Lecture 1- Basic Concepts and Methods Flashcards
The scientific study of age-related changes in our bodies, behaviour, thinking, emotions, social relationships, and personalities.
Human Development
True or False
Human Development happens throughout the entire lifespan (conception to death)
True
History of Lifespan Development
- Child Development started with Charles Darwin
- Child Study Movement
- Child Development Movement
- Developmental Psychology
- Lifespan Developmental Psychology- Paul Baltes
It is the naturalistic observation of children
watching children in their natural habitat and see what they can do and how they’re developing.
Child Study Movement
In this movement, there is psychometric studies of what children can do. They are creating these catalogs of norms (at what age could children do certain things)
They are starting to measure things
Child Development Movement
This history of Psychology was only studying children (birth to adolescent)
Developmental Psychology
Who is the father of Lifespan Developmental Psychology?
Paul Baltes
Development happens across the lifespan
Lifespan Developmental Psychology
Paul Baltes proposed the _____ _______ with compensation (SOC model)
Selective optimization with compensation
This is the reason why people can have stability and enhancement into old age ( experience matters)
Selective optimization
Who proposed that there is stability (things that remain stable) and there are things that enhance with age?
Paul Baltes
What declines with age?
-physical features
-eyesight
-memory
-cognitive ability
-mobility
What enhances with age?
-Knowledge
-Vocabulary
-Crystallized knowledge
What are the 4 key principles to the study of development?
- History and context
- Plasticity
- Multiple Causality
- Multi-directionality
In this principle in the study of development, all individuals develop within a certain set of circumstances that are influenced by the time in which we live as well as the culture in which we live.
History and context
What is an example of Plasticity?
You can improve older people’s memory by teaching them mnemonic strategies that they can practice and they can have exceptional memory
You can teach old dogs new tricks
True or False
It is possible to improve functioning at any age, Many skills can be taught or will improve with practice throughout one’s life, although there are some limits to the degree of improvement.
TRUE
In ____ ______ the idea is how an individual develops is shaped by biological, psychological, sociocultural, and life cycle factors.
Multiple Causality
True or False for Multi-directionality
Development can involve both increases and decreases and this varies not only within persona but from person to person as well. As people gain in one area life expertise, for example, they may lose in other areas such as cognitive processing speed.
True
In this approach, it guides us how we think about development.
Focus on children and the role of adults in shaping development
Philosophical approaches
What are the three historical philosophical perspectives?
- Original sin
- The blank slate
- Innate goodness
In this historical philosophical perspective, it is the responsibility of the parent to raise children that are mindful and behaved in morally acceptable ways.
This states that you are born with a selfish and stubborn nature
Original Sin
Who proposed that the mind of a child is a blank slate and they need to be shaped by parents?
a. Charles Darwin
b. John Locke
c. Paul Baltes
John Locke
IN this historical philosophical perspective, parents are supposed to be role models of good behaviours and the child;s inherent predisposition is neutral
The blank slate
This is the historical philosophical perspective that states that everybody is born with innate goodness. The job of the parents is to nurture them and protect all those corruptive influences of society
Innate Goodness
This approach in thinking about development uses data to understand development
Scientific approaches
Who understood the development of the human species by studying child development?
a. Charles Darwin
b. Arnold Gesell
c. Paul Baltes
Charles Darwin
Who identified norms, or the average ages at which milestones happen?
a. Charles Darwin
b. Arnold Gesell
c. G. Stanley Hall
G. Stanley Hall
Who suggested the existence of a genetically programmed sequential pattern of change, termed maturation?
a. Arnold Gesell
b. Charles Darwin
c. Jean Piaget
Arnold Gesell
He described 4 stages in the development of logical thinking between birth and adolescence
a. Jean Piaget
b. G. Stanley Hall
c. Charles Darwin
Jean Piaget
What are the 3 domains of development?
Physical (changes in shape, size and characteristics of the body, can also be genetics)
Cognitive (changes in thinking, memory problem-solving and other intellectual skills
Social Personality (changes in variables associated with the relationship of an individual to others
This concept of development states that age-related change (development) is quantitative ( a change in amount or degree)
development consists only of additions
Example: height
Continuity
This concept of development states that age-related change (development) is qualitative (changes in characteristic, kind, type)
Development involves reorganization or emergence of wholly new strategies, qualities, or skills
Ex: stages- butterfly starts as an egg and transforms into caterpillar
Discontinuity
Who proposed that the children’s cognition became qualitatively different (they start thinking in different ways as they learn)
Piaget
What are the three categories that classify age-related changes?
- universal changes (everyone around the world)
- group-specific changes (groups of people who develop in similar way that are different in different groups)
- individual differences (one person)
These changes are common to every individual in a species and are linked to specific ages
Some changes happen because of the genetically programmed maturing process
Universal changes
Ex: Puberty happens around the same age in Canada as in CHina as in Germany
It is a set of age norms that defines a sequence of normal life experience
Things that we do on different times in our lives (learn how to walk, learn math, go to school, get married, retire)
Social clock
This type of changes are shared by all individuals in a particular group growing up together
Group-specific changes
True or False
Culture shapes development and our ideas about what normal development is
TRUE
_____ describes groups of individuals born within some fairly narrow band of years who share the same historical experiences at the same times in their lives.
Cohort
eX: Cohort that have COVID school
People who grew up during war vs. today
This change result form unique, unshared events
Individual changes
It is a span of months or years during which a child may be particularly responsive to specific forms of experience or particularly influenced by their absence.
Ex: attachment in children (usually happens in infancy but could happen later
Sensitive period
This is a subset of the sensitive period, where there is specific period in development when an individual is especially sensitive to the presence (or absence) of some particular kind of experience.
If that experience does not occur in that specific period of time then normal development can not happen
Study: blindfolded cats experiment
Critical period
This development deviates form the typical developmental pathway.
Ex: winning a lottery, losing a limb
Atypical development
This concept of development involves genes and hereditary factors such as physical appearance and personality characteristics
Nature
This concept of development involves environmental variables such as childhood experiences, how we were raised ,social relationships ,surrounding culture
Nurture
What model states there is a complex reciprocal interactions of nature and nurture?
Interactionist model
True or False
The vulnerabilities and protective factors a child is born with interact with the child’s environment
TRUE
Studies of Canadian children have shown that a combination of a highly vulnerable child and a poor or unsupportive environment produces by far the most ____ outcome
negative
What are the four goals that lifestyle developmentalists achieve when they the use scientific method?
- Describe- simply state what happens during development
- Explain- use theories to tell why a particular event occurs.
- Predict- use theories to generate hypotheses that researchers can test.
- Influence- use scientific research to enhance development of individuals.
Two research types are
Correlational research (descriptive)
Experimental research
-developmental research designs
It is the direction and strength of a relationship between two variables
Correlation
True or False
Correlational studies can identify relationships and make predictions
TRUE
True or False
Correlational studies can’t tell us about cause and effect
TRUE
What are the three components of correlational studies?
- The researcher measures one variable (X), such as people’s birth order
- The researcher measures a second variable (Y), such as a personality trait
- The researcher statistically determines whether X and Y are related.
Correlations are mathematically described by a ______coefficient
correlation
As height increases, weight increases.
This is an example of a ____ relationship
a. positive
b. negative
Positive
As the hours of daylight decrease, the number of symptoms of depression increase
This is an example of a _____ relationship
a. positive
b. negative
Negative
What are the 3 advantages of using Correlational methods?
- show strength of relationship present
- can be used to make predictions about variables
- identifies ‘real-world’ associations
What are the 3 disadvantages of using correlational methods?
- can’t assume cause-effect relationship exists
- relationships may be die to a third unmeasurable variable
- shows an association NOT a cause
Hormone replacement therapy and coronary artery disease
Women on hormone replacement therapy were less likely to have coronary artery disease.
This is because these women have money to buy healthy food, workout, etc.
Turns out that hormone replacement therapy actually increases your risk of heart disease.
Money is an example of a _______?
Third variable Problem
What are the 5 types of Correlational Methods?
- Naturalistic observation- observe people in their natural habitat
- Ethnography- you are a participant observer.
- Case studies
- Survey research
- Psychological methods- CAT scan, fMRI, …
This research is used to determine cause and effect
Experimental research
This is the variable that is being manipulated
Independent variable
This is the variable that is being measured
Dependent variable
Why is age not a true independent variable?
It cannot be manipulated
This developmental research design compare groups on predetermined characteristics.
It is not possible to randomly assign people to different stages of development
Quasi-experimental
Three types of studies that measure developmental change
- Cross-sectional studies
- longitudinal studies
- sequential studies
In this type of design, data are gathered from multiple groups/ cohorts of people (e.g., 50 yr olds, 60 yr olds) at one point of time, taking a cross-section of the population.
It is also the cheapest and easiest method to use
Crossectional Designs
The confound in a crossectional design is ____
Cohort (group with shared characteristic)
In this type of design data are collected on the same group of people, on the same measurements, at multiple points in time
EX: Nun study- most well-known example of this type of design - the nuns live the same, have same experiences
Problem: Generalization
Longitudinal designs
What is the confound in a longitudinal design?
Time of measurement
What are the 4 M’s or reason why people drop out of longitudinal studies?
Motivation
Mobility
Morbidity
Mortality
This means when ceasing to participate in a longitudinal study indicates that these participants are not necessarily representative of the sample they were supposed to represent
Selective attrition
This refers to individuals gradually lose cognitive abilities as they draw closer to death
Terminal decline/ drop
True or False
IN a crossectional sequence design if you see the same pattern across cohort comparisons, then the difference you see is less likely to be due to “cohort”
TRUE
True or False
IN a longitudinal design, if you see the same pattern across different longitudinal sequences, then the difference you see is not likely due to time of measurement.
TRUE
what are the 5 common ethical guidelines in research?
- Protection from harm
- Informed consent
- Confidentiality
- Knowledge of results
- Deception, if used, must be explained fully
The stages Piaget described and the theory he proposed to explain them became the foundation of modern
a. psycho-dynamic psychology.
b. genetic-developmental psychology.
c. cognitive-developmental psychology.
d. nature-nurture theory.
C
The average infant can lift her head from a flat surface at 2.5 months, can sit alone at 5.5 months, and can stand alone at 11 months. These developmental milestones are known as
a. markers.
b. norms.
c. goals.
d. stages.
B
he first organized studies of human development were
a. genetic-sectional studies.
b. sequential studies.
c. questionnaires.
d. baby biographies.
D
According to the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
a. all human beings are naturally good and seek out experiences that help them to grow.
b. development is predetermined and occurs regardless of practice, training, or effort.
c. all humans are born with a selfish nature, and even when d. people do good works, it is for selfish reasons.
the mind of a child is a “blank slate” that can be written by adults into whatever they want.
A
The philosophical approach known as _________________ postulates that the mind of a child is a blank slate.
a. innate goodness
b. original sin
c. the interactionist model
d. empiricism
D
Paul Baltes proposed that
a. as human beings age, they adopt strategies that help them maximize gains and compensate for losses.
b. the important changes in development are the ones that occur early in life.
c. the most important domain of development is the cognitive domain.
d. adults are unable to compensate for physical losses as they age.
A
Scientists who study the changes in thinking, memory, problem-solving, and other intellectual skills are interested in the ____________________ of development.
a. interdisciplinary domain
b. social domain
c. psychosocial domain
d. cognitive domain
D
Each culture has _________________ that define(s) a sequence of normal life experiences.
a. sensitive periods
b. maturational rules
c. a social clock
d. critical periods
C
Historical events such as World Wars I and II, the advent of universal health care in Canada, and the internet revolution had an impact on all children growing up at that point in historical time. Such a group of individuals is known as a
a. culture.
b. comparison group.
c. sample group.
d. cohort.
D
Because inborn vulnerabilities and protective factors interact with a child’s environment,
a. the same environment has the same effects in spite of the characteristics the child brings to the interaction.
b. it is difficult to find any evidence of continuity in development.
c. any combination of vulnerabilities and protective factors is likely to produce the same effect.
d. the same environment can have quite different effects, depending on the characteristics that the child brings to the interaction.
D
Based on a solid theory of development, scientists can
a. identify descriptive statements about development.
b. make policy changes.
c. shape and influence the results of an experiment.
d. generate predictions or hypotheses that can be tested.
D
One of the weaknesses of using naturalistic observation as a research method is that
a. participants may drop out and create a bias in the results.
b. it is difficult to compose the equivalent groups needed for the research.
c. this method cannot be used to test hypotheses.
d. the researcher’s biases and preconceptions may bias the observations.
D
___________ attempt to overcome the shortcomings of both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs.
a. Cohort studies
b. Sequential designs
c. Naturalistic observations
d. Case studies
B
In 1971 Canada was the first nation in the world to make______________ an official policy, which has played an important role in cross-cultural research.
a. multiculturalism
b. research-based social policy
c. ethnographic research
d. Indigenous peoples reparations
A
Under the ethical guidelines that researchers follow, informed consent involves
a. the guarantee that the identity of the participants will be protected.
b. making the participants aware of any potential risks associated with the research.
c. letting the participants know about any deception used in the research as soon as the study is over.
d. making sure that no permanent physical or psychological harm occurs to the participants.
B
Which of the following thinkers believed that humans are selfish by nature and must seek spiritual rebirth through religious training?
a. Augustine of Hippo
b. Eli Hoenshel
c. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
d. John Locke
A
The idea that studying children’s development might help scientists understand the development of the human species was proposed by
a. Charles Darwin.
b. John Locke.
c. Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
d. Martin Buber.
A
If development occurs in stages in which new strategies, qualities, or skills emerge, then development is considered to
a. be continuous.
b. involve both nature and nurture.
c. be contextual.
d. be discontinuous.
D
Developmental delays, extreme aggressiveness, and compulsive gambling are all examples of
a. atypical development.
b. psychotic conditions. c. biologically based abnormalities.
d. contextual problems in development.
A
By far the most negative outcomes for a child are the result of a
a. combination of high vulnerability and an adverse environment.
b. highly vulnerable childhood.
c. poor or unsupportive environment.
d. combination of low vulnerability and an unsupportive school environment.
A
Cross-sectional research
a. is a time-consuming and expensive way to conduct research.
b. cannot tell us about the consistency of individual behaviour over time.
c. does not incorporate age into its research design.
d. measures the same individual subjects repeatedly over time.
B
Which correlation below indicates most strongly that if variable A goes up, variable B will go down?
a. +0.95
b. –0.83
c. +0.75
d. –1.10
B
Why is it important that participants be randomly assigned to an experimental group?
a. With random assignment, the groups are not going to differ on the dependent variable.
b. Random assignment results in more naturalistic observations.
c. With random assignment, the groups have equal amounts of variation on characteristics that might affect the outcome of the experiment.
d. With random assignment, a correlation can be calculated.
C
Cross-cultural research is different from other research in that you can
a. identify negative influences on development.
b. rule out variables that are unimportant.
c. begin to identify universal changes that affect all individuals.
d. distinguish the impact of biological from environmental factors.
C
