Module 1 Flashcards
5 Issues of Development & Meaning
Sources of Development (Nature vs Nurture)
Plasticity (Critical vs Sensitive Periods)
Continuity vs Discontinuity (Linear/Stage Development)
Individual Differences (Stable/Unstable, Unique/Similar)
Culture (Not if but how)
Context vs Culture
Culture = the socially transmitted and sometimes transformed bank of acquired traits; what people do
Context = array of stimuli surrounding a communication event, environment, background, etc
What are Cultural Regularities? + example
patterns in how communities organize their lives; ex: babies co-sleep or sleep alone; hierarchical vs horizontal society
Hierarchical vs Horizontal Society Organization
In a hierarchical society, certain individuals have a higher status; everyone is trying to succeed, but not everyone can. In a horizontal society, everyone works together & should intuitively understand each other’s needs and emotions
What is Plasticity & Its Question
The feasibility of timing in development, or to what degree, and under what conditions, is development open to change and intervention; Are we more affected by events that occur in early childhood, or do later events play an equally important role?
Sensitive Periods vs Critical Periods
Sensitive: is learned/occurs most easily; but can be learned with difficulty in other periods; Begin and end abruptly (ex. second language learning or rolling r’s)
Critical: if does not occur here, cannot occur at all; begin and end gradually, a period of maximal sensitivity (ex. puberty)
Sources of Development (Nature vs Nurture)’s Question
Does who we are come from our genetic inheritance, our environment, or both?
Continuous vs Discontinuous Development
Continuous development sees development as cumulative and gradual; Discontinuous is sudden with changes occurring in steps or stages;
Question of Individual Development
In what ways do we develop similar to other humans, in what ways does our development diverge?
4 Time Frames of Development (Rogoff)
Microgenetic, Ontogenetic, Cultural-Historical, and Phylogenetic
What is Microgenetic Development?
development of a competency or a task (ex learning to crawl, walk, write)
What is Ontogenetic Development?
development across an individual’s lifespan
What is Cultural-Historical Development?
involves community values, norms, and cultural tools over decade & centuries (ex: generational trauma, development of a language)
What Is Phylogenetic Development?
development of humans as a species via evolution (ex: development of thumbs, ability to write)
What Is Methylation
a chemical modification of DNA by adding or taking away a methyl group; turns gene expression “off” while demethylation turns it “on.”
What is Epigenetics?
the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself
DRD4 Pattern & Its Significance
Typically has 4 repetitions, but for one in five Americans in repeats 7 times; this is associated with novelty-seeking & risk-taking. From a Cultural-Historical perspective, these traits were rewarded & encouraged in some communities/civilizations that needed to frequently be active and change locations
What is Ethnocentrism?
(Rogoff) Making judgements that another cultural community’s ways are immoral, unwise, or inappropriate based on one’s own cultural background without considering the meaning and circumstances in that community
What is Deficit Thinking?
the tendency of educational professionals to have negative perceptions when individuals from disadvantaged or marginalized circumstances struggle
Insider vs Outsider Communication
Conflict over whether the insider’s our outsider’s perspective of a community is the truth; difficult because people often participate in multiple communities simultaneously
What is the Emic Approach?
the investigator tries to represent cultural insider’s perspective on a community with observation and participation in community activities
What is the Imposed Etic Approach?
the investigator makes general statements about human functioning across communities based on imposing a culturally inappropriate understanding
What is the Derived Etic Approach
the researcher adapts a way of questioning, observing, and interpreting to fit the perspective of participants; it’s informed by emic approaches
Relationship between Emic, Imposed Etic, & Derived Etic
think of imposed etic as the starting point. Researchers try to use emic and derived etic, but derived etic is constantly moving, and the new understanding becomes the current imposed etic
Components of Bias
Affective: prejudice toward a person based on group membership
Behavioral: actions taken toward/against someone based on their group membership
Cognitive: generalizations/stereotypes about a group
Orchid vs Dandelion Children
Orchid: often shy, withdraw from novelty, sensory sensitivities, best or worth health depending on context
Dandelion: often outgoing, extraverted children, comforted w/ novel situation; average health in both low & high stress settings
Orchid children flourish under specific circumstances
What is a theory
A broad conceptual framework to guide the collection and interpretation of facts. It must explain in a testable way why something happens.
Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner)
focuses on the organization and interactions of the multiple environmental contexts within which children develop
Explain Bronfenbrenner’s Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, and Chronosystem
Microsystem: all the various settings a child inhabits on a daily basis (family, school, neighborhood play area, etc.). The face-to-face settings
Mesosystem: Links the face-to-face settings to one another (parents’ involvement in child’s school)
Exosystem: Settings that affect but usually don’t include the child (parents’ work)
Macrosystem: values, customs, hazards, and resources of larger culture that shapes what happen in all systems within it
Chronosystem: the timing of life-altering environmental events and personal transitions; sociohistorical circumstances over a lifetime
What are Psychodynamic Theories
they explore the influence on development and developmental stages of universal biological drives and the life experiences of individuals
What are Behaviorism Theories
they focus on development as a result of learning and on changes in behavior as a result of forming associations between behavior and its consequences (behavior is learned through interaction with the environment)
What are the main differences between Psychodynamic and Behaviorist Theories
Psychodymanic theories focus on universal biological drives, development of internal personality structures, and resolution of inner conflict, while Behaviorist theories focus on how the learning process involves modifying behavior
What is the Constructivist Theory
asserts that cognitive development results from children’s active construction of reality based on their experiences with the world
What is Sociocultural Theory
asserts that human biology and environments interact indirectly through culture to shape development
What is the Zone of Proximal Development
a component of the Sociocultural Theory. It is the gap between what children can accomplish independently and what they can accomplish when interacting with others who are more competent
What are Evolutionary Theories
they explain human behavior in terms of how it contributes to the survival of the species and look at how our evolutionary past influences individual development
What are Social Learning Theories
they emphasize the behavior-consequences associations that children learn by observing and interaction with others in social situations
What is Modeling and why is it important?
A component of Social Learning Theories. It is the process by which children observe and imitate others, and it is valuable for understanding children’s gender-role development
What are Information-Processing Theories
They look at cognitive development in terms of how children come to perceive, remember, organize, and manipulate info in increasingly efficient ways
What are Systems Theories
they envision development in terms of complex wholes made up of parts that explore how these wholes and their parts are organized and interact and change over time
What is a Subjectivity Statement and why is it important?
a summary of who researchers are in relation to what and whom they are studying. They are important because they help researchers how their personal & professional experiences/background may affect their research, and they convey this info to the public
What is Operant Conditioning
a method of learning where the consequences of a response determine the probability of it being repeated. Behavior that is reinforced is likely to be repeated, while behavior that is punished will occur less frequently
What is Deficit Thinking?
the tendency of educational professionals to form negative perceptions of individuals & communities due to their disadvantaged circumstances
