Module 1 Key Terms/Theorists

Question 1

Behaviourism

Answer 1

a theory suggesting that environment shapes human behavior. Behavioral psychology is the study and analysis of observable behavior.

Question 2

Tabula Rasa (Blank Slate)

Answer 2

refers to the idea that people are born without any innate mental content. Relates to Nurture in the Nature vs Nurture debate.

Question 3

Constructivism

Answer 3

describes how people construct knowledge through their experiences and interactions with the world

Question 4

Nature Theorists

Answer 4

Biological maturationimpact of genes

Question 5

Nurture theorists

Answer 5

We are born a blank slate and shaped by the environment

Question 6

Ivan Pavlov

Answer 6

Created Classical conditioning: US, UR, CS, CR. Classical Conditioning responses are fixed/reflexive

Question 7

B.F. Skinner

Answer 7

Created Operant conditioning in which humans select behaviours in response to consequences

Question 8

Jean Piaget

Answer 8

Constructivism: Children construct learning through interaction with the environment

Question 9

Piaget’s Stages of Development

Answer 9

Sensorimotor stage (0-2)
Pre-operational stage (2-6)
Concrete operational stage (7-12)
Formal operational stage (12+)

Question 10

Criticisms of Piaget

Answer 10

Development is continuous and there is overlap between stages. Underestimated the abilities of many children. Environmental and cultural differences. Eg: 3 month old infant will track an object that goes behind a barrier, object permanence may be memory.

Question 11

Lev Vygotsky

Answer 11

Cognitive abilities are socially constructed. Language creates shared meaning. Vygotsky believed language is necessary for thought. Explicit memories may be linked to language development

Question 12

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory

Answer 12

Culture brings shared tools, language and socially constructed meaning. Each baby is born with pre-set abilities but more potential can be unlocked by environment/culture. Behaviour develops meaning rhough social interaction

Question 13

Schemas

Answer 13

Mental frameworks for acquiring knowledge

Question 14

Assimilation

Answer 14

Adding to existing schema

Question 15

Accomodation

Answer 15

Modifying a schema or creating a new one. Eg: learning that the emergency button was not a light switch.

Question 16

Vygotsky- Zone of Proximal Development

Answer 16

The gap between what a child can do independently versus with Caregiver assistance. Scaffolding (support) reduces the gap and the child becomes more independent in task. Eg: gradually reducing assistance when a child is learning to walk or training wheels on a bike.

Question 17

Albert Bandura

Answer 17

Interested in the impact of imitation on development. Reciprocal determinism: Interaction between environment and individual determines learning outcomes.

Question 18

Sigmund Freud

Answer 18

Psychoanalytic theorist: Interactions with caregivers during early years determine children’s personalities. First psychologist to dive into the unconscious mind and thoughts

Question 19

Freud Development

Answer 19

Oral stage
Anal stage
Phallic stage
Latency stage
Genital stage

Question 20

Criticisms of Freud

Answer 20

Difficult to test scientifically. Childhood experiences do not entirely determine adult personality. Overly focused on sexual development

Question 21

Erik Erikson

Answer 21

Revised freudian theories. Focused on childhood experiences and relationships. Psychosocial crisis at each stage of life. Less of a sexual focus than freud. Considered the father of developmental psychology.

Question 22

Freud: id

Answer 22

the impulsive, pleasure-seeking part of the personality that operates on the pleasure principle and is largely unconscious.

Question 23

Freud:ego

Answer 23

The conscious part of the personality that operates on the reality principle and mediates between the id and the superego. The ego strives to balance reality with the demands of the id and the superego.

Question 24

Freud: superego

Answer 24

The judgmental, morally correct part of the personality that operates on the morality principle. The superego is established through identification with parental figures or social groups.