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Mind and Behaviour > Lifespan Development I > Flashcards

Lifespan Development I Flashcards

1
Q

What is developmental psychology?

A

It looks at the changes that occur throughout a humans life. This begins with the newly fertilised ovum, all the way through to old age. It is one of the largest subdivisions.

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2
Q

What are the two goals of developmental psychology?

A
  • examine and describe the changes occur with ageing (these changes are biological, physical, psychological, social and behavioural)
  • the cause and drives behind these changes
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3
Q

Explain the concept of stability vs change

A

Whether characteristics remain the same or change as we age. For example, shyness remains relatively stable, but cognitive capacity develops as we get older.

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4
Q

When do developmental changes occur?

A

There s a common belief that most developmental changes occur during the first five years of life, but there are many changes that occur throughout adulthood and old age.

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5
Q

Explain the concept of continuity vs discontinuity

A

Whether development is continuous and gradual (like how a sapling grows into a tree) or discontinuous and abrupt, occurring through distinct stages (like how a caterpillar emerges from a cocoon a butterfly).

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6
Q

Explain the question of nature vs nurture.

A

Developmental psychologists try and establish to what extent developmental behaviour are the processes heredity and what is the product of the environment. Also, how do these interact?

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7
Q

Define a critical period.

A

An age range in which certain experiences must occur for development to proceed normally.

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8
Q

Define a sensitive period.

A

An optimal age range for certain experiences to occur. Even if these experiences occur at a different time, normal development may still be possible.

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9
Q

Name the different types of research design used in developmental research

A
  • cross-sectional design
  • longitudinal design
  • sequential design
  • microgenetic design
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10
Q

What is a cross-sectional design

A

A design that compares people of different ages at the same point in time. For example, administer an IQ to 10, 20, 30, 40 year olds

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11
Q

Give an advantage of a cross-sectional design

A

It can be conducted in a very short space of time.

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12
Q

Give a disadvantage of a cross-sectional design

A

Changes could be due to different experiences the different ages participants had in their lives (cohort differences). This is called the cohort effect. For example, growing up in the 50s is different to growing up in the 90s.

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13
Q

Define cohort

A

A group of people who have shared the same historical events by virtue of their being the same age.

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14
Q

Define cohort effect.

A

Differences in abilities or experiences of groups who were born at different points in history

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15
Q

What is a longitudinal design.

A

A design that repeatedly test the same cohort as it grows older. for example, doing a IQ test every ten years

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16
Q

Name and advantage of a longitudinal study

A

It removes the cohort effect because everyone has grown up in the same time frame

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17
Q

Name three disadvantages of longitudinal studies

A
  • very time consuming - may be years before conclusions can begin to be drawn
  • sample may decrease as people drop out or as we lose contact with people
  • hard to distinguish between the effects being due to ageing or due to the unique cohort
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18
Q

What is a sequential design

A

Combines cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches - so it is the most comprehensive but also the most time consuming

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19
Q

What is a microgenetic design?

A

A longitudinal method which measures changes over short time spans - it measures changes over days and hours rather than months and years

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20
Q

What are the 3 stages of prenatal development?

A
  • Germinal
  • Embryonic
  • Foetal
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21
Q

What and when is the germinal stage?

A

From conception to 14 days. The sperm fertilises the egg (fertilised egg is called a zygote).

  • persons genetic makeup is determined
  • rapid cell division occurs - it now becomes a mass of cells that attach to the mother’s uterus (the attachment occurs in 10-14 days)
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22
Q

What is a zygote?

A

A fertilised egg

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23
Q

What and when is the embryonic stage? What has happened by week 8?

A

From 2 to 8 weeks. The cell is now called an embryo.

  • the life support structures (placenta and umbilical cord) form.
  • at week 8 the heart is an inch long and beating, the brain is forming and facial features (eyes) can be recognised.
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24
Q

What does an umbilical cord do?

A

It contains the blood vessels that carries nutrients and oxygen to the embryo and then transports waste back to the mother.

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25
Q

What does the placenta do?

A

Allows nutrients to pass from mothers blood to umbilical cord.

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26
Q

What and when is the foetal stage? What happens at 24 weeks, the 4th month, 22-26 weeks and 28 weeks

A

From 9 weeks to birth. The muscles strengthen and major body systems start to develop.

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27
Q

(foetal stage) what happens in the 24 week?

A

The eyes open

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28
Q

(foetal stage) what happens in the 4th month?

A

A regular sleep/wake cycle

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29
Q

(foetal stage) what happens in the 22-26th weeks?

A

The foetus may live if born prematurely because most of the key structural developments have happened at this point.

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30
Q

(foetal stage) what happens in the 28th week?

A

There is reduced risk of serious complications and developmental delay

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31
Q

What is the 23rd chromosome that comes from the mother?

A

This is always an X

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32
Q

What is the 23rd chromosome that comes from the father?

A

This can either be an X or a Y. If the child inherits an X they are female (XX), if they inherit a Y they are male (XY)

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33
Q

What happens 6-8 weeks after conception?

A

The testes determining factor (TDF) in the Y gene causes the embryo to develop testes and produce androgens. This causes a male pattern of organ development. With no TDF, there are no androgens so a female pattern of organ development will follow.

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34
Q

What is DED and what is associated with this?

A

Disorders of sex development, also known as intersex. There are many different presentations of this type of disorder. It can be associated with different chromosome patterns, missing genes or hormonal differences. Possibly from exposure to certain chemicals during pregnancy at critical periods.

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35
Q

Explain epigenetics.

A

The study of changes in gene expression due to environmental factors and independent of DNA.

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36
Q

What are teratogens?

A

They are agents from the environment that cause abnormal prenatal development (such as chemicals, diseases or maternal characteristics)

37
Q

What tries to prevent teratogens harming the baby?

A

The placenta. Tries to stop these harmful substances from effecting the baby’s development but things can get through.

38
Q

Give examples of chemicals that can harm the baby - name 4.

A
  • alcohol
  • tobacco smoke
  • illegal drugs
  • environmental toxins
39
Q

Give examples of maternal diseases that can harm the baby - name 5

A
  • rubella
  • herpes i and ii
  • cytomegalorirus
  • toxoplasmosis
  • other viruses
40
Q

Give examples of maternal characteristics that may have an effect on the child’s development - name 3

A
  • age
  • diet
  • emotional state
41
Q

What is foetal alcohol syndrome and what are some of the symptoms?

A

A disorder that can effect the foetus which is caused by the ingestion of alcohol during gestation.

  • stunted growth
  • a number of physical and physiological abnormalities
  • mental retardation
42
Q

What are foetal alcohol spectrum disorders?

A

A group of abnormalities that result from varying kinds of pre-natal exposure to alcohol

43
Q

How much alcohol are pregnant women advised to take?

A

None at all.

44
Q

What can smoking during gestation cause?

A
  • increases risk of miscarriage
  • premature birth
  • low birth weight
45
Q

What can prolonged maternal stress during gestation cause?

A
  • risk to premature birth
46
Q

If something happens to the mother at 4-9 weeks, what can happen to the body areas?

A

Structural defects

47
Q

If something happens to the mother at 8-9 weeks, what can happen to the body areas?

A

Functional defects

48
Q

If something happens to the mother at 3-6 weeks, what can happen to the central nervous system?

A

Structural defects

49
Q

If something happens to the mother at 6 weeks to birth, what can happen to the central nervous system?

A

Functional defects

50
Q

What are the prenatal perceptual abilities of a infant?

A
  • they recognise familiar sounds (voices, music, stories) that they were exposed to in the womb after birth
  • habituation to alarming sounds. eg. if they were exposed to alarming sounds in the womb, this wouldn’t alarm then when they have been born
51
Q

Why are infants so hard to study?

A
  • They can’t talk so they can’t explain their feelings easy

- infants aren’t always the most compliant of participants (crying, falling asleep, interested in irrelevant variables)

52
Q

Newborns are born with some reflexes, define reflexes.

A

Automatic, innate behaviours that occur in response to specific stimuli.

53
Q

Name and explain the different reflexes babies are born with. (there are 4)

A
  • palmer grasp: finger grips when the palm is pressed
  • stepping reflex: rhythmic stepping when body supported
  • rooting reflex: stroke their cheek and they will turn their head to that side with open mouth
  • Breathing
54
Q

What is the visual preference technique?

A

Infants prefer complex patterns to simple patterns and solid colours

55
Q

What is visual habituation?

A

If infants are exposed to an image for a long period of time they will spend less and less time looking at it as time progresses. In experiments, infants show preference for novel material in comparison to familiar novel

56
Q

Explain facial perception in infants

A

They can identify their caregiver. They also prefer faces to other stimuli

57
Q

Explain Pascalis et al’s (2003) study’s findings

A
  • Children at the younger age showed preferences to both the novel human and monkey face
  • Children at the older age showed preference only to the novel human face
  • this suggest that at 9 months old (the older age group) lost the ability to discriminate between individual monkey faces
58
Q

Define schema

A

Organized pattern of thought and action. e.g. furry four-legged animal = doggie

59
Q

Define assimilation

A

The way in which we incorporate new experiences into our already existing schema. E.g. seeing a squirrel for the first time and shouts doggie

60
Q

Define accomodation

A

The way a new experience causes our existing schema to change. A disequilibrium between existing schemas and new experiences forces existing schema to change

61
Q

Define the sensorimotor stage (when is it and what does it involve)

A

Infants understand their world primarily through sensory experiences and physical (motor) interaction

  • birth-2 year
  • at 3 months don’ understand object permanence, at 9 months they do
  • 1 year begin using language, and towards end of the stage they will use words to represent objects, needs and actions
62
Q

Define object permanence - and which stage is it in?

A

An object continues to exist in a particular place even when it is no longer visible. Sensorimotor

63
Q

Define the pre-operational stage (when is it and what does it involve)

A

Children represent the world symbolically through words and mental images but do not yet understand basic mental operations and rules

  • 2-7 years
  • the younger children (4 and below ish) in this stage haven’t grasped the concept of conservation - juice example
  • display irreversibilty - they find it difficult to reverse an action mentally e.g cant understand that pouring it back into the og container would still be the same
  • centration - focus on only one aspect of the situation e.g. pay attention to the fact its taller but not the width
  • display animism (giving lifelike qualities to inanimate objects)
  • thinking reflects egocentrism
64
Q

Define conservation - and which stage is it in?

A

The principle that basic object and their mass, volume or quantity stay the same even though their outward appearance may change. Pre-operational

65
Q

Define egocentrism - and what stage is it in?

A

Difficulty to see the world from other people’s POV. Pre-operational

66
Q

Define the concrete operational stage (when is it and what does it involve?)

A

Can perform basic mental operations concerning problems that involve concrete objects and situation.

  • 7-12 years
  • understand reversibilty, can decenter and solve conservation problems easily
  • However, thinking is bound in reality - if asked to draw where they would have a third eye, many would say on their head because in reality eyes appear on the face
67
Q

Define the formal operational stage (when is it and what does it involve?)

A

Individuals are able to think logically and systematically about concrete and abstract problems, hypotheses and test them in a thoughtful way

  • 12 years on wards
  • can use abstract logic to solve problems e.g. would put eye on hand so they could see around corners
  • as abstract thinking increases so does our ability to perform on a wide range of tasks
68
Q

What is an advantage of Piaget’s stages?

A

Research suggests that children in all different cultures develop in the same order

69
Q

What are the disadvantages of Piaget’s stage? (there are 4)

A
  • some children may develop cognitive skills and concepts earlier than Piaget suggested
  • cognitive development within each stage may continue inconsistently
  • culture influences cognitive development
  • cognitive development is more complex and variable than piaget suggested - not all children follow the same developmental path
70
Q

What does Vygotsky’s approach include, that Piaget’s neglected?

A

Social context! He believed that development was an interplay between biological development and sociocultureal input.

71
Q

What is the zone of proximal development and give and example of this.

A

The difference between what a child can do independently and what the child can do with assistance from adults or more advanced peers. For example, josh can build a tower with 4 blocks on his own but with his dads prompts and gestures he can build a tower of 8 blocks, therefore his ZPD is bricks 5-8

72
Q

What can the ZPD help us understand?

A
  • what children will soon be able to do independently - shows what support we should be providing
  • shows what children will be able to understand with help
73
Q

What is scaffolding?

A

The way a teacher adjusts the amount and type of support to fit with the children’s learning needs

74
Q

What is the idea of community of learners?

A

When children work together on a team project - the teacher is the expert guide and facilitator.

75
Q

What happens the speed of processing information in children and why?

A

It gets faster as children age. This is because the attention span and impulse control improves as they age.

76
Q

What happens with children’s memory as they age?

A

Their working memory improves. And older children begin to use strategies to improve their memory and can hold more information in their LTM.

77
Q

Define metacognition.

A

An ability to reflect on one’s own cognitive processes (memory and thoughts)

78
Q

Define theory of mind.

A

A person’s beliefs about the mind and the ability to understand the mental states. The smarties task with pencils - expand on this, you know how. (at 3 doesn’t understand others mental state but by 4 they can)

79
Q

Defiene adoloescene

A

The lengthy transition from childhood to adulthood - this differs from puberty but they do overlap. Socially defined

80
Q

Define puberty

A

A period of rapid maturation in which the person becomes capable of sexual reproduction. Biologically defined.

81
Q

Explain what happens to the brain during adolescence

A

Neural restructuring and synaptic pruning. Particularly in pre-frontal cortex and limbic system. This means that they plan and coordinate behaviours that satisfy motivational goals and emotional urges. Also, dopamine increases.

82
Q

Define adolescent egocentrism. What are those who have higher of levels at more risk of

A

A self-absorbed and distorted view of one’s own uniqueness and importance. Those how think more egocentrically are more likely to participate in risk behaviours.

83
Q

Explain information processing in adulthood.

A
  • reaction time gradually slows down

- process information slower but more effectively

84
Q

Explain what happens to the memory in adulthood

A
  • memory for new factual information slows down

- adults display poorer prospective memory - the ability to carry out actions in the future

85
Q

Define dementia

A

The gradual loss of cognitive abilities that accompanies abnormal brain deterioration and interferes with daily functioning - most common in late adulthood. E.g AD, Parkinson’s, Hutington’s

86
Q

Define senile dementia.

A

Dementia that begins after the age of 65. More than 50% diagnosed have combinations of depression, anxiety, agitation, paranoid reaction and disordered thoughts

87
Q

What percentage of Alzheimer’s disease account for senile dementia.

A

two thirds- 5-7% of adults above the age of 65 have AD

88
Q

How many people over the age of 65, who don’t have a diagnosis of dementia, have mild cognitive impairment?

A

20-25%

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