Unit 1 Flashcards
What is developmental psychology?
Scientific study of age-related changes and consistences in behaviour, thinking, motion, and personality
Original sin
Idea that all humans are born with selfish and stubborn nature
Jean-Jacques Ideology of the roots of humans
All humans are born with good intentions (innate goodness)
John Locke Ideology of the roots of humans
The state of a child’s mind is a blank state
Maturation
Gessell: pattern of genetically programmed change. Genetic development over time. He used norms to test typical development
Lifespan perspective
Inborn characteristics might interact with environmental factors. Ex-sucking reflexes, genetics, what you are exposed to.
Is interdisciplinary (relating to a branch of knowledge). It is now no longer assumed to be only part of childhood but also adulthood. With all the new research people are expected to live longer.
Darwins baby diaries
He studied babies and left detailed notes to understand the human species development.
Halls study on human development
He identified norms by studying large groups of people and looked for the norms within them.
Piaget study on human development: primitive, Naive, egocentric, ingrown stages
He described 4 stages of logical thinking development between birth and adolescence and cognitive development.
1. primitive stage: The infant possesses mental processes that are similar to those of lower animals
2. Naive psychology stage: learns to use language to communicate but still doesn’t understand its symbolic character
3. Egocentric speech stage: uses language as a guide to solving problems. ex-saying be careful to himself when going down the stairs.
4. Ingrowth stage: suggests that the logical thinking Piaget ascribed to older children resulted from their internalizations of speech routines they had acquired from older children and adults in the social world rather from schemes children constructed for themselves through interactions with the psychical world.
Primitive stage
- The infant possesses mental processes that are similar to those of lower animals
Naive Psychology stage
- learns to use language to communicate but still doesn’t understand its symbolic character
Egocentrics speech stage
- uses language as a guide to solving problems. ex-saying be careful to himself when going down the stairs.
Ingrown stage
- suggests that the logical thinking Piaget ascribed to older children resulted from their internalizations of speech routines they had acquired from older children and adults in the social world rather from schemes children constructed for themselves through interactions with the psychical world.
What are the 3 domains of development
Physical domain: changes in size, shape, and characteristics of the body. ex-puberty, height, adult teeth, etc
Cognitive domain: changes in thinking, memory, problem-solving, and other intellectual skills. ex-frontal lobe, speech, visual, memory
Social domain: changes in variables associated with the relationship of an individual to others (emotions, personality). ex- religion, identity, social norms, eye contact, emotions
All 3 are functioning together.
Nature vs nuture
Nature: inside the person. ex- genes
Nurture: outside the person. environment
The interactionist model is a part of this: considers development to be the result of complex reciprocal interactions between multiple personal and environmental factors.
Examples of this are the vulnerability of resilience. Each child is born with certain vulnerabilities, such as alcoholism. Protective factors, such as intelligence, and good physical coordination tend to make them more resilient in the face of stress.
Interactionist model
part of nature vs nurture: considers development to be the result of complex reciprocal interactions between multiple personal and environmental factors.
Examples of this are the vulnerability of resilience. Each child is born with certain vulnerabilities, such as alcoholism. Protective factors, such as intelligence, and good physical coordination tend to make them more resilient in the face of stress.
Continuity
Age-related change (development) is quantitative: a change in amount or degree. Ex-gradual, a child learns to crawl, stand and then walk.
Discontinuity
Age-related change (development) is qualitative: change in type or kind. Fundamental shift. Organization, new strategies, skills. ex-a child thinking literal terms and then being able to think abstractly. cognitive development
Universal
Common to every individual in a species and linked to a specific age
ex-puberty, food, sex
this can lead to ageism: prejudical behaviour directed towards older adults
group-specific changes
shared by all individuals in a particular group growing up together.
Ex-religious views, retirement
within this cohort: individuals born within the same time frame/ historical context. ex-World war II generation.
Individual changes
Unique and unshared events
Individual changes: critical period
Specific time in which development is stimulated.
ex- when a duck imprints on its mother at birth. this needs to happen at a particular time. who ever the duck sees first will be its “mother”.
Individual changes: sensitive period
more flexible time in which development is stimulated.
ex- a child learning a second language, it most important and easiest from the ages 0-12
Individual changes: Atypical development
deviation from a typical development pattern
Research designs and methods four goals:
Describe development: state what happens. make descriptive statements.
explain development- why a particular event occurs and to help generate explanations.
predict development- hypotheses that researchers can test.
influences development- learning from experience we can judge how to treat our patients the best way possible.
Cross sectional designs
group of subjects are selected at each of a series of ages.
ex- comparing 3 year olds vs 5-year-olds share toys
Longitudinal designs
follow same individual over time.
ex- follow the 3 year old until they are 6 to see how they share toys
sequential design
Combination of the two.
ex- compare the 3 vs 5 year olds and follow the 3 year olds till they are 5
Case study
in-depth examinations of single individuals/event
naturalistic observation
observe people in their normal environments
surveys
involve interviews and/or questionnaires
correlations
describes the strength of a relationship between variables. ranges from -1.00 to +1.00.
zero indicates no relationship.
positive correlations- scores move in the same direction.
negative correlation- scores move in opposite directions.
CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION.
Limitations: does not tell us about casual relationships
experiments
- test a casual hypothesis- participants are assigned randomly to participate in groups
- manipulates the independent variable-experimental group receives treatment and control group does not
ethnography
a detailed description of a single culture or context based on extensive observation
research ethics
protection from harm, informed consent, confidentiality, knowledge of results; deception, if used, must be explained fully.
