Introduction to Developmental Psychology Flashcards
Define developmental psychology
The study of physical, cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural changes throughout the life span
What are the aims of developmental psychology?
- Describe human development
- Explain human development
- Optimise human development
What is a critical period?
A time in development when a certain experience/stimuli MUST occur for the organism to develop
What is a sensitive period?
A time in development when a certain experience/stimuli SHOULD be experienced for the individual to be more primed or for the development to be more optimised
What does the term senescence describe?
Biological ageing
Explain the debate of ‘Continuity vs Discontinuity’
- Thinks about whether or not we see development as a gradual accumulation
- With continuity, the visual representation would show a linear line continuously moving forward upwards (quantitative changes over time)
- With discontinuity, the visual representation would be more of a step function with qualitative changes at different stages (Piaget, Freud, Erikson)
Explain the debate of ‘Stability vs Change’ in traits
- Stability would be a smaller tree growing into a larger tree (you feel like you are the same person you were when you were 5yo)
- Change would be a caterpillar growing into a butterfly (you feel like you’re an almost-completely different person to when you were 5yo)
- Does a behaviour or trait stay stable over time or change?
- Consideration of the importance of early experiences
Explain Baltes’ Model of Development
Three Types of Influences on Development:
1. Normative age-graded influences
2. Normative history-graded influences
3. Non-normative life events
Explain normative age-graded influences
Puberty, starting school
Explain normative history-graded influences
WWII, natural disasters, COVID-19
Explain non-normative life events
Death of a parent, serious injury
What are the most frequently used research designs for developmental psychology?
- Cross-sectional studies
- Longitudinal studies
- Cohort studies
- Cohort-sequential studies
Explain cross-sectional studies
Different participants with different ages, at the same time
Advantages: Cost-effective and quick
Disadvantages: Individual differences, Cohort effects
Explain longitudinal studies
Same participants, tested more than once at different ages at different times
Disadvantages: High attrition rate, Time-consuming, Viability of RQ at the end of study
Explain cohort studies
Different participants, same ages, different historical times (ex. effect of social media in 20yo born in ‘40, ‘70, ‘00)
Disadvantages: Time-consuming, Danger of research question becoming obsolete
Explain cohort sequential design
Different AND same participants, different AND same ages, different AND same historical times (ex. effect of preschool programmes on children born in 1990, 2000. 2010 AND follow them from 3-12 years of age)
Disadvantages: High attrition rate, Time-consuming, Danger of question becoming obsolete
Explain the debate of ‘Nature vs Nurture’
- Biological: Genetic inheritance
- Environmental: Experiences
How is ‘Nature vs Nurture’ usually studied/observed?
Twin studies
- Monozygotic twins (100% identical)
- Dizygotic or Fraternal twins (50% identical)
Adoption Studies
- Rearing environment from adoptive parents
- Genetic inheritance from biological parents
- Whom do they resemble more?
Explain the more modern, current view on Nature AND Nurture
- Genotype-environment interaction
- You could have the same genetic makeup as someone else but different experiences in your life trigger different developmental processes to make you who you are
Define evolutionary psychology
It asks “Does human ancestry tell us about ourselves now?”
- Spatial mapping -> Hunting and tracking animals
- Remembering locations -> Finding and gathering food
