PSY20007 Developmental Psychology Flashcards
DEFINE: Erikson’s psychosocial theory
human development is driven by the need to become integrated into the social and cultural environment
DEFINE: phenotype plasticity
The environment induces variation in gene expression, leading to unique phenotypes even when genotypes are exactly the same
LIST: the critical window of development most sensitive to environmental factors
Weeks 3-8 of pregnancy
LIST: the critical window of development during which complex brain development is taking place
Weeks 3-16 of pregnancy
LIST: sensory development timeline
Smell: Develops weeks 5 – 8, fully functional in utero
Sound: Develops weeks 4 – 24, fully functional in utero
Taste: Taste buds at week 20, fully functional within week of birth
Sight: Eyes begin developing day 22, continues weeks after birth
(Slowest developing sensory system)
STATE: timeline of memory and learning development
Both observable at 22 weeks
LIST: factors that negatively affect prenatal memory
Maternal drug and alcohol use
Hypoxia
Hypothyroidism
Rubella virus
Malnutrition
LIST: timeline of motor development
Week 6 – embryo can curl body
Week 8 – wiggle arms & legs
Week 10 – finger movement
Week 12 – coordinated movements including stretching, thumb sucking, yawning, grasping, and swallowing
Second trimester – critical reflexes e.g breathing movements, coordinated suck/swallow reflexes
IDENTIFY: the three pillars of the Cultural-developmental model
(1) humans always develop within a culture
(2) it is necessary to study people in diverse cultures for full understanding of human development
(3) today, cultural identities are becoming more complex globally
LIST: the stages (including age descriptions) of the cultural-developmental model
Prenatal development - conception to birth
Infancy - birth to 12 months
Toddlerhood - 12-36 months
Early childhood - 3-6 years
Middle childhood - 6-9 years
Adolescence - begins at puberty
Emerging adulthood - people will continue to study and not yet made commitments to stables roles in love and work
Young adulthood
Middle adulthood
Late adulthood
SUMMARISE: Theory of genotype -> environmental effects
Both genotype and environment contribute essentially to human development
To a considerable extent, we create our own environments based on our genotypes
IDENTIFY & OUTLINE: 3 forms of genotype -> environmental effects
- passive genotype -> environmental effects: occur in biological families, parents provide both genes and environment for children
- Evocative genotype -> environmental effects: occur when inherited characteristics evoke responses from others in their environment
- Active genotype -> environmental effects: occur when people seek out environments that correspond to their genotypic characteristics (niche picking)
LIST: 4 types of teratogens
Malnutrition
Infectious Disease
Alcohol
Tobacco
OUTLINE: key points of Piaget’s constructionist theory of cognitive development
- Development caused by interaction of heredity and environment
- Internally generated (active) mental processes construct cognition - leading to stagewise development
EXPLAIN: difference between assimilation and accommodation (adaption processes, Piaget)
Assimilation: application of an old schema to a new instance
Accommodation: developing a new schema
LIST: major changes in the brain during infancy
increases in volume by 64% in 3 months
first year of growth mostly involves development of neuronal connections rather than growth of neurons (dendritic connections)
myelination active during infancy
brain specialisation
brain high in plasticity: development is influenced by the environment
LIST: major changes in sleep patterns during infancy
neonates sleep 16-17hrs per day
3-4mo infants sleep 16-17 hrs per day
6mo infants sleep 14hrs per day (AU, NZ, US)
Risk of sudden infant death syndrome at 2-4 mo (occurs during sleep)
LIST: major changes in motor ability during infancy
gross motor development takes place due to inborn, genetically based individual timetable (ontogenetic)
fine motor development: considerable progress during first year of life (reaching and grasping)
LIST: major changes in sensory development during infancy
depth perception begins to develop by 3mo
intermodal perception develops (integration of all sensory information)
LIST: major physical changes during infancy
grow fastest in first year - height increases by 2.5cm per month
accumulate fat in early months
Cephalocaudal principle: growth tends to begin at the top with the head and then proceed down to rest of body
Proximodistal principle: growth proceeds from the middle of the body outwards
Teething - teeth break through gums
LIST: Piaget’s theory of infant development - major stages, associated ages, and basic characteristics of each stage
sensori-motor period - infancy (0-24mo)
- practical intelligence
concrete operational period - early school years (2-11yr)
- symbolic/imaginative intelligence
formal operations - late school years (11yr onwards)
- logical intelligence
DESCRIBE: Stage 4 of Piaget’s sensori-motor stage theory
Coordinated secondary circular reactions
4-6mo
object permanence (recover a hidden object)
egocentric understanding of objects (not yet objective)
DESCRIBE: changes in memory during infant development
STM and LTM expand during first year
recognition memory comes easier than recall memory
DESCRIBE: characteristics of language development during infancy
cooing at 2mo
babble at 6mo
first words at end of first year (can already understand ~50 words by this time however)
