psychology unit 1 AOS 2 Flashcards
development
growth and change in a lifespan
cognitive development
changes in thought processes as we age
eg. learning a second language or times tables
emotional development
control, expression, and recognition of emotions in an appropriate way
social development
changes to appropriately interact with others
eg. having a conversation with others
nature
development is genetic and is based on your genetic makeup
characteristics and who they will become are solely genetic
hereditary factors
factors that are genetically passed down from parents to offspring
genetic predisposition
increased likelihood to develop certain traits if conditions are met
eg. if a parent has a mental health disorder then the child will have a greater chance of suffering from it
nurture
the influence of our surroundings, environment, and experience is stronger in shaping who we are
John Locke
believed everyone is born as a blank slate and our experiences shape us
John Watson
observed relationships between stimuli and environment and looked at behaviours in response to that stimuli
individuals learn through rewards and punishment and through observing behaviours and consequences
environmental factors
influence development from physical and social surroundings
eg. parents, socioeconomic status, religion, job, education
interaction between nature and nurture
nature: provides potential for traits to be developed given the right environmental conditions (nurture)
nurture: had the ability to fulfill the potential to develop a certain trait (nature) can also influence development without nature
twin studies
examine traits and characteristics between twins and try to understand how much is caused by genes and how much of it is environment
adoption studies
if adopted children bear more resemblance to biological parents then nature is highlighted
if they are more similar to adoptive family then nurture is highlighyed
maturation
biologically programmed changes which facilitate development. has a fixed sequence
critical periods
narrow rigid developmental period where a skill/function must be leaned or it could never develop or maladaptive development could occur
example of critical period
language acquisition
—> a period where all components of language needs to developed or they can never speak to that of a native speaker (can’t develop grammar or sentences)
sensitive periods
optimal developmental period. it is where you can learn the fastest and easiest. most common in childhood because of neuron growth and brain plasticity
example of sensitive period
learning a second language
—> you can still learn a second language after the sensitive period is over it just would be harder
genie the feral child
missed the critical language acquisition period. she could learn words and had a rather extensive vocabulary but she could not form grammatically correct sentences. she helped scientists develop the theory that some aspects of language were critical and some were sensitive
attachment
long lasting emotional bond between two individuals
attachment theory
suggests the bond between children and caregivers determines the nature of the emotional development
john bowlby
described attachment as necessary to ensure child experienced normal emotional development
healthy attachment
the primary caregiver acts as a secure base where the infant can return for safety whilst exploring their environment. allows individuals to form strong relationships due to self esteem and sense of trust as an adult
harry harlow
investigated emotional attachment in rhesus monkeys and aimed to see if the attachment is because of comfort or biological drives such as hunger.
results showed that the monkeys spent longer a day on the cloth monkey regardless of food and went to it when it was scared, and did not want the wire monkey at all when it was the only one there.
showed that comfort is more important than food
mary ainsworth
created the strange situation experiment and made ainsworths attachment groups
strange situation
- infant abs mother enter the room
- mother watches child explore
- stranger comes in and interacts with child
- mother leaves
- mother returns, stranger leaves, reunion is observed
- mother leaves
- stranger enters (is child comforted?)
- mother enters and interacts with child and the reunion is observed
secure attachment
strong healthy bond between infant and caregiver as needs are consistently met. adults are self sufficient, have high self esteem and resilience
insecure avoidant attachment
infant is reluctant/avoids contact to caregiver because they don’t meet their needs. in adults they can’t be intimate, ignore own emotions, are scared to depend on others, and avoids asking for help
insecure - anxious (resistant) attachment
fluctuates between clinging and rejecting caregiver due to them inconsistently meeting their needs. adults heavily rely on support from others, lack independence, tend to be clingy and people pleasers
emotional development
continuous, lifelong development of skills which allow people to control, recognise, and express emotions appropriately
factors affecting attachment
genetics: we are born with the desire to bond. similar traits can strengthen the bond.
temperament: easy - more established patterns and parents can anticipate needs —> secure attachment
difficult - irregular patterns and inconsistent responses to the same thing —> insecure attachment
early life experiences: positive life experiences lead to them developing secure attachment
cognition
the ability to produce thought and organise information from the environment
schema
mental representation of a concept developed through experience
- helps us learn new concepts and can influence interactions with environment
- made through prior experiences and learning
assimilation
incorporation of new information into an existing schema - schema increases in depth and complexity
- pre existing schema: child sees giraffe when at the zoo “giraffes live in zoos all the time”
- new information: child watches TV show with giraffe in the wild
- updated schema: child recognises animal on TV is the same as the one at the zoo “omg no way in the wild and at the zoo”7 and
accomodation
restructuring existing schema to fit new information - it restructures its shape or creates an additional schema
- pre existing schema: giraffes have four legs, a tail, and live at the zoo
- new information: child sees animal at the zoo with four legs, and a tail so calls it a giraffe. mother explains it’s a zebra not a giraffe “giraffes have spots, not stripes like the zebra does”
- changed schema: giraffe schema is reconstructed - giraffes have spots and a new schema is formed for zebras
sensory motor stage
0-2 years
object permanence and goal directed behaviour
preoperatuonal stage
2-7 years
animism, overcoming egocentrism, reversibility, overcoming centration
concrete operational stage
7-12 years
conservation, classification, mental operations
formal operational stage
12+ years
abstract thought: consider concepts not tangible or concrete
use of reason and logic:
concrete thought
production of thought based on knowledge acquired through personal experiences and literal interpretations.
developed in sensorimotor (0-2)
symbolic thinking
ability to draw conclusions, understand hypothetical constructs and represent concepts with symbols, words etc.
starts in preoperatuonal stage (2-7) and becomes increasingly complex
criticisms of piagets work
underestimated abilities: children have been seen to perform tasks earlier than expected
lack of representation: conducted on white children
neglect of stages: no further above 12
invalid research methods: based on his own children
psychosocial development
interactions between cognitive and social processes throughout the lifespan that affect development and growth
eriksons theory
behaviour and personality is shaped by the desire to meet social and cultural expectations
proposed that there are stages and crises to confront to develop psychosocial health
trust vs mistrust
0-1 years
reliable caregivers develop infants trust, if unresponsive to infant, mistrust may develop
autonomy vs shame and doubt
1-3 years
autonomy: encouraged to make own choices
shame/ doubt: choices are denied and they begin to doubt their own independence
initiative vs guilt
3-6 years
initiative: plans and the thoughts endorsed by others
guilt: lacks of endorsement leads to the sense they have done something wrong
industry vs inferiority
6-12 years
industry: children are proud of their performance against other children
identity vs role confusion
12-19 years
identity: strong belief in who you are
role confusion: uncertainty of identity
intimacy vs isolation
19-30 years
strong committed relationships
generativity vs stagnation
30-64 years
fulfilment of contribution to the next generation
integrity vs dispair
64+
integrity: sense of satisfaction when reflecting on life
normality
the state of having thoughts feelings and behaviours that are considered common and acceptable
sociocultural approach to normality
what is normal according to social and cultural beliefs and practices
eg. being married to one person at a time
functional approach to normality
thoughts feelings and behaviours that enables an individual to meet demands of everyday life
normal: going to school
abnormal: no energy to eat
historical approach to normality
dominant customs of a specific time period
—> killing people for sport
medial approach to normality
thoughts feelings and behaviours that do not fit the clearly outlined diagnostic criteria for a medical condition
abnormal: can be diagnosed by medical practitioner
normal: do not fit diagnostic criteria
statistical approach to normality
what has been measured as commonly occurring
situational approach to normality
what is standard abs acceptable in specific contexts
normal: screaming at concert
abnormal: screaming at the shops
typical behaviour
consistent with how an individual usually behaves
atypical behaviours
unusual or unnatural according to how an individual usually behaves.
adaptive behaviours
an activity that enhances someone’s ability to match changing demands of everyday life
—> following school rules
maladaptive behaviour s
impairs someone’s ability to match the changing demands of everyday life
—> having a gambling addiction
mental health disorder
diagnosed psychological state that involves thoughts feelings that are atypical of the person and significantly impact their ability to function independently
biological factors
risk factors: poor sleep, substance abuse, genetic vulnerability
protective factors: balanced diet and adequate sleep
psychological factors risk and protective
risk factors: rumination , impaired reasoning, stress
protective factors: cognitive behaviour strategies
social factors
risk factors: insecure attachment, relationship breakdown, stigma
protective factors: support from family and friends and community
benefits of diagnosis with labels
- sense of understanding and empowerment for some
- targeted treatment and research
- inter rater reliability
limitations of diagnosis with labels
- stigma, shame, lack of acceptance
- become alienated from normal people
- can box someone into their label
- under and over diagnosis
addiction disorder
dependence on a particular substance or behaviour despite negative consequences
anxiety disorder
extreme ongoing worry or stress
mood disorder
disabling lowering or heightening of mood
personality disorders
personality traits and behaviours that diverge significantly form cultural and societal norms causing distress and harm for individual
psychotic disorders
characterised by a state of psychosis
psychosis: being out of touch with reality
schizophrenia
psychotic disorder characterised by the presence of longer term psychosis and impairment of functioning
symptoms of schizophrenia
- hallucination eg. voices
- delusions eg. thinking you’re jesus
- disorganised speech
- catatonia: inability to move
two hit hypothesis s
states that schizophrenia arises from two events
- genetic factor
- environmental events
it is only when these two events occur in this order is when schizophrenia is developed
object permanence
object is still there even if it cannot be seen heard or touched
—> show a toy to a child and then hiding it and see if they look for it or not
goal directed behaviour
completing an action to achieve a goal
—> standing up with the intention of grabbing a toy
animism
inanimate objects feel things
overcoming egocentrism
the ability to understand the perspective of others
—> child is asked to describe a mountain from their perspective and the person sitting across from them. if they can do the other persons side then they have no egocentrism
overcoming centration
overcoming centration: focusing on one feature and excluding the others
For example, focusing only on the height of the container rather than both the height and width when determining what has the biggest volume.
reversibility
an object can return to its original shape after it has been moved
—> moulding play dough
conservation
conservation: properties remain the same when appearance is altered
—> weight and mass remain constant
classification
classification: can group objects into categories organised on common features
—> can group strawberries with other fruits due to sweet taste and recognising fruits are different to vegetables
