Midterm 1 Flashcards
three time frames in developmental psychology
evolution of human species, history of cultural group, ontogeny of individual
ontogeny
your individual developmental path from being a zygote to becoming an elder
phylogeny
evolution of a species
all humans are at the same level of phylogeny, but…
we can vary in ontogeny
biogenetic law (recapitulation theory)
your ontogeny reflects/mirrors something that happened in the evolutionary past when we became the modern species of Homo sapien
Haeckel believed that all fetuses of all species looked similar, thus…
proving we were all the same at one point
homo evolutionary timeline
ancestral primate; lorises, pottos, and lemurs; tarsiers; new world monkeys; old world monkeys; hominoids –> gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, humans
humans split from chimpanzees…
~7 million years ago; there was some creature that caused us to differentiate in evolution from chimpanzees and that creature was more similar to the chimpanzee than we are today
developmental psychology
looks at full ontology; development continues throughout your entire lifespan; also deals with issues of anthropology, biology, and philosophy
different cultures affect…
how we develop
experiment
research in which a change is introduced in a person’s experience and the effect of the change is measured
ecological validity
extent to which behavior studied in one environment is characteristic of the behavior exhibited by the person in a range of other environments
clinical method
questions are tailored to the individual and content of question depends on the answer to the preceding one; clinical interview
naturalistic observation
observe people in their natural environments
naturalistic observation pros and cons
pros: real life scenarios
cons: influence by being observed (social expectations); causal factors not understood (no scientific control)
experiment pros and cons
pros: can isolate variables and factors to determine the effect
cons: potentially artificial situation (ecological validity)
clinical method pros and cons
pros: can learn what they are thinking and their reasoning; can probe/challenge children’t thinking and reasoning
cons: cannot be used with very young children since they cannot talk very well yet
effects of the industrial revolution
farm work transitioned to factory work/schooling, death rate dropped, birth rate dropped; emergence of the nuclear family
Freud’s 3 structures
super-ego, id, ego
super-ego
reflects societal expectations and morality
id
reflects instincts
ego
juggles the super-ego and the id; negotiates for them
John B. Watson
behaviorist; believe development is the product of learning alone; what you teach the baby largely forms the outcome; the Little Albert experiment
B. F. Skinner
development seen as the creation of a sculpture: you begin with a lump of clay and gradually the sculpture is formed as you shave away and shape the material; the end product has unity and integrity of design, but there is no one moment in which it appeared; the Skinner box with rats
Albert Bandura
observational learning, modeling; children learn by observing and imitating others; Bobo doll experiment; self-efficacy vs. learned helplessness; behavior modification
schema
most basic unit of psychological functioning; mental structure that provides model for understanding the world
process of adaptation
schemas are strengthened and transformed through assimilation vs. accommodation
assimilation of object into schema
sucking reflex the baby is born with –> schema is set in place so the baby will know to suck on its mother’s breast to get milk, but they will suck on other things as well; assimilate the sucking on a bottle
accommodation of schema to new experiences
infants can throw things –> the infant can throw a light ball, but when given a heavier ball, the infant adapts their movement to throw the new ball
Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development
a distance between what the child can already do on their own and what they can do with guidance/assistance; use this zone to teach a child something new through guidance until they can do it on their own
cultural transmission in Macaque monkeys on Japanese island
Imo began washing his potato, and this method began to spread in the group
culture and transmission
material and symbolic tools that accumulate over time are passed on through social processes and provide resources for the developing child; pass on physical objects, patterns of behavior (family routines, social practices), and symbolic tools (abstract knowledge, beliefs, values)
Ratchet Effect
the gradual accumulation of changes within a cultural trait beyond a level that individuals can achieve on their own; cumulative cultural evolution
processes of social learning
mimicry, emulation, imitation, teaching/explicit instruction
emulation
reproduction of end results
Canalization
a trait that is canalized follows a strictly defined path, regardless of most environmental and genetic variations; this trait develops in the same way despite the environment
Phenotypic Plasticity
degree to which a phenotype is open to be influenced by the environment, rather than determined by the genotype
Monozygotic twins
identical twins; share 100% of their genes
from a zygote to a newborn, there are three periods
germinal period, embryonic period, fetal period
Germinal Period
time from conception until attachment to the wall of the uterus 8-10 days later
Embryonic Period
starts with the organism attached to the uterus until the 8th week when all major organs have taken primitive shape; refer to it as an embryo
Fetal Period
starts at the 9th week after conception; hardening of bones (ossification), maturation of primitive organ systems; refer to it as a fetus; senses are functioning before exiting the womb
Heterochrony
the different parts of the organism develop at different rates and times
Heterogeneity
at a given point in time, there are various levels of immaturity and maturation throughout the organism
stress on mother during pregnancy
adrenaline and cortisol have an effect on the fetus and potentially a young child; correlated with low birth weight and problems in a young child such as irritability and problems with sleep
Teratogens
an agent or factor which causes malformation of a child in the womb
thalidomide
can cause truncated limbs
caffeine (larger doses)
can lead to a lower birth weight
types of teratogens
prescription drugs like thalidomide, valium, antibiotics, and accutane; caffeine; tobacco; alcohol; marijuana; cocaine; heroin and methadone; infections like rubella and HIV
alcohol
fetal alcohol syndrome
marijuana
lower birth weight
cocaine
irritable, uncoordinated babies
heroin and methadone
addicted newborns –> tremors, etc.
infections: rubella and HIV
passes through the placenta to the child
stages of labor
1) contractions
2) mother pushing during contractions after full dilation is achieved
3) placenta comes out
Apgar scale
5 vital signs; checked 1 and 5 minutes after birth; categories consist of activity (muscle tone), pulse, grimace (reflex irritability), appearance (skin color), respiration
Fontanels
bones that still need to fuse together; leaves soft spots; skull most mold while the child comes out of the narrow birth canal; allows the brain to expand in size after birth