Introduction To Developmental Psychology Flashcards
define developmental psychology
the study of the development of human behaviour and psychological processes (the series of changes is age related)
define a theory
an established model for how and why a given phenomenon occurs (i.e. an explanation of observed regularities)
define a phenomenon
a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen
simplify the stimulus response theory
human behaviour is a result of response to stimuli (except most basic reflexes which are genetically inherited)
how are other behaviours learnt according to the SR theory?
-passive learning from contingencies in environment
-trial and error + reinforcement (CC/OC)
define instrumental conditioning
you learn through trial and error so the chances of producing a particular behaviour is determined by past outcomes (rewards/punishments)
explain the process of Edward Tolman’s rat maze
1.day 1 placed in a maze wanders until the food box is found then repeated every 24 hours.
2.rat gets to food box quicker with fewer errors by learning e.g. entrance to dead ends and especially if food is actually in food box and/or the rat is hungry
what were the findings of Edward Tolman’s rat maze?
-experienced rats learned faster when food/reward was introduced on day 11 than rats with no experience
-latent learning about environment occuring without reinforcement so perhaps learning insight based rather than shaped.
explain the cognitive revolution theory
the focus on more complex behaviours in the 50s where internal cognitive processes gained attention.
define nativism
the idea that behaviours can’t be learned and instead is the result of ‘innate knowledge’
influence of Noam Chomsky quote
it’s “harder to explain how schedules of reinforcement might drive development of behaviours such as language”
what were Elizabeth Spelke’s ideas?
-we inherit core knowledge of the physical world
“all humans are born with basic cognitive skills that let them make sense of the world”
‘violation of expectation’ paradigm:supporting evidence for Elizabeth Spelke
-3 month-1 year old infants as sample
-2 possible scenarios:possible scenario (follows laws of physics) OR impossible scenario (breaks law of physics)
-infants looked longer(measurement was looking time) at impossible event concluding they have knowledge of the law as they could not have learned it.
define the innate concepts theory
we have human cognitive modules specialised in the processing of events such as:
Language-Pinker,Chomsky,Gleitman
Object Perception-Spelke,Baillangeon
Moral-Hauser,Mikhail
-however it’s difficult to prove this theory
-the innate starting point is essential BUT some learning has more sophisticated rules with development
define the theory of constructivism
children actively construct a model of the world formed from a change of internal states(Piaget) and shared experiences(Vygotksy)
