Module 14,15 and disscussion Exam 1 Flashcards
What is developmental psychology?
how people grow and change throughout their lifespan , including physical, cognitive, social, intellectual, perceptual, personality, and emotional growth.
What’s the difference between a cross-sectional and longitudinal research design?
Corss sectional studies compare every age group at the same time while longitudinal studies retests and follows the same people
cross sectional studies
research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time. Snapshot of a point in time.
Longitudinal studies
research that follows and retests the same people over time. Change at an individual level.
Who was the first psychologist to propose stage theories of development?
Freud
What are characteristics of stage theories of development?
-Children in each stage are similar to each other and different from children in other stages.
-Children move between stages due to biological maturation.
Seen as a staircase
What did Erikson try to accomplish with his stage theory of development?
- Attempted to expand upon Freud’s theory by addressing lifespan development, and each stage focused on key lifespan issues
- He focused on how social interaction and relationships influence development and growth.
What defined Piaget’s stage theory of cognitive development?
- The mind develops through a series of four irreversible stages from simple reflexes to adult abstract reasoning.
- Children are active thinkers, but they have different tools for thinking.
- have to go through stages
What are schemas
Concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
How do schemas change
as a child develops and acquires new information
What is assimilation
Interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas (“There’s a dog. All dogs are friendly.”)
accommodation
Adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information (“That dog isn’t friendly.”)
Semsorimortor stage
- pigaget’s theory; 0-2
- Infants are very egocentric: they can’t see situations from another person’s point of view
Preoperational Stage
- pigaget’s theory; 2-7
- Theory of mind develops; Conservation doesn’t
-They learn to use language but cannot engage in concrete logic and abstract thinking.
Concrete operational
- pigaget’s theory; 7-11
-They gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events. They are less egocentric and can see things from others’ perspectives.
- decentralization developes
Formal operationalism
- pigaget’s theory 12+
-metacognition
- They can plan and prioritize.
- Can do deductive reasoning.
metacognition
thinking about thinking; consous of that
What is egocentrism?
When you can’t see situations from another person’s point of view
What is object permanence?
awareness that things continue to exist even when not seen.
What is conservation?
Principle that properties such as mass, and volume remain the same despite changes in shapes
What is the theory of mind
It’s the ability to recognize that other people also have minds and that what’s in their mind may be different from what’s in yours.
Why is theory of mind important?
Allows us to predict and interpret others’ behavior and makes humans unique
What is decentralization?
focusing on several factors or dimensions at the same time
What defined Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral development?
As intellectual and social development occurs, there’s a change in how people engage in moral reasoning
Preconventional Morality
- Kohlberg 0-6
- A preconventional morality based on self-intrest
-Based on direct consequences to the individual. - don’t steal because he could get in trouble
Conventional Morality
- Kohlberg 7-11
- Conform to avoid disapproval or dislike by others.
-Believe laws are more important than individual needs. - You should steal the drug but accept punishment
Postconventional Morality
-Kohlberg 11+
- Actions reflect belief in basic rights and self-defined ethical principles
-Reject rigidity of laws and try to change unjust laws.
-You should steal drug and not go to jail
What is the modern view of moral decision making?
We make quick moral judgements which we then (later) rationalize
Why do we say that the teenage brain is not “done” yet?
Because the brain still hastoo many brain cells that haven’t been destroyed yet, this leads to us having high sensation seeking brain but low impulse control
What does selective pruning accomplish in the brain?
removes unused neurons and connections
What are the four types of parenting styles
Authoritarian.
Permissive.
Negligent.
Authoritative.
Authoritarian characteristics
- are coercive.
- They impose rules and expect obedience. Enforces strict rules with little consideration of their kid’s feelings or social-emotional and behavioral needs.
-Communication is mostly one way — from parent to child.
Permissive characteristiuc
- are unrestrained. They make few demands, set few limits, and use little punishment. Rules and expectations are either not set or rarely enforced.
- Communicates openly and usually lets their kids decide for themselves, rather than giving direction
Negligint characteristics
- are uninvolved; they are neither demanding nor responsive. These careless and inattentive parents do not seek a close relationship with their children. Allows their kids to mostly take care of themselves.
- Offers little nurturance, guidance and attention
Authoritative characteristics
- confrontive. They are demanding and responsive. They exert control by setting rules but, especially with older children, encourage open discussion and allow exceptions.
- Authoritative parents are nurturing, supportive and often in tune with their children’s needs.
- They guide their children through open and honest discussions to teach values and reasoning.
Authoritarian effect on children
May have trouble with anger
May not be able to think on their own.
May rebel against authority figures as teens.
Permissive effect on children
Poorer self-discipline.
Low achievement (no goals; no discipline).
May not develop good problem-solving skills.
Negligent effect on child
Anxiety due to low family support.
Emotional withdrawal.
Risk of substance abuse.
Authoritative effects on child
best outcome
how is infant attachment assessed using the strange situation paradigm?
The child is separated and then reunited with the parent.
What is infant attachment
Emotional tie with another person—shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
What are the differences between secure and insecure attachment?
When an infant is securely attatched they are upset when mother leaves and seek contact when she returns and is fine. Insecurly attached children reamin upset after mother returns or pretend not to noitcie her at all
What happens if a child has no attachment to a parent (such as the Romanian orphans)?
Children have significantly lower IQ scores and higher rates of anxiety compared to children with better care.
It can have negative long-term effects on children.
What is adult attachment?
It is your adulot relationships and comfort with affection and intimacy
What influences adult attachment?
early attachment
What is a self-concept
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves. an understanding and assessment of who you are
When does self concept develop
Developes by the end of childhood around age 12
How do caregiver-infant attachments form through body contact and familiarity?
babys become atttched to parents who confort them through contact. More exposure to things fosters fondness
What is emerging adulthood?
a period from 18 to mid 20s when many western cultures are no longer adolesents but have not yet become full independent adults
What is idenity
Our sence of self
What is a correlational design?
An observation that two traits or attributes are related to each other
A measure of how closely two factors vary together, or how well you can predict a change in one from observing a change in the other
How is identity formed
identity is formed by how we differ from those around us
What is a correlation coefficient?
Provides a statistical measure of how closely two things vary together and how well one predicts the other
postitve correlation
Indicates a direct relationship: Two things increase together or decrease together.
How do you interpret a correlation coefficient?
The farther the correlation coefficient is from 0, the stronger it is
What is the directionality problem?
What you think is the cause is actually the effect
Instead of A causing B, B causes A.
What is the third variable problem?
Another variable is causing the correlation.
C causes both A and B.
Why use correlational studies?
Because of the directionality problem and reverse causality, they sometimes provide weak support for identifying cause and effect.
However, some variables can only be studied using correlations and there are ways to improve correlational research.
What is an experimental design?
the process of carrying out research in an objective and controlled fashion so that precision is maximized and specific conclusions can be drawn regarding a hypothesis statement.
What is the independent variable?
the manipulated vairable
What does an indepenent vairable do in an experiment
it is the cause, what you are testing
What is a measured variable?
dependent variable
What does a measured variable do in an experiment
This measure is assessed in all groups in the study.
Any observed differences between groups can be attributed to the independent variable.
Why is random assignment to condition important in an experiment?
participants have an equal chance to be in any condition.
This equates groups on individual difference like demographics, background, and personality.
What is the logic behind experiments?
if everything else is contrioled then any significant differences between groups on the dependent variable can be attributed to the independent variable.
Why use experiments?
eliminate other explanations for results, they are strong evidence for identifying cause and effect
Haidt
Much of morality is rooted in moral intuitions that are made quickly and automatically.
Greene
Moral cognition is often automatic but can be overridden
