Introduction + Theories Flashcards
What is hierarchical change?
each change is dependent on the preceding series of changes
What is developmental psychology?
the multidisciplinary study of how people change systematically and how they remain systematically the same over time
What is a theory?
a set of concepts and propositions designed to organize, describe, and explain observations
True or False:
Theories help us understand the mechanisms of how things work.
True
What are the three fundamental questions of developmental psychology?
- Nature vs. Nurture
- Activity vs. Passivity
- Continuity vs. Discontinuity
What is nature?
genetic endowment
What is nurture?
the wide range of environments that influence our development
Which contributes more to development:
nature or nurture?
Both
Every characteristic we possess is developed thru the joint workings of nature and nurture
What is activity?
children make active contributions to their own development
What is passivity?
Children do not make active contributions to their own development and instead have these choices made for them
What is continuity?
Age-related changes that occur gradually
What is discontinuity?
Age-related changes include occasional large shifts so that children of different ages seem qualitatively different
What are John Locke’s contributions to nature vs. nurture?
- supported nurture
- tabula rasa: “blank slate”
- all knowledge comes from experience or perception
What are Jean Jacques Rousseau’s contributions to nature vs. nurture?
- both nature and nurture
- “natural unfolding”
- people grow naturally; no need for parents’ interferences
What is the evolutionary contribution to development?
psychological variation and selection produce changes within an individual lifetime
What is variation?
differences in thought and behavior within and among individuals
What is selection?
the more frequent survival and reproduction of organisms that are well adapted to their environment
What is the psychoanalytic contribution to development?
- we are driven by motives that we are unaware of
- there are enduring effects of early-life experiences
What is the behavioral contribution to development?
conclusions about human behavior should be based only on observable behaviors
