Introduction Flashcards
What does development aim to do?
Describe developmental change
Explain
Predict
What are the 4 aspects of brain development?
growth/ increase in size
Increase in folding of the brain
synaptic connections
neuron structure & myelination
What is developmental change?
a developmental phenomenon (instantiated via different processes)
In considering the nature of developmental change we want to know whether it is?
Qualitative (stage like) vs quantitative (continuous)
Domain- specific (local) vs domain general (global)
Developmental change is typically shaped together by what ?
Nature (inheritance) vs nurture)
Describe the empiricism perspective
Intuition
no biases toward acquiring particular kinds of information is present at birth.
All knowledge is built up by forming associations
Describe the nativism perspective
Some elements of our cognitive toolkit are provided by our genetic inheritance
There are specialised learning mechanisms tailored for particular types of information
What is an argument in favour of the nativist perspective
Number discrimination at birth
Describe the Comparative & evolutionary perspective
Different organisms encounter similar challenges during development
Particular trait emerged though the process of natural selection
Describe the cross cultural perspective
Asks which aspects of development remain relatively stable despite cultural differences
Neuroscience perspective
Asks how brain development guides and/or constraints psychological development
What is a longitudinal study?
the same group of people is studied at various time intervals
What is a cross sectional study?
A different group of people is studied at each age of interest
What is a sequential approach
Combines features of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs to overcome certain limitations by enabling cross- cohort comparisons
What are the Hypotheses derived from attachment theory?
Universality and normativity
Continuity
Sensitivity
Competence
What is universality and normativity
all infants will become attached to one or more caregivers, secure attachment is common
What is continuity
Patterns of attachment are stable over the lifespan
What is sensitivity
Early attachment security is dependant on caregivers responsiveness to children’s signals
What is competence
Secure attachment leads to positive outcomes in a variety of domains
