Unit 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a theory?

A

A theory is an orderly, integrated set of statements that describes, explain, and predict behaviour.

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2
Q

What are theories vital for?

A
  1. They provide organising frameworks for our observation of people. They guide and give meaning to what we see.
  2. Theories are verified by research provide a sound basis for practical action.
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3
Q

how do theories differ from opinions and beliefs?

A

Theories are influenced by cultural values and beliefs but differ in an important way from opinions and beliefs because the existence of the theory depends on scientific verification.

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4
Q

Does the study of development provide an ultimate truth?

A

No

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5
Q

What does the continuous view of development suggest?

A

that development is a gradual process of augmenting the same type of skills present from the beginning

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6
Q

How does the continuous view describe the difference between immature and mature individuals?

A

the difference between immature and mature individuals is just a matter of how many skills they have or how complex those skills are

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7
Q

How are changes in development described, in the continuous view?

A

gradual and cumulative

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8
Q

What does the discontinuous view of development suggest?

A

that infants and children have unique ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, different from adults

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9
Q

According to the discontinuous view, how does development occur?

A

in distinct stages, with new ways of understanding and responding emerging at specific times

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10
Q

What is a key concept of the discontinuous view?

A

Development takes place in stages.

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11
Q

How can we define the stages from the discontinuous development?

A

qualitative changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving that characterize specific periods of development

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12
Q

In the discontinuous view, when do new behaviors and understanding emerge?

A

at specific times in life, as part of developmental stages

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13
Q

What do stage theorists assume?

A

that people everywhere follow the same sequence of development.

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14
Q

How has the field of human development changed over time?

A

it has become more aware that children and adults live in distinct contexts

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15
Q

How do contemporary theorists view development?

A

as shaped by many-layered and complex contexts

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16
Q

What factors do contemporary theorists consider on the personal side of development?

A

heredity and biological makeup

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17
Q

What factors do contemporary theorists consider on the environmental side of development?

A

immediate settings, like home, school and neighborhood, as well as remote circumstances like community resources & social values

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18
Q

How do people interact with the context in which they develop, according to contemporary theorists?

A

both affected by and contribute to the context of their development

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19
Q

What do contemporary theorists emphasize about culture in development?

A

cultural diversity and its impact on development

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20
Q

What does nature refer to in development?

A

Nature refers to the hereditary information we receive from our parents at the moment of conception

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21
Q

What does nurture encompass in development?

A

Nurture includes the complex forces of the physical and social world that influence our biological makeup and psychological experiences before and after birth

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22
Q

How do theories view the roles of nature and nurture?

A

All theories grant roles to both, but vary in their emphasis. This affects how they explain individual differences

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23
Q

What is the concept of stability in developmental theories?

A

Stability theorists emphasize that individuals who are high or low in a characteristic will remain so later in life.
-> early experiences establish lifelong pattern of behavior

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24
Q

What is the plasticity view in developmental theories?

A

Plasticity theorists believe that development has substantial plasticity throughout life
-> open to change in response to influential experiences

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25
Q

What was widely assumed in the first half of the twentieth century?

A

that development stopped at adolescence

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26
Q

what are infancy, childhood, adulthood and aging each viewed as?

A

Infancy and childhood: periods of rapid transformation
adulthood: plateau
aging: period of decline

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27
Q

why is the average life expectancy increasing?

A

because of improvements in nutrition, sanitation and medical knowledge

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28
Q

What does the lifespan perspective contain?

A

it contains four assumptions about what development is

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29
Q

What are the four assumptions of the lifespan perspective?

A

Development is..
- Lifelong
- Multidimensional and multidirectional
- highly plastic
- affected by multiple interacting forces

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30
Q

What is the developmental systems perspective?

A

It views development as a perpetually ongoing process from conception to death, shaped by a complex network of biological, psychological, and social influences.

31
Q

What does it mean that development is lifelong?

A

It means no single age period is supreme in its impact
-> events at any age can significantly affect future changes

32
Q

Within each period, change occurs in three broad domains. Which ones?

A
  • Physical
  • Cognitive
  • Emotional/Social
33
Q

Are the 3 main domains of development distinct?

A

no, they overlap and interact with each other

34
Q

What are the major periods of human development?

A

Prenatal (conception to birth)
Infancy and toddlerhood (birth - 2)
early childhood (2-6)
middle childhood (6-11 years)
adolescence (11-18)
early adulthood (18-40)
middle adulthood (40-65)
late adulthood (65 - death)

35
Q

What does it mean that development is multidimensional?

A

it is influenced by an intricate blend of biological, psychological, and social forces, affecting various aspects of life

36
Q

What does it mean that lifespan development is multidirectional?

A

it involves both growth and decline at different periods of life

37
Q

Is development only about improved performance?

A

no, development is a joint expression of both improvement and decline

38
Q

How does change occur within each domain of development?

A

change is multidirectional within each domain, meaning: different aspects of development may grow or decline

39
Q

What forces affect the multidimensional nature of development?

A

biological, psychological and social forces

40
Q

How is development multidirectional over time?

A

involves both, gains and losses in abilities throughout the lifespan

41
Q

What does it mean that development is plastic?

A

individuals have the capacity for change and adaptation throughout their lifespan

42
Q

how does plasticity change with age?

A

it tends to decrease gradually with age, as both the capacity for and opportunity for change are reduced.
-> varies greatly among individuals!

43
Q

Which forces influence development?

A

biological, historical, social, and cultural

44
Q

What are age-graded influences in development?

A

events strongly related to age, making them fairly predictable in timing and duration
E.g.: Puberty around 12-14

45
Q

What are history-graded influences?

A

forces unique to a particular historical era, such as epidemics or wars

46
Q

What does the history-graded influences explain?

A

why people born around the same time—called a cohort—tend to be alike in ways that set them apart from people born at other times.

47
Q

What are non normative influences?

A

events that are irregular: They happen to just one person or a few people and do not follow a predictable timetable

48
Q

What is resilience?

A

the ability to adapt effectively in the face of threats to development

49
Q

What are the 2 psychoanalytic perspectives in developmental psychology?

A

Freuds psychosexual stage and erikson psychosocial stage

50
Q

What is classical conditioning and who developed it?

A

John B. Watson.
- learning process where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus to elicit a response
e.g.: Pavlov’s dogs salivating

51
Q

What is operant conditioning and who developed it?

A

B. F. Skinner
- learning process where behavior is shaped by rewards (reinforcements) or punishments
e.g.: Skinner’s pigeons learning to peck a button for food

52
Q

What is social learning theory and who developed it?

A

Albert Bandura
- people learn behaviors through observing and imitating others, as well as through rewards and punishments
e.g.: Bandura’s doll experiment

53
Q

What are the stages of the cognitive-developmental theory and who invented it?

A

Jean Piaget
Sensorimotor (Birth - 2)
Preoperational (2-7)
Concrete operational (7-11)
Formal operational (11 years on)

54
Q

What is the focus of the Sociocultural theory and who invented it?

A

Vygotsky
- focuses on how culture (values, beliefs, customs and skills) is transmitted to the next generation through social interaction, particularly through cooperative dialogues with more knowledgable members of society

55
Q

What does Vygotsky’s concept of the zone of proximal development (ZDP) refer to?

A

it refers to the range of tasks that a child cannot yet perform independently but can accomplish with guidance from more knowledgeable others

56
Q

What role does social interaction play in Vygotsky’s theory?

A

social interactions are crucial for children to acquire the thinking and behavior of their community’s culture
-> necessary for cognitive development

57
Q

What are the 4 systems in the ecological system theory and who invented it?

A

Bronfenbrenner
- Microsystem
- Mesosystem
- Exosystem
- Macrosystem

58
Q

What is the microsystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory?

A

activities and interaction patterns in the person’s immediate surroundings.

59
Q

What is the mesosystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory?

A

connections between microsystems.

60
Q

What is the exosystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory?

A

social settings that do not contain the developing person but nevertheless affect experiences in immediate settings.

61
Q

What is the macrosystem in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory?

A

cultural values, laws, customs, and resources.

62
Q

Is the psychoanalytic perspective continues/discontinous, one course/many, nature/nurture?

A
  • discontinuous, development takes place in stages
  • one course, stages are universal
  • both nature and nurture, early experiences set the course of later development
63
Q

Is behaviorism and social learning theory continues/discontinous, one course/many, nature/nurture?

A
  • continuous, involves and increases in learned behaviors
  • many courses, reinforcement and models vary from person to person
  • emphasis on nurture, development is result of conditioning (early and late experiences are important)
64
Q

Is Piagets cognitive developmental theory continues/discontinous, one course/many, nature/nurture?

A

discontinuous, one course, both nature and nurture

65
Q

Is Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory continues/discontinous, one course/many, nature/nurture?

A

both, continuous and discontinuous, many courses, both nature and nurture

66
Q

Is bronfenbrenner’S ecological systems theory continues/discontinous, one course/many, nature/nurture?

A

not specified, many courses, both nature and nurture

67
Q

Is the lifespan perspective continues/discontinous, one course/many, nature/nurture?

A

both continuous and discontinuous, many courses, both nature and nurture

68
Q

Which are the methods commonly used in research on human development?

A
  • systematic observation
  • self-reports
  • clinical, or case study method
  • ethnography
  • general
69
Q

Why do scientists studying human development need special research designs?

A

They need information on how participants change over time to answer developmental questions, requiring research designs that measure people at different ages.

70
Q

Which two strategies are special development research strategies?

A

Longitudinal and cross-sectional designs.

71
Q

What do developmental research designs extend?

A

They extend correlational and experimental approaches to include measurements at different ages.

72
Q

What is the goal of developmental research designs?

A

To study changes in participants over time and how these changes relate to development.

73
Q

Which designs are there for studying development?

A

Longitudinal, cross-sectional and sequential