psych revision part 2 Flashcards
what are executive functions
executive functions are a group cognitive skills needed for self control
5 examples of executive functions
inhibition - restrain
task switching
working memory
planning
attention control
whats one test that measures children’s executive function skills and what factors does it measure
marshmallow test - inhibition - ability to restrain and attention control - when focusing on something else to resist temptation - resisting temptation is a factor of self control
when is the development advancement of EF
preschool years and adolescence
what does the marshmallow test observe
delay of gratification
children who held out showed what skills
better concentration, better coping with frustration and stress, better cognitive and social competence ratings
what are the strategies for delay of gratification
attentional disengagement, mental distraction, distancing
what helped children the most to resist temptation
imagining a picture frame around the marshmallow allowed them to disengage their attention from the marshmallow and it seemed less accessible
what factors affect development of EF
culture , parenting, environment contingencies, brain maturing
when is the critical window period
12-17 hours after hatching
critical period
starts and ends ABRUPTLY, organism is extremely sensitive to external stimuli that are COMPULSORY in developing a particular skill, after period ends brain regions allocated to this skill will ADAPT to PERFORM DiFFERENT SKILL
sensitive period
starts and ends GRADUALLY, after the period ends SKILL CAN STILL BE LEARNED just less efficiently,
what is the function of attachment
to access food
findings of Harlows studies of rhesus monkeys
spent more time with cloth mother regardless of who fed them, only soothed by cloth mother - evidence against feeding hypothesis
dichotomies in attachment
nature vs nurture, universal vs individual differences, continuous vs discontinuous
what are the stages of the formulation of human attachment
baby does not discriminate 0-2 months, baby begins to prefer certain people
2-7 months, attachment developed to primary caregiver 7-24 months, child is secure over prolonged periods 24 months onward
theory of attachment
John bowlby
all or nothing process
innate behavioural system
goal is to get closer to caregiver as closer they get, greater their access to food is
attachment behaviour is all about what
distress
- seperation distress
-different greeting reactions
what predictions do infants make about their parents
how quickly they respond to needs, how likely they are to ignore infant, how likely they are to respond with anger, how likely they are to be unpredictable
how do an infants caregivers actions affect their future relationships/beliefs
infants generalise how relationships should work, how they or others should act based on their parents
what is infants generalising their parents behaviour an example of
inductive reasoning - using a specific observation to make a general conclusion
what did Mary Ainsworth measure
the quality of attachment between the infant and their caregiver, based on their attachment style activated when distressed
insecure avoidant development
parents consistently unresponsive to infants needs
insecure resistant development
parents inconsistently responsive to infants needs
