Lecture 1 - Part 1

Question 1

what is the point of developmental psychology

Answer 1

explain developmental change

explain why children behave they do at certain ages

uncover the earliest instances of knowledge in humans

Question 2

what are 4 important issues when conducting developmental research

Answer 2

keeping children engaged in the activity

using wording appropriate for the child’s age / understanding

difficulty in interpreting behaviour

testing preverbal infants is a challenge

Question 3

what does “absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence” mean

Answer 3

a study may not produce evidence of children’s knowledge even if it exists

Question 4

what are the two responses a child has to a cognitive task

Answer 4

competence & performance

Question 5

what is competence

Answer 5

a conceptual understanding required to solve the problem

Question 6

what is performance

Answer 6

other cognitive skills required to access and express their understanding