Lecture 8: Development Flashcards
Developmental psychology
Examination how individuals grow, change, and stau the same from conception to death
Facts:
1. Main differentiating characteristics from other fields within psych. Change overtime
2. Development is a life long process; from conception to death
Developmental research methods
- Longitudinal studies
- Cross-sectional studies
- Sequential research studies
Longitudinal studies
Following same group of individuals over two or more time periods
Cross-sectional studies
Collecting data from cohorts rather than over time
Sequential research studies
Combining long and cross studies
Types of developmental research
- Correlational
- Experimental
- Qualitative
- Sequential
- Longitude
- Cross-sectional
Correlational
Observe variables as they exist in the world and determine their relations
Experimental
Manipulate independent variable and determine the effect on dependent variable
Qualitative
Examine “lived experience” through in-depth interviews or observation
Sequential
Multiple groups of people are tested over time, based on either multiple long. Or cross designs
Parental period
- Neural plate
- Neural groove
- Neural tube
- Anterior neural fold
Neural plate
21 days after conception, primitive neural tissue that occupies outermost layer of embryonic cells
Neural groove
First fold of neural groove
Anterior neural fold
Closes to form brain
Teratogens
Agents that influence the prenatal environment to disrupt development
Ex:
1. Disease
2. Drugs
3. Environmental
Neuron
Nerve that transmit information
Neurogensis
Creation of new neurons
Synaptogenesis
Process of neurons forming synapses and increase connections
Dendritic arborisation
Extensions of dendritic branching
Synaptic pruning
Reduction in number of synapses
- Begins in infancy and continuing until early adolescence
Programmed cell death
Synapses form, surrounding neurons die
Myelination
Process when neurons are coated in fatty substance, which facilitates neural communication
Facts of brain
- By 2yrs old, brain is 80% developed of adult size
- Large increase in brain weight is during first 3yrs of life
General principles of the brain
- Specialization occurring in early development
- More focused, less diffused
- Diff, brain regions specialize at diff, rates
- Successful specialization req, stim, from enviro
- Lack of specialization in immature brain is good
Types of experience-related aspects of brain development
- Experience-expectant
- Experience-dependent
Experience-expectant
• Requires basic, common experiences that the brain needs in order to develop
• MUST happen for typical brain function and
maturation
Experience-dependent
• Depends on the particular environmental experience
in order to develop
• MIGHT happen to develop specialized skills, talents, and/or abilities
How brain development works
- Synaptic pruning responsible for rational though and executive function
- Connections btwn prefrontal cortex and brain regions strengthen communication, function, and behav, controls
- Dual process model
Dual process model
Limbic system, responsible for emotion
(Has burst of development and responsible for judgement and accounts for adolescent behav.)
Socioemotional perception: TEENS
- Active Limbic system but inactive frontal cortex
- Teens experience emotional activation when viewing facial stimuli compared to adults
- Brain structure influence affective response and interaction with ppl
Risk-taking in teens
- Teens more likely engaged in danger
- Balance of neurotransmitters serotonin + dopamine shift (associate with impulsivity and reward)
- Attraction to novelty and enhanced sensitivity (rewards serve increase to teens vulnerability to lure of drugs & alcohol)
- Maturation + improved connectivity = good executive function
Nervous system facts
- Adulthood brain volume shrinks (dendrites contract + lost = decrease in synapses)
- Declines in prefrontal cortex largely responsive for change in function + judgement
- Myelin losses contribute to cognitive decline
- Aerobic exercise restores brain volume (esp. hippocampus)
Nervous system: older brains
- Structural change (neuronal + myelin) loss throughout old ppl
- Use diff, brain areas to solve problems compared to young people
- Cognitive reserve
- Neurogenesis
Cognitive reserve
Flexible & efficient use of available brain resources that permits cog, efficiency, flex, + adaptability
Piaget theory of cognitive development: Key Terms
- Schema
- Adaptation
- Assimilation
- Accommodation
- Equilibration
Schema
Concept, idea and way of interacting on the world
Adaptation
Building ideas through direct interaction with environment
Assimilation
Usage of pre-existing ideas to interact with the world
Accommodation
Create new or adjust old ideas after realizing our ideas don’t accurately reflect reality
Equilibration
Back and forth mov, btwn equal + disequal
Equilibrium
Little cog, change, more assimilation ideas match outside world relatively well
Disequilibrium
More cognitive change, more accommodation, ideas dont match well with outside world
Example of assimilation and accommodation
Child sees cat - child says “kitty” = assimilation
Child sees hairless cat - child is ???? = accommodation
Piaget facts
- People strive for cognitive equilibrium
(State which ideas are matched with outside world) - Cognitive equilibrium is rare and fleeting
- Cognitive equilibrium is basis for cognitive change
Stages of Piaget theory
- Sensorimotor
- Preoperational
- Concrete operational
- Formal operational
Piaget adopted stage theory
- Based observations of children and how they reason through problems
(Ex: conservation problem) - Children have hard-time understanding concepts outside of their developmental stage
