Lifespan Developmental Psychology

Question 1

What is developmental psychology?

Answer 1

the study of changes and transitions that accompany physical growth or maturation

Question 2

Describe fertilization

Answer 2

a sperm unites with an egg in the fallopian tube and travels to the uterus, resulting in a zygote

Question 3

What are the 3 stages of gestation/prenatal development?

Answer 3

1. germinal: 2 weeks - zygote implants into uterine wall and grows into 64 cells
2. embryonic: until end of 2nd month - organ formation
3. fetal: 3rd month-birth - quantitative growth, movement (quickening)

Question 4

What causes a fetus to develop into a male or female?

Answer 4

at 6 weeks, the H-Y antigen causes the testes to form, while its absence causes the ovaries to form. at 3 months, the testes produce testosterone which leads to the rest of the reproductive system forming, while the lack of testosterone in women does the same

Question 5

Describe the behavior of neonates

Answer 5

reflexive e.g. sucking reflex, head turning reflex (stroke baby’s cheek), Moro reflex (throwing limbs out after loud noises), Babinski reflex (fanning toes after foot is touched), Palmar reflex (hand grasping after object is placed in hand)

Question 6

What happens during adolescence?

Answer 6

at the onset of puberty, the adrenal and pituitary glands secrete androgen for boys and estrogen for girls, causing a growth spurt and secondary sex characteristics

Question 7

How do we study nature and nurture combinations?

Answer 7

twin studies

1. the influence of genetics can be examined by comparing and contrasting monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins
2. the influence of environment can be examined by comparing and contrasting monozygotic twins separated at birth

Question 8

What does Piaget assert about cognitive development?

Answer 8

humans experience an interaction between internal maturation and external experience that creates qualitative change. this adaptation happens through assimilation and accommodation

Question 9

What is assimilation?

Answer 9

fitting new information into existing ideas

Question 10

What is accommodation?

Answer 10

modification of cognitive schemata to incorporate new information

Question 11

What are the 4 states of cognitive development according to Piaget in order?

Answer 11

1. sensorimotor, 0-2 years
2. preoperational, 2-7 years
3. concrete operational, 7-12 years
4. formal operational, 12+ years

Question 12

Describe the sensorimotor stage

Answer 12

1. reflexive behavior
2. circular reactions (repeated behavior intended to manipulate environment)
3. object permanence
4. representation (visualizing/putting words to objects)

Question 13

Describe the preoperational stage

Answer 13

Egocentric understanding
Rapidly acquiring words as symbols for things
Inability to perform mental operations such as causality or true understanding of quantity

Question 14

Describe the concrete operational stage

Answer 14

Understanding concrete relationships e.g. math/quantity

Conservation (changes in shape are not changes in volume)

Question 15

Describe the formal operational stage

Answer 15

Understanding abstract relationships e.g. logic, ratios and values

Question 16

Who showed that Piaget may have underestimated preschoolers?

Answer 16

Rochel Gelman - she said they can deal with ideas such as quantity in small sets of objects

Question 17

What were Piaget’s 3 stages of moral development?

Answer 17

1. 4-7 years: imitates rule-following behavior
2. 7-11 years: understands rules and follows them
3. 12+ years: applies abstract thinking to rules, can change rules if all parties agree

Question 18

For Freud, what is the driving force behind humans and their development?

Answer 18

sexual (including sensual gratification)

Question 19

What are fixation and regression and what causes them?

Answer 19

parental over- or underindulgence might result in fixation, inability to move onto the next stage
life stressors might cause regression (return to an earlier stage)

Question 20

What are the 5 stages of development according to Freud?

Answer 20

1. Oral (birth - 18mos): sucking, eating, biting
2. Anal (18mos - 3 years): control & release of feces
3. Phallic (3-6 years): self-stimulation of genitals
4. Latency (adolescence): repressed sexuality, identification with same-sex friends, focus on school and growing up
5. Genital (adolescence-adulthood): hormones reawaken sexual instincts; love object is now nonfamilial

Question 21

Describe the phallic phase of development

Answer 21

receives pleasure from self stimulation of genitals.
- oedipus complex
- electra complex (penis envy)
conflict resolved by identifying with same-sex parent
boys are motivated to suppress their lust by castration anxiety

Question 22

What is Lawrence Kohlberg known for?

Answer 22

creating the best-known theory of moral development by analyzing children’s responses to 9 moral dilemmas, e.g. should a husband steal medicine to help his wife live?

Question 23

What are the 3 stages?

Answer 23

preconventional/premoral (if I steal the medicine, I’ll get in trouble)
1) avoid punishment
2) gain rewards
Conventional/morality of conformity (stealing is against the law)
3) gain approval
4) follow law & authority
postconventional/morality of self-accepted principles (it is unjust that money is an obstacle to life. it is ethical that i save my wife)
5) beyond black and white, attentive to rights and social welfare
6) makes decisions based on abstract ethical principles

Question 24

What did Carol Gilligan assert?

Answer 24

Kohlberg’s moral development theory is biased towards males because it is rule-dominated, whereas women focus more on compassion

Question 25

What is Erik Erikson known for?

Answer 25

He is known for a development scheme that addresses the entire life span. each stage has a unique psychosocial conflict to resolve

Question 26

What are Erikson’s stages, crises and resolutions?

Answer 26

Birth-18mos: trust vs. mistrust: trust
18mos-3yrs: autonomy vs. shame & doubt: independence
3-6yrs: initiative vs. guilt: purpose
6-puberty: industry vs. inferiority: competency
teens: identity vs. role confusion: sense of self
young adult: intimacy vs. isolation: love
middle age: productivity vs. stagnation: productivity and caring
old age: ego integrity vs. despair: wisdom and integrity

Question 27

What did John Bowlby suggest?

Answer 27

infants are motivated to attach to their mothers for positive reasons (wanting closeness) and for negative reasons (avoiding fear). he emphasized importance of mother-infant attachment to prevent character and stability problems.

Question 28

Mary Ainsworth

Answer 28

studied attachment through ‘strange situation.’

• infants cry when a stranger enters (stranger anxiety) and when mother leaves (separation anxiety)
• upon mother returning: securely attached infants ran and clung to mothers, avoidant infants ignored or avoided, ambivalent infants squirmed or kicked if mothers tried to comfort them
• securely attached infants are more comfortable exploring
• work continued by Mary Main

Question 29

Diana Baumrind

Answer 29

relationship between parenting style and personality development

1. authoritarian parents -> withdrawn and unhappy
2. permissive parents -> happy but lacking in self-control/reliance
3. authoritative parents -> self-reliant, confident, assertive, friendly, happy, high-functioning

Question 30

John Watson

Answer 30

Behavioristic approach to development: children are passively molded by environment and behavior emerges through imitation of parents

Question 31

Arnold Gessell

Answer 31

nature provides a blueprint - environment/nurture fills in details

Question 32

What happens to children identified as aggressive at an early age?

Answer 32

moderate tendency to remain aggressive

Question 33

when is sex-typed behavior high and low?

Answer 33

low during prepubescence, highest in young adulthood, low again in later life.

Question 34

What happens to boys who reach puberty sooner rather than later?

Answer 34

psychologically and socially advantaged

Question 35

how are adolescents similar to their parents?

Answer 35

career aspirations

Question 36

how does a hermaphrodite/intersex individual come about?

Answer 36

female fetus exposed to higher than normal level of testosterone

Question 37

how can play be used to study child development?

Answer 37

symbolic play: 1-2 years old - pretend roles (one object can stand for another)
parallel play: 2-3 years old - 2 children playing by themselves and not interacting