual, and Social-Emotional Development
What is intellectual development?
Includes how people think and learn and how people express what they know through a variety of methods, especially language.
Intellectual development is crucial for understanding cognitive growth in children.
What does social-emotional development concern?
Interactions with people and social groups, disposition, and emotions.
This domain highlights the importance of social skills and emotional well-being in children.
Fill in the blank: Child psychology is a subset of _______.
[developmental psychology]
True or False: Developmental psychology only focuses on physical growth.
False
Developmental psychology encompasses physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth.
What is the difference between heredity and environment in the context of growth and development?
Heredity refers to traits inherited from blood relatives, while environment encompasses the conditions surrounding a child as they develop.
What role does heredity play in a child’s development?
Heredity provides trait potential that can influence growth and development.
What factors comprise the environment affecting a child’s development?
Physical and social environment.
How do heredity and environment work together?
They combine to shape individuals, with inherited potential influenced by environmental factors.
What is an example of the interplay between heredity and environment?
Potential intelligence is inherited, but nutrition, rest, and quality of experiences affect whether this potential is realized.
True or False: Interactions between heredity and environment are one-way.
False
What is the epigenome?
A set of chemicals that can turn genes on or off, influenced by both positive and negative factors.
What are the longest-lasting effects on the epigenome?
Experiences occurring from conception to 12 months.
What principle states that traits children exhibit today will be traits they will exhibit in adulthood?
Constant development.
Fill in the blank: Growth is often ______ but is constantly occurring.
slow
What principle indicates that individuals change at different times and rates?
Happens at Different Rates.
What principle suggests that certain steps and milestones occur in the same order for most people?
Sequential development.
What does the principle of interrelated development imply?
All principles interact with each other in complex ways and affect one another.
Who is the principal theorist of the Maturational theory?
Arnold Gesell
What does the Maturational theory emphasize as determinants of physical and intellectual development?
Heredity and biological maturation
Which theorist is associated with the Psychoanalytic theory of child development?
Sigmund Freud
What are the three parts of the mind according to Freud’s Psychoanalytic theory?
ID, Ego, Superego
List the five stages of development in Freud’s theory.
- Oral
- Anal
- Phallic
- Latent
- Genital
Who developed the Psychosocial theory of development?
Erik Erikson
What is the main focus of Erikson’s Psychosocial theory?
Conflicts between a child’s needs and social demands
What is the psychosocial crisis/task for infants aged 0-18 months?
Trust vs. Mistrust
What do infants develop if their needs are dependably met?
A basic sense of trust
What is the psychosocial crisis/task for toddlers aged 18 months to 3 years?
Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
What do toddlers learn during the Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt stage?
To exercise will and do things for themselves
What is the psychosocial crisis/task for preschoolers aged 3-5 years?
Initiative vs. Guilt
What do preschoolers learn during the Initiative vs. Guilt stage?
To initiate tasks and carry out plans
What is the psychosocial crisis/task for children aged 5-13 years?
Industry vs. Inferiority
What do children learn during the Industry vs. Inferiority stage?
The pleasure of applying themselves to tasks
What is the psychosocial crisis/task for teens aged 13-21 years?
Identity vs. Confusion
What do teens work on during the Identity vs. Confusion stage?
Refining a sense of self by testing roles
What is the psychosocial crisis/task for young adults aged 21-40 years?
Intimacy vs. Isolation
What struggle do young adults face during the Intimacy vs. Isolation stage?
Forming close relationships
What is the psychosocial crisis/task for middle-aged adults aged 40-65 years?
Generativity vs. Stagnation
What do middle-aged adults discover during the Generativity vs. Stagnation stage?
A sense of contributing to the world
What is the psychosocial crisis/task for older adults aged 65 years and above?
Integrity vs. Despair
What feelings may older adults experience when reflecting on their life during the Integrity vs. Despair stage?
A sense of satisfaction or failure
Who are the principal theorists associated with behaviorism?
B.F. Skinner and Albert Bandura
Other theorists may also contribute to this field.
What is the main focus of behaviorism?
How the environment affects observable behaviors
This perspective does not consider internal changes such as personality.
What are the key concepts studied in behaviorism?
Reinforcement and extinction
Reinforcement makes behaviors stronger, while extinction stops them.
Name the three main theories associated with behaviorism.
- Operant Conditioning
- Social Learning Theory
- Classical Conditioning
Who is the principal theorist of Cognitive-Developmental theory?
Jean Piaget
He lived from 1896 to 1980.
What is Piaget’s belief about children’s thinking?
Children think differently at different ages
He believed children construct their knowledge through experiences.
What are the three key processes in Piaget’s theory?
- Schemas
- Accommodation
- Assimilation
List the four stages of cognitive development according to Piaget.
- Sensorimotor (birth-2 years)
- Preoperational (2-7 years)
- Concrete Operational (7-11 years)
- Formal Operational (12+ years)
Who is the principal theorist associated with Sociocultural theory?
Lev Vygotsky
He lived from 1896 to 1934.
What is Vygotsky’s disagreement with Piaget’s theory?
Children do not totally construct their own knowledge
He believed much knowledge is socially constructed.
What are the key concepts in Vygotsky’s theory?
- Scaffolding
- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
Who is the principal theorist of Ecological Systems theory?
Urie Bronfenbrenner
He lived from 1917 to 2005.
What influences development according to Bronfenbrenner?
Heredity and the environment
This includes family, friends, schools, and health services.
What does Bronfenbrenner’s theory highlight about child development?
The many contexts (systems) affect child development
It emphasizes indirect environments such as families’ workplaces and general culture.
Fill in the blank: Piaget’s stages of cognitive development include Sensorimotor, Preoperational, ________, and Formal Operational.
Concrete Operational
Who is the principal theorist behind Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
Maslow’s work is foundational in psychology, especially regarding human motivation.
What is self-actualization in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?
All needs have been fulfilled to some degree
Self-actualization represents the realization of an individual’s potential and self-fulfillment.
What need is associated with the desire to be liked and respected?
Esteem
Esteem needs include both self-esteem and the esteem one receives from others.
What is the need for support, assurance, praise, and acceptance called?
Love and Acceptance
This need emphasizes the importance of social relationships in human development.
What is the need to feel safe in one’s surroundings?
Security
Security needs encompass physical and emotional safety.
What are the basic physical needs according to Maslow?
Air, water, food, clothing, shelter, medical care
These are the fundamental requirements for human survival.
Who were the principal theorists behind Brazelton and Greenspan’s Irreducible Needs?
T. Berry Brazelton (1918-2019) and Stanley I. Greenspan (1941-2010)
Their work focuses on the developmental needs of children.
List the 7 Irreducible Needs identified by Brazelton and Greenspan.
- Ongoing nurturing relationships
- Physical protection, safety, and regulation
- Experiences tailored to individual differences
- Experiences that are developmentally appropriate
- Limit setting, structure, and expectations
- Stable communities cultural continuity
- Protecting the future
These needs highlight essential aspects of child development and well-being.
True or False: Theories in psychology are perfect and without limitations.
False
Theories are subject to limitations based on environmental factors, biases, and the prevailing knowledge of the time.
What factors can limit psychological theories?
Environmental surroundings, bias, knowledge/social norms of the time
Understanding these limitations is crucial for interpreting psychological research.
What has validated the theories of Maslow, Brazelton, and Greenspan?
Thorough study by countless psychologists through scientific study
Despite their limitations, these theories have been extensively researched and supported.
