unit 1 - human lifespan development

Question 1

define ‘growth’

Answer 1

an increase in a measurable quality such as weight, height or head circumference

Question 2

define ‘development’

Answer 2

a complex change including skills & abilities and capabilities

Question 3

define ‘gross motor skills’

Answer 3

involves movements of large muscles such as arms, legs, hand & feet

Question 4

define ‘fine motor skills’

Answer 4

this the smaller more refined movements things such as fingers, toes

Question 5

what age is infancy & early childhood?

Answer 5

infancy - 0-2

early childhood - 3-8

Question 6

what is the ages for adolescence & early adulthood?

Answer 6

adolescence - 9-18

early adulthood - 19-45

Question 7

what is the ages for middle adulthood and later adulthood?

Answer 7

middle adulthood - 45-65

later adulthood - 65+

Question 8

what are the physical development for 19-45 years (early adulthood)

Answer 8

brain wave patterns are more mature patterns

young adults have reached full height and strength

towards the end of the stage adults may start to lose speed and strength

Question 9

what’s the role of hormones in females & what are these hormones?

Answer 9

the two hormones in females are oestrogen & progesterone

the ovaries produce these which are responsible for changes in ovulation & menstruation

Question 10

what is it the main role of hormones in male & what is this hormone called?

Answer 10

this hormone is called testosterone

the testes start to produce testosterone which stimulates sperm production

testosterone is also responsible for development of secondary sexual characteristics

Question 11

what’s the role of hormones in sexual maturity?

Answer 11

sex hormones are responsible for the changes that occur in puberty

the release of hormones from the pituitary glands controls the onset and rate of puberty (physical changes e.g. hair)

Question 12

name some of the primary sexual characteristics in males

Answer 12

penis enlarges
testes begin to produce sperm
the prostate glands produces secretion

Question 13

name some of the secondary sexual characteristics for males?

Answer 13

hair growth on armpits
facial hair growth
voice breaks

Question 14

name some primary sexual characteristics in females?

Answer 14

oestrogen - maintaining your uterus
ovaries begin to release eggs
the menstrual cycle commences

Question 15

name some secondary sexual characteristics for females?

Answer 15

oily skin
wider hips
breast development
hair grows

Question 16

define ‘lactation’

Answer 16

the secretion of milk from the mammary gland

Question 17

define prolactin & oxytocin?

Answer 17

prolactin stimulates the production of milk

oxytocin stimulates the flow of milk​

Question 18

what happens in the perimenopause?

Answer 18

the level of oestrogen rises and falls unevenly, your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you may begin having menstrual cycles in which your ovaries don’t release an egg (ovulate) ​

with 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, you’ve reached menopause

Question 19

symptoms of perimenopause?

Answer 19

hot flushes and night sweats​
breast tenderness​
loss of libido (lower sex drive)​
fatigue​
irregular or very heavy periods​
vaginal dryness, discomfort during sex​
 mood swings​
trouble sleeping​
urine leakage when coughing or sneezing​
urinary urgency (an urgent need to urinate more frequently)

Question 20

state the physical development which happens in middle adulthood?

Answer 20

aging speeds up during middle adulthood (ages 40–65) and there is a decline in vision, hearing, and immune-system functioning

round the age of 60, the eyes lose their ability to adjust to objects at varying distances

most people between the ages of 40 and 60 will need some form of corrective lenses for vision deficits

middle-aged adults are also at higher risk than younger adults for certain eye problem, such as glaucoma

Question 21

state the physical development which happens in later adulthood?

Answer 21

during late adulthood the skin continues to lose elasticity, reaction time slows further, muscle strength and mobility diminishes, hearing and vision decline, and the immune system weakens

Question 22

when menopause happens there is a decrease of oestrogen, explain what this does to the body?

Answer 22

bones break down more easier and the bones are less dense

Question 23

name the five aspects of intellectual development and what they are?

Answer 23

language development - essential for organising thoughts & to share ideas

problem solving - a skill which is required to work things out & make prediction of what might happen

memory - it stores, recalls and retrieves information

moral development - informs you how to act towards others and yourself and allows for reasoning and making choices

abstract thoughts & creative thinking - essential for thinking & discussing situations/events that can not be observed

Question 24

intellectual milestones from 3-8

Answer 24

age 3 - ask questions, count recognise colours

age 5 - starting to read & write & draw in detail, can talk about past and future

age 8 - can think more deeply, reason, talk about abstract ideas and plans

Question 25

intellectual development in middle adulthood?

Answer 25

can think through problems and make sounds, judgments using life experiences

Question 26

intellectual development for later adulthood?

Answer 26

changes in the brain can cause short term memory decline and slower thought processes and reaction times

Question 27

what is a schema?

Answer 27

a category of knowledge as well as the process of acquiring knowledge​

an example of a schema is - Jack has developed a schema for a cow. He knows that a cow is large, has four legs and a tail

when he sees a horse he might initially call it a cow as it fits with his schema of a large animal

once Jack has been told that the horse is a different animal, he will modify his existing schema for a cow and create a new schema for a horse.​

Question 28

four processes of schema?

Answer 28

adaptation - the overall process of adjusting behaviours to cope with the environment​

assimilation - when a child perceives new objects or events in terms of existing schemas​

disequilibrium/Accommodation - when a child tries to interpret something new with an old schema, they often get it wrong and so get confused, this is known as disequilibrium, they are forced to change your old schema/create a new schema to cope with this new information.​

Equilibrium - a balance between assimilation and accommodation-being able to respond effectively in a variety of different situations

Question 29

state the two assumptions of the piaget’s stage theory?

Answer 29

progress through the stages is in a fixed order​

the abilities in each stage have to be achieved in before the child can progress to the next level

Question 30

what is the 0-2 stage called and what is it?

Answer 30

the sensorimotor - where infants know the world through movements and sensations
basic actions so as sucking, grasping, looking and listening

Question 31

what study is used for 0-2 year olds?

Answer 31

piaget (1963) blanket and ball study

piaget tested object permanence by taking a toy from the child and hiding it under a blanket. ​
before 8 months of age, infants would not reach for the hidden toy

infants over 8 months would search for the toy, showing that they had object permanence​

piaget concluded that object permanence develops around 8 months​

Question 32

what is the stage for 2-7 year olds?

Answer 32

the pre- operational stage - children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects

tend to be egocentric

Question 33

what is the study used for 2-7 year olds?

Answer 33

three mountains task -
showed 4-12 year-olds a model of 3 mountains, a person was sat on the other side of the model.

from the other side of the model the child had to choose the view that the person would be able to see

children aged 4-5 years chose their own view but by 7-8 years they could choose the correct view

piaget concluded that pre-operational children cannot decentre: they are egocentric

Question 34

what is the 7-11 stage called?

Answer 34

concrete operational
during this stage, children begin to thinking logically about concrete events​

they begin to understand the concept of conservation; that the amount of liquid in a short, wide cup is equal to that in a tall, skinny glass

their thinking becomes more logical and organized, but still very concrete​

Question 35

what is the study used for 7-11 year olds called?

Answer 35

conservation of number -
by having a tall, long glass filled with water and a small wide glass filled with water the children should be able to realise that they have the same amount in but just different sizes

Question 36

what is the 12-18 stage called?

Answer 36

formal operational
at this stage, the adolescent or young adult begins to think abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems ​

teens begin to think more about moral, philosophical, ethical, social, and political issues that require theoretical and abstract reasoning​

begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general principle to specific information​

Question 37

what is the study for 12-18 year olds called?

Answer 37

pendulum task
the method involved a length of string and a set of weights

participants had to consider three factors (variables) the length of the string, the heaviness of the weight and the strength of push​

the task was to work out which factor was most important in determining the speed of swing of the pendulum

participants can vary the length of the pendulum string, and vary the weight, they can measure the pendulum speed by counting the number of swings per minute. ​

to find the correct answer the participant has to grasp the idea of the experimental method - that is to vary one variable at a time (e.g. trying different lengths with the same weight)

piaget concluded that the systematic approach indicated the children were thinking logically, in the abstract, and could see the relationships between things, these are the characteristics of the formal operational stage.​

Question 38

state some of the criticisms of piaget?

Answer 38

small number of children in his study

piaget suggest that the age/stages he describes may be more fluid than he thought and that he underestimated and overestimated children’s cognitive abilities​

studies show at 5 years old they do understand others feelings and are far less egocentric than Piaget suggested

bruner did not agree with Piaget’s notion of fixed stages and ‘readiness’ to learn. He believes that, with adult support, children can be helped to progress to higher level thinking skills​

other research suggests that children take longer than 11 years to become skilled at abstract logical thinking​

Question 39

state what Bower and Wishart (1972) experiment is?

Answer 39

Bower and Wishart showed 20 week old babies a toy dangling from a string.​

they then turned out the lights and found that all the infants continued to reach for an object in the dark​

the finding suggest that Piaget underestimated children’s capabilities because his methods were limited. Their reactions depend on how the object disappears. ​​

Question 40

state what Hughes and Donaldson experiment is (1979)?

Answer 40

hughes showed 3 ½ - 5 year-olds a model with intersecting walls. A boy doll and a policeman doll were positioned in the model and the child had to say if the policeman could see the boy. They then had to hide the boy doll from the policeman doll. ​

hughes found that 90% of children were successful​

the finding suggest that Piaget underestimated children’s capabilities because his methods were limited. Their reactions depend on how the task is presented. ​​

Question 41

state what McGarrigle and Donaldson’s experiment is (1974)?

Answer 41

McGarrigle and Donaldson showed children two versions of Piaget’s conservation experiment- one where the row of beads was altered by the researcher and one where the beads were altered by ‘Naughty Teddy’.​

results showed that 60% of 6 year-olds could conserve if the rearrangement of the materials (beads) appeared to be accidental (by Naughty Teddy)​

The finding suggest that Piaget underestimated children’s capabilities because his methods were limited. Their reactions depend on how the task is presented. ​

Question 42

state what wood and middeton experiment is (1974)?

Answer 42

Wood and Middleton observed parents helping young children build bricks. The task was too hard for the children to do alone. Parents initially showed their child, then stopped giving direct help but made comments and suggestions.​

The amount of help was reduced over time​

This study highlights the way that children’s cognitive development can be assisted by adult help- scaffolding.

Question 43

state what chomsky believed in?

Answer 43

Noam Chomsky (1959) believed that the ability to develop a signed or spoken language is genetically programmed into individuals.

Question 44

what is language acquisition device?

Answer 44

Chomsky states that individuals are born with a ’language acquisition device’ (LAD) that enables children to recognise and develop the languages they experience. According to Chomsky’s theory, children are ‘preprogramed’ to acquire language and it evolves naturally in the same way that children have the ability to stand and to walk.

Question 45

state the critics of chomsky?

Answer 45

lack of scientific evidence he puts too much emphasis on grammar didn’t take delayed language development children into consideration

Question 46

define attachment?

Answer 46

a strong emotional connection/bond between two people​

Question 47

define empathy?

Answer 47

the ability to understand and share other people’s feelings

Question 48

what does Bowlby say about children attachments in the first two years of there life?

Answer 48

according to Bowlby if the attachment is not developed within the first two and half years of a child’s life irreversible damage will be caused

Question 49

what are the four different types attachments?

Answer 49

secure
ambivalent
avoidant
disorganised

Question 50

define secure attachment characteristics?

Answer 50

A child will:​

Be able to separate from a parent​

Prefers parents to strangers​

Seek comfort from a parent or caregiver if they are frightened​

Become excited when they see their parent/caregiver​

Question 51

define ambivalent attachment characteristics?

Answer 51

A child will:​

Be wary of strangers​

Become very distressed when a parent/caregiver leaves​

Do not appear to be comforted in the return of a parent/caregiver​

Question 52

define avoidant attachment characteristics?

Answer 52

Children may:​

May avoid parents​

Don’t really seek comfort from parents of caregivers​

Show no real preference between a parent/caregiver or a stranger​

Question 53

define disorganised attachment characteristics?

Answer 53

Characteristics change with age.​

A child of at age 1.​

Mixture of avoidance and resistant behaviours​

Can seem confused and apprehensive​

A child at 6 ​

May take on a parent role​

Some may act as a caregiver towards the parent​

Question 54

what’s Schaffer and Emerson’s sequences of attachment?

Answer 54

Research by Schaffer and Emerson suggests that babies are most likely to form attachments to caregivers who respond effectively to their signals. This is not necessarily the person they spend the most time with. The most important factor in forming attachments, therefore, is not the adult who feeds and changes the baby but the adult who plays and communicates with the baby​

Question 55

state reasons for attachment not going smoothly?

Answer 55

Prematurity​

Post natal depression​

Separation​

Foster care/ adoption​

Emotional unavailability​

Disability

Question 56

what’s the process of babies from 1-9 months with Schaffer’s and Emerson’s attachment theory?

Answer 56

1 month they have a strong relationship with initial care giver ( mother)

4 months form closer bonds with mother but accepts care from others

7months shows signs of separation anxiety when parted from mother and will become anxious when cared for by others

9months starts to have firm attachments with others who care for her and will be more confident when her mother is not there

Question 57

what does self-esteem involve?

Answer 57

self esteem involves both self-confidence and self acceptance

Question 58

what should parents do to help young children with there self-esteem?

Answer 58

Parents can help to foster a child’s self esteem by teaching problem-solving skills

Parents can also encourage young children to accept failure as well as success, seeing it as a learning experience and not a negative process

Question 59

characteristics from children with low self-esteem?

Answer 59

depressed
self-critical
pessimistic
easily frustrated

Question 60

self esteem in adolescence?

Answer 60

The physical and emotional changes which occur during puberty and adolescence can present new challenges to young people. ​

Fitting in with peer groups and gaining acceptance is very important.​

Question 61

what can low self-esteem in teens result too?

Answer 61

self harm 
school refusal 
teen pregnancy 
bullying 
depression 
poor school achievement

Question 62

self-esteem in adulthood?

Answer 62

Self esteem is not fixed and may fluctuate throughout the life stages. ​

In adulthood, the factors that impact on self-esteem may change.​

Career development and other personal achievements will increase a person’s self-worth while stress and life events that are difficult to cope with can result in lack of confidence and negative self-esteem.

Question 63

four main attributes to self-esteem in all ages?

Answer 63

appearance
gender - women aren’t as strong as men
culture - different beliefs/race
sexual orientation

Question 64

what are Ainsworth’s attachment types and there meanings?

Answer 64

secure attachment -

a child who is securely attached to its caregiver will explore freely while the caregiver is present, will engage with strangers, will be visibly upset when the caregiver departs, and happy to see the caregiver return​

anxious avoidant insecure Attachment -

child will avoid or ignore the caregiver and show little emotion when the caregiver departs or returns

strangers will not be treated very differently from the caregiver. There is not much emotional range displayed regardless of who is in the room or if it is empty.​
​
anxious-Ambivalent Insecure Attachment -

a child that is anxious of exploration and of strangers, even when the caregiver is present.

when the caregiver departs, the child is extremely distressed. The child will be ambivalent when she returns and will seek to remain close to the caregiver, but will be resentful, and also resistant when the caregiver initiates attention​

Question 65

what is the connections between Bowlby and Ainsworth?

Answer 65

Ainsworth was Bowlby’s student - Ainsworth supported Bowlby’s theory (hence the similarity) however felt there could be some change wanted to test them for herself

Question 66

state the four different types of play and the age ranges?

Answer 66

solo Play​ - 0 – 1 years​

solo play - 12 – 18 months​

parallel play - 18 months – 2 years​

associative play​ - 3 – 4 years​

co-operative play​ - 4 – 6 years​

co-operative play​ - 6 – 8 years​

Question 67

state what solo play is 0-1 years?

Answer 67

looks at adults closely, puts things into mouth and touches things with hands. Plays alone with toys. Gradually begins to play simple games, for example peeka- boo and begins to explore toys alone.​

Question 68

state what solo play is 12-18 years?

Answer 68

begins to play and talk alone, repeats actions and starts to play with adults, notices other children.

Question 69

what’s parallel play?

Answer 69

begins to enjoy repetitive actions, such as putting objects into and taking them out of boxes. Begins to copy other children and adults. Enjoys playing with adults as well as on own. Learns to complete tasks through trial and error.​

Question 70

state what associate play is?

Answer 70

begins to play co-operatively with other children and starts to show reasoning skills by asking questions, ‘why’ and ‘how’. They join in pretend and fantasy games negotiating and taking on roles.

Question 71

state what co-operational play is 4-6years?

Answer 71

begins to use simple rules in games. Plays co-operatively towards a shared goal and takes turns when playing table top games with other children.​

Question 72

state what co-operational play is 6-8years?

Answer 72

begins to enjoy playing in small groups, making up own games and rules. Enjoys understanding and using rules, but does not usually cope well with losing.​

Question 73

what are piaget’s stages of play?

Answer 73

functional play
constructive play
symbolic/fantasy/imaginative play
games with rules

Question 74

what is functional play?

Answer 74

functional play - the use of bodily movements, with or without objects, such as running and jumping, sliding, gathering and dumping, manipulating and stacking objects, and informal games without rules.​

Question 75

what is constructive play?

Answer 75

constructive play uses objects—blocks, Legos, or different materials (sand, modelling clay, paint, blocks)—in an organized, goal-oriented way to make something.​

Question 76

what is symbolic play?

Answer 76

symbolic/Fantasy/imaginative play is role playing or make-believe play, such as pretending to be a baby, firefighter, superhero, or monster, and make believe actions, such as driving a car by moving a pretend steering wheel, or using a block of wood as a cell phone.​

Question 77

what is ‘games with rules’ play?

Answer 77

games with rules are games with peers that are controlled by pre-established rules, such as tag, Mother-May-I, checkers, Duck-Duck-Goose, and so on.​

Question 78

define positive reinforcement?

Answer 78

the behaviour is repeated because of personal satisfaction (intrinsic reinforcement) or rewards (extrinsic reinforcement)​

Question 79

define negative reinforcement?

Answer 79

the behaviour is not repeated to avoid any adverse experience such as lack of satisfaction ​

Question 80

define diathesis?

Answer 80

a predisposition or vulnerability to mental disorder through abnormality of the brain of neurotransmitters.​

Question 81

what are the two types of modelling and what are they?

Answer 81

live models – people who are physically present in our environment​

symbolic models – people who are present in films, books and cartoons ​

Question 82

what are the four stages of observational learning?

Answer 82

attention: Child A watches and adult comfort a child.​
retention: Child A assimilates and accommodates the information.​

motor reproduction: Child A tries to comfort a child.​

motivation: If they are praised, they feel successful, adding to levels of self-esteem.​

Question 83

what are the strategies associated with the albert bandura?

Answer 83

modelling​ - where the parent or guardian acts a certain way and the child copies

social skills training ​

family therapy​

Question 84

what is SLT?

Answer 84

Social learning techniques are widely used in education​

social learning theory has overcome many of the weaknesses of behaviourist theory, but it does not take account of fact that children’s ability/learning is age-related​

Question 85

what does SLT studies observe?

Answer 85

social learning studies only observable behaviour, so its methods and theories can be easily replicated and confirmed; observational learning has been demonstrated in a number of animal experiments.

Question 86

if SLT was true how would children react and what evidence is there?

Answer 86

if social learning theory was true, the children’s personalities would be constantly changing, depending on who they were copying at the time​

there is some evidence that some characteristics, such as gender behaviour and aggression are determined genetically​

Question 87

what is the bobo doll experiment?

Answer 87

where children are shown adults being aggressive or non-aggressive towards the bobo doll

the adults were rewarded or reprimanded

it shows that children would copy the aggressive behaviour of another person
the outcome for the adult impacted on the likelihood of children copying the behaviour

Question 88

result of bobo doll experience?

Answer 88

children learned aggressive behaviour through observation

children were more likely to imitate an adult who was rewarded for aggressive behaviour than one who was reprimanded

Question 89

what is a diathesis?

Answer 89

predisposition for disorder e.g. genetic

Question 90

what are the diathesis factor?

Answer 90

individual psychological characteristics such as hostility or impulsivity; biological characteristics (e.g., cardiovascular reactivity, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal responsivity)

environmental characteristics such as childhood maltreatment or low socioeconomic status. Diathesis factors are generally assumed to be relatively stable but not necessarily permanent. ​

Question 91

what is the diathesis stress model?

Answer 91

the diathesis-stress predictions outlined in cognitive theory have not received more consistent support in part because multi-factorial research, comprising different levels of analysis, has rarely done justice to the many considerations unique to each level

Question 92

what’s Arnold Gesell theory

Answer 92

maturation refers to the changes that follow an orderly sequence and are largely dictated by the genetic blueprint which produces Growth, Development, Maturation, and Evolution commonalities in our growth and development. ​

Growth is what happens; maturation is how it happens​

Although maturation determines the sequence of development, the precise age is not exact.​

Question 93

Arnold Gesell theory critiques?

Answer 93

It can show how people change and develop over time as they mature. This allows us to know what to expect from people of different ages and so we will be better able to identify problems in development.​

It is useful for teachers as it informs them what methods work best when teaching children of certain age groups.​

The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, a contemporary of Gesell, proposed an alternate and opposing view. Piaget believed that a child is Influenced by his environment more than his genetic disposition​

Often Gesell is criticised for not taking education into his theory. Similar to the idea of nurture affecting a child’s development, education can have a considerable impact.​

Because Gesell’s model does not bridge the gap between adolescence and adulthood, it cannot be considered to be complete​

It almost completely ignores the child’s emotional development​

Question 94

define predictable events?

Answer 94

these are events that are expected to happen at a particular time

while expected, they may still have an effect on a person’s health and wellbeing

Question 95

define unpredictable events?

Answer 95

these are events that happen unexpectedly and can have serious physical and psychological effects on an individual

Question 96

what is Holmes-Rahe theory?

Answer 96

created a list of life events that could cause someone stress

called the social readjustment rating scale​

the list was made into a questionnaire and measures how vulnerable someone is to stress related illness

there were 43 stressful life events on the list

each one had a Life Change Unit depending on how traumatic it was felt by the sample of participants that took part.

if a person had less than 150 life change units they would have a 30% chance of suffering from a stress related illness

150-300 units equates to a 50% chance of suffering from a stress related illness

over 300 then they would have an 80% chance of suffering from a stress

Question 97

what can stress cause and lead to?

Answer 97

individuals to become irritable, fatigued, have headaches, lack of motivation, unable to concentrate

can lead to over/under eating - smoking/drinking too much

Question 98

what can chronic stress lead to?

Answer 98

anxiety attacks, depression and cardiovascular problems