L1

Question 1

2 kinds of development

Answer 1

continuous (quantitative) and discontinuous (qualitative)

Question 2

Discontinuous development

Answer 2

• change can be rapid with qualitatively different stages across the lifespan
• changes in kind (e.g. new features emerging and old ones disappearing)
• supported by “stage theorists”

Question 3

What do stage theorists propose?

Answer 3

a baby is a fundamentally different creature from a kid, thus they think/act in fundamentally different ways

Question 4

Continuous development

Answer 4

• change is uniform and gradual with quantitative differences
• changes in amount (e.g. gaining weight, growing taller)
• supported by “continuity theorists”

Question 5

What do continuity theorists propose?

Answer 5

everyone has a universal way of thinking/acting and kids just think/act less or less well (i.e. they’re immature adults)

Question 6

Plato’s argument on development

a nativist

Answer 6

body traps a fully-formed soul with concepts or ideas about the world from birth as a result of these souls having encountered these ideas in heaven before they are born

Question 7

Aristotle’s argument on development

an empiricist

Answer 7

all knowledge is gained through experience and child-rearing must fit to the situation/needs of the child

Question 8

John Locke’s argument on development

an empiricist

Answer 8

nothing is innate and the human mind starts as a “tabula rasa” or blank slate with knowledge being gained through experience

Question 9

Locke’s approach to parenting

an empiricist

Answer 9

good parenting is necessary to cultivate character in children then parents can become more lenient when children get older

Question 10

Rousseau’s approach to parenting

a nativist

Answer 10

children should be given freedom to learn on their own and be given education once they have discernment at the age of reason (12)

otherwise, risk of corrupting inherent “noble savage”

Question 11

Descartes’ argument on development

a nativist

Answer 11

some ideas come from experience but some are inborn and unlearned (e.g. god, infinity, substance)

Question 12

Nativist approach

Answer 12

• nature accounts for both how we are the same (same genes) and how we are different (different genes)
• change occurs via maturation

Question 13

Maturation (Gesell)

Answer 13

• traits that distinguish people are present from birth and the development of differences is a result of internal factors (i.e. differences in genes)
• must reach certain maturational stages before learning can influence behavior

Question 14

Empiricist approach

Answer 14

from a blank slate, nurture accounts for both how we are the same (common experiences) and how we are different (different experiences)

Question 15

Epigenetics

Answer 15

how the environment influences the expression of our genes (i.e. the proteins that turn gene activity on and off)

can result in enduring changes in emotion, cognition, and behavior that may be passed down generations

Question 16

2 perspectives of the structure of the mind

Answer 16

domain-general and domain-specific

Question 17

Domain-general mind

Answer 17

an all-purpose mind that constitutes mechanisms that interact with one another and support learning broadly

e.g. associative learning, memory, executive functioning

Question 18

Domain-specific mind

Answer 18

a modular mind made of separate mechanisms that support learning within individual domains

e.g. face-detection systems, numerical reasoning systems, emotion system

Question 19

Are children active or passive participants in their own development?

Answer 19

they are active participants in their own development from birth as they engage with their surroundings and express internal motivation to learn

e.g. having visual and auditory preferences, crib speech

Question 20

Inoculation theory

Answer 20

set babies on the right path during early childhood to protect them from potential issues and stability will follow

Question 21

What do change theorists argue about development?

Answer 21

humans are plastic throughout life and we change through experience or when our environment changes

Question 22

Outcomes of toddlers who succeed vs fail the Marshmallow Test

Answer 22

• those who wait show better coping, job security, SAT scores
• those who don’t show spousal anger and aggression

Question 23

What is the role of context in informing wait times during The Marshmallow Test?

Answer 23

kids in reliable environments waited a longer time on average than kids in unreliable environments

in reliable environments, experimenters did what they said they would do

Question 24

What does Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory explain?

Answer 24

how different aspects of one’s social and cultural context influence development

Question 25

4 ecological systems Bronfenbrenner’s theory

Answer 25

1. Microsystem (child)
2. Mesosystem (family, peers, school, church)
3. Exosystem (media, neighbors, social services, local politics)
4. Macrosystem (culture, social class, law)

Question 26

Critical period

Answer 26

• windows of time when development must or should occur if it’s going to occur at all
• or when brain development is most susceptible to variations in experience or conditions

Examples:
* mother-newborn bonding in the first few minutes
* building trust in the first few years
* language learning is easier earlier in life

Question 27

Dynamic systems theory

Answer 27

behaviors emerge as a result of multiple, independent systems

e.g. walking emerges from the development of abilities like balancing on one leg and planning for changes in terrainv

Question 28

Developmental cascade

Answer 28

achievements that occur at one point in development have effects at a later point, even in a different area of development

e.g. walking and talking