Lifespan

Question 1

what is the biopsychosocial model?

Answer 1

Psychology a biopsychosocial model to understand behaviour. It is characterised into three categories. Biological factors- genetics, exercise, diet
psychological factors- coping strategies, cognition
social factors- family, friends, stigma in society

Question 2

what is the difference between continuous and discontinuous development?

Answer 2

continuous- development that is gradual and ongoing.

discontinuous- development involves distinct and seperate changes. eg) Piaget’s theory

Question 3

what are the four areas of development?

Answer 3

biological (physical), social, cognitive, emotional.
biological; hormone changes, brain, muscles
social; ability to form and maintain relationships, social skills
emotional; change in feelings and how we express them, interpret emotions
cognitive; problem solving, memory, perception

Question 4

what is a longitudinal study?

Answer 4

longitudinal- observes the same group of individuals over an extended period of time

Question 5

what is a cross-sectional study?

Answer 5

cross-sectional- compares groups or individuals of different ages at the same time.

Question 6

what is qualitative data?

Answer 6

Uses “words” to describe development
Focus on changes in the way children think, behave, and perceive the world differently as they mature
E.g. the way that a child develops walking.. First they roll over, then they shuffle, then they crawl, then they walk with assistance, then they walk on their own

Question 7

what is quantitative data?

Answer 7

Measure using numbers
Refers to the changes children encounter as they acquire more knowledge and grow physically larger and stronger
Can observe these changes objectively, therefore count them using numerical quantities
E.g. increases in height

Question 8

what is the nature vs. nurture debate?

Answer 8

nature vs nurture debate refers to the influences that shape a child’s development and life. Nature- more to do with how genetics may be passed down from parents or your family and impacts how you develop. nurture- the way you were brought up and how you were treated throughout your childhood.

Question 9

what are ethical considerations?

Answer 9

ethics refer to the written standards that guide individuals or groups to identify good, desirable or acceptable conduct.

Question 10

why are ethics important?

Answer 10

to ensure that the psychological and physical wellbeing of research participants is protected during their involvement in psychological research.

Question 11

what are the ethical considerations of using children in research?

Answer 11

the ethical considerations for researching children may be more strict as children are easily influenced as they have not developed fully, therefore they are considered vulnerable. Ethical considerations include; permission, confidentiality, voluntary participation, debriefing, right to withdraw, no physical or psychological harm.

Question 12

what are the ethical responsibilities of the researcher?

Answer 12

under no circumstance allowed to conduct research that will cause psychological harm or distress on participants, must be trained and qualified, must be appropriate, look after participants safely, ensure participants are aware of their rights

Question 13

what ethical issues did we see in the Three Identical Strangers documentary?

Answer 13

The triplets were separated at birth without knowing, they were deceived and lied to, no accurate reporting- they needed to be published, debriefing - none of the boys were debriefed on the experiment, the researchers put their scientific needs before the needs of the kids

Question 14

what is self-understanding and self awareness?

Answer 14

involves being aware of different aspects of the self including traits, behaviours, and feelings.

Question 15

what is attachment and why is it important to an infant’s development?

Answer 15

Attachment is the first way that babies learn to organise their feelings and their actions, by looking to the person who provides them with care and comfort.

Attachment also helps your child learn how to trust other people, so it’s an important part of developing healthy relationships later in life.

Question 16

what did Harlow’s monkeys teach us about bonding between a parent and child?

Answer 16

Attachment develops as a result of the mother providing “tactile comfort,” suggesting that infants have an innate (biological) need to touch and cling to something for emotional comfort.

Question 17

what area of development does Piaget’s Theory focus on?

Answer 17

cognitive development

Question 18

what is a schema and how are they helpful?

Answer 18

A schema is a building block of knowledge. They help us interpret information and build on to it. eg) being a baby and you knock your head on a table, your then realise that the table is hard and it will hurt, therefore you are more aware of it.

Question 19

what is adaptation?

Answer 19

adaptation- the process of growing or changing our schema’s

Question 20

what is assimilation?

Answer 20

assimilation- the process of taking new information and fitting it in to an existing idea

Question 21

what is accomodation?

Answer 21

accomodation- the process of changing an existing idea

Question 22

stage 1 of piaget’s theory and cognitive abilities?

Answer 22

sensorimotor
object permanence- the idea that objects still exist even though you cannot physically see them
goal directed behaviour- refers to behaviour with a purpose. That if you do “something” “something else” will happen.

Question 23

stage 2 of piaget’s theory and cognitive abilities?

Answer 23

preoperational
animism- the belief that every object has it’s own consciousness
egocentric thinking/behaviour- seeing things from only your perspective
symbolic thinking- being able to use words and pictures for places and objects

Question 24

stage 3 of piaget’s theory and cognitive abilities?

Answer 24

concrete operational
logical thinking- refers to proper reasonable way of thinking about something
conservation- refers to the idea that an objects mass, volume and area remains the same, even though it has changed appearance

Question 25

stage 4 of piaget’s theory and cognitive abilities?

Answer 25

formal operational
hypothetical thinking- using deductive reasoning to problem solve and draw conclusions
abstract thinking- refers to a way of thinking without having to visually see something

Question 26

what is one strength and one weakness of piaget’s theory

Answer 26

strength- People’s view of a child’s world, as well as their methods of study, changed. This prompted further research in the field by researchers who were inspired hence more understanding.

weakness- research over the years has shown that not all children develop from one stage to the next, therefore disputing the theory. Rather, development doesn’t occur in stages but is a continuous process.

Question 27

what area of development does erikson’s theory focus on?

Answer 27

social development

Question 28

discuss one example of a psychosocial crisis that could occur during childhood?

Answer 28

autonomy vs shame and doubt

Question 29

discuss one example of a psychosocial crisis that could occur during adolescence?

Answer 29

identity vs role confusion

Question 30

one example of a psychosocial crisis that could occur during adulthood?

Answer 30

generativity vs stagnation

Question 31

list the 8 stages of eriksons theory and age

Answer 31

trust vs mistrust (0-18 months) 
autonomy vs shame and doubt (2-3) 
initiative vs guilt (3-5)
industry vs inferiority (6-11)
identity vs role confusion (12-18)
intimacy vs isolation (19-40)
generativity vs stagnation (40-65) 
integrity vs despair (65-death)

Question 32

explain 2 stages of eriksons theory in detail

Answer 32

identity vs role confusion- teenagers develop a sense of self and personal identity. Parents and family members continue to exert an influence on how teens feel about themselves, but outside forces also become particularly important during this time. Friends, social groups, schoolmates, societal trends, and even popular culture all play a role in shaping and forming an identity.

success leads to a strong sense of identity and staying true to yourself

failure leads to experiencing role confusion and struggling to identity who they are, where they belong and what their life entails.

Question 33

what is one strength and one weakness of eriksons theory

Answer 33

strengths;

• emphasises on interaction of biological and social influences.
• Describes changes across lifespan in depth; helps to interpret major changes that we experience.
• recognises the important influences on an individual such as family, friendships, school, work etc.
• describes how healthy, positive social development is achieved

weaknesses;

• Fails to address differences in social development between males and females
• Lacks empirical evidence to support claims
• Vague and difficult to test