Lifespan Psychology Flashcards
What are the developmental stages across the lifespan
prenatal, infancy, childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle age, older age
What are the changes across developmental stages
Cognitive, Physical, emotional and social
What is plasticity
The way in which the brain changes due to stimulation from the environment/ the synapses being modified
Types of plasticity
Developmental- the Development and consolidation of neural pathways in babies, children and adolescents
Adaptive- Ability of the brain to change, adapt and grow throughout life
What are the stages of Plasticity
Proliferation, migration, circuit formation, synaptic pruning, Myelination
What is proliferation?
-The first stage in the development of NS
-Involves the division and multiplication of unborn babies cells that will become neurons
What is Migration?
Newly formed neurons move outward to their destined location
What is circuit formation?
When axons of new neurons grow out to target cells and form synapses with them
What is synaptic pruning?
Involves the elimination of excess neurons and synapses that haven’t formed connections
What is myelination?
Process were the axons of the neurons in a child’s brain become insulated by myelin
Myelin = white fatty substance that coats axons
What is the stage of adolescence
the developmental period between childhood and adulthood
The effect of changes in brain structures on behavior and emotions
During adolescence, there is a large amount of development in structures of the brain
What effect does the changing of the cerebellum have on behavior and emotion
There is an increase in the number of neurons and synapses in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that is responsible for balance, muscle tone and the performance of motor skills
What effect does the changing of the amygdala have on behavior and emotion
The amygdala becomes more active during adolescence the amygdala tended to increase across all emotional expressions during this developmental transition into adolescence
What effect does the changing of the corpus callosum have on behavior and emotion
The corpus callosum is thickens and there is an increase in the number of connections between the two hemispheres
What effect does the changing of the Frontal lobe have on behavior and emotion
The frontal lobe is responsible for motor movement and higher order thinking
The effect of changes in frontal lobe development on behaviour and emotion
theory of cognitive development – Piaget (1936)
Is the theory of cognitive development explains how a child constructs a mental model of the world.
Processes of schema formation
Assimilation, Accommodation, Equilibrium and disequilibrium
What is Assimilation?
The process of taking in new information from the world and applying it to existing schemas. Eg. having a simple schema of a ball that has incorporated everything round as a ball
What is Accommodation?
When new situations, objects, or information are encountered and the persons schema is modified or adjusted. This occurs when existing schemas do not work. Eg. seeing a plane and calling it a bird
What is Equilibrium?
How children incorporate new information into their previously formed frameworks. Eg. Learning a new language that uses the same alphabet as you
What is Disequilibrium?
Our inability to fit new information into our schemas.
Stages and Developmental changes
Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stage