Test 3 - 'Lifespan Psychology'

Question 1

Lifespan psychology

Answer 1

It considers the developmental changes that occur at various times in our lives. These encompass biological and physical changes, cognitive changes, and social and emotional changes.

Question 2

Maturation

Answer 2

A predetermined biological sequence of behaviours which occur at certain ages.

Question 3

Cognitive development

Answer 3

The development of mental abilities throughout the lifespan.

Question 4

Emotional development

Answer 4

The learning of types of emotions and how to deal with them throughout the lifespan.

Question 5

Perceptual development

Answer 5

It occurs as infants grow and explore their environment. It is the selecting, organising and interpreting of the sensations that are sent to the brain from the senses.

Question 6

Preferential looking technique

Answer 6

A technique used to determine if infants could distinguish one stimulus from another by the length of time they looked at it.

Question 7

Habituation

Answer 7

When a person (usually an infant) stops looking at a stimulus due to loss of interest.

Question 8

Dishabituation

Answer 8

The shifting of interest and attention from and old stimulus to a new stimulus.

Question 9

Dominant genes

Answer 9

The gene that displays its characteristic rather than its paired recessive gene.

Question 10

Recessive genes

Answer 10

A genes whose characteristic will only be displayed if the paired gene is also recessive (not dominant)

Question 11

Accommodation

Answer 11

Piaget’s term when new situations, objects or information are encountered and the persons schema is wither modified or a new schema is created.

Question 12

Assimilation

Answer 12

According to Piaget, is the process where new experiences are combined with existing schema.

Question 13

Schema

Answer 13

A term used by Piaget to describe a cognitive or mental plan that is a guide for related actions and perceptions.

Question 14

Developmental norms

Answer 14

indicate the average age that a certain behaviour or skill will be achieved. They are based on the mean age of a large sample. When a child learns to ride a bike.

Question 15

Gross motor skills

Answer 15

such as walking, kicking a ball, are skills that use large muscle groups.

Question 16

Fine motor skills

Answer 16

such as holding a pen correctly, use small muscle groups.

Question 17

Neonate’s vision at birth

Answer 17

• A newborn is unable to use visual accommodation because the nerves, lens and the eye muscles that control the adjustment of the lens to focus are still developing.
• Visual acuity has not been fully developed because the fovea, a structure in the eye is still immature. It is also not clear because the parts of the brain are too immature to send clear messages.
• Colour vision develops as the infant gets older. At two to three months of age, infants can discriminate between some colours and at four months, their colour vision is similar to an adults.

Question 18

Piaget’s theories

Answer 18

Sensorimotor: Birth - 2
Preoperational: 2-7
Concrete operational: 7-12
Formal operational: 12+

Question 19

Sensorimotor

Answer 19

Infants learn about their world through their senses (hearing, seeing) and by actions (motor) such as grasping or pulling.
- Object permanence: infants understand that an object still exists when it is no longer seen.

Question 20

Preoperational

Answer 20

Children continue to develop, and they use symbols, images and language to represent their world.

• Symbolic thinking
• Animism
• Egocentrism
• Centration
• Seriation
• Conservation
• Irreversibility

Question 21

Concrete operational

Answer 21

Children can perform basic mental problems that involce physical objects

Question 22

Formal operational

Answer 22

Children are able to think logically and methodically about physical and abstract problems.

Question 23

Criticisms of Piaget’s theory

Answer 23

 Other psychologists suggest that some people never reach formal operations.
 Piaget neglected many important cognitive factors such as motivation, memory span and impulsiveness.
 Piaget focused on the things that children did wrong to formulate his theories.
 Piaget underestimated social influences on development.

Question 24

Depth perception

Answer 24

Depth perception is the ability to accurately judge 3D space and distance, using cues in the environment.

Gibson and Walk produced an experiment that consisted of a small table covered with glass. On one side of the table was a ‘shallow side’, with a checkerboard pattern directly below the glass. On the other side was the ‘deep side’ with the checkerboard pattern placed a metre below the glass. Gibson and Walk found that 27 infants out of 36 who moved off the centre of the board crawled out on the shallow side at least once. Three infants crept off the edge onto the deep side and many of the infants crawled away from their mother who was calling them from the deep side, while others cried because they realised they couldn’t get to their mother without crossing the cliff.

Question 25

Down syndrome

Answer 25

• They have an extra chromosome (chromosome 21).
• The extra chromosome is due to a mistake in cell division and growth at conception. It can result in mild or moderate intellectual disability, growth and motor skill development.

Question 26

Fragile X syndrome

Answer 26

A defective single gene on the X chromosome. It causes the breaking of the X chromosome.

It affects females less because they have 2 X chromosomes.
• High chance of mental retardation

Question 27

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 27

A single gene on chromosome 14 is responsible in most cases, and a single gene on chromosome 21 in others.

It is characterised by progressive brain deterioration that leads to substantial loss of memory and other cognitive abilities.

Question 28

Fantz’s study

Answer 28

Infants were placed in a ‘looking chamber’, which had two visual displays on the ceiling above their head. Observing through a peep hole, the experimenter was able to determine the length of time an infant preferred to look at a visual display.

Fantz found that two-to-three week old infants preferred and looked longer at complex patterns.

Question 29

Sampling techniques

Answer 29

• Random sample
• Stratified random sample
• convenience sample.

Question 30

Random sample

Answer 30

Every member of the population has an equal chance of selection.
Advantages: give a representative sample
Disadvantage: difficult to achieve.

Question 31

Stratified random sample

Answer 31

Dividing the population into categories and selecting at random in proportions equivalent to population
Advantages: Eliminates the effect of the variable on which the sample is stratified.
Disadvantage: time consuming

Question 32

Convenience sample

Answer 32

Picking whoever is available at the time.
Advantages: quick, easy, cheap
Disadvantages: Bias in sample

Question 33

Population

Answer 33

The group of people about which we wish to draw conclusions.

Question 34

Sample

Answer 34

The members of the population that have been chosen to take part in the research. (amount of people)

Question 35

Ethics

Answer 35

1. Role of the experimenter
2. Participants rights
3. Confidentiality
4. Voluntary participation
5. Withdrawal rights
6. Informed consent
7. Deception in research
8. Debriefing

Question 36

Role of the experimenter

Answer 36

The researcher must always act in a professional manner, making sure that the best interests of the participants, and of society in general are met.

Question 37

Participants rights

Answer 37

Researchers must always maintain respect for the participants.

Question 38

Confidentiality

Answer 38

Participants must not be identified in any way in terms of test results, their involvement in the study or any other confidential data.

Question 39

Voluntary participation

Answer 39

Participants have the right to refuse to take part in a study.

Question 40

Withdrawal rights

Answer 40

Participants have the right to leave a study at any stage, regardless of the possible effects on the result.

Question 41

Informed consent

Answer 41

Participants must be given information about a study before they agree to take part.

Question 42

Deception in research

Answer 42

This is only permitted if the results would be confounded if the participants had much information before taking part in the study. The participants must not suffer any distress.

Question 43

Debriefing

Answer 43

occurs after the completion of the study and participants are told the results and conclusions of the study.

Question 44

Mean

Answer 44

the average of all scores, calculated by adding up all the scores and dividing that total by the number of scores.

Question 45

Mode

Answer 45

the most commonly occurring score in the dataset.

Question 46

Median

Answer 46

the score that occurs exactly halfway between the lowest and the highest score.

Question 47

Are the five senses developed at birth?

Answer 47

No, because the neonate has not be born fully developed and so it takes time for the body to mature and be able to function to its fullest potential.

Question 48

Lifespan stages

Answer 48

Infancy: 0-2 years old 
Childhood: 2-12 years old 
Adolescence: 12-20 years old
Early adulthood: 20-40 years old 
Middle Age: 40-65 years old 
Old Age: 65+

Question 49

What ages do emotions develop?

Answer 49

According to Bridges in 1931, basic human emotions such as anger, fear, and joy are learned by 2 years of age. Some researchers believe that infants can express emotions from 10 weeks of age.

Question 50

Nature vs nurture debate

Answer 50

It considers the biological or genetic influences that determine who we are and how we behave. It questions whether a person is born ‘bad’ or are the product of their environment.