Unit 6 Flashcards
Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology
The study of how humans change over the course of their lives. Through maturation- or reaching full functionality physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.
Continuity
Development is gradual and continuously happening.
Discontinuity
Development is set into very distinct stages.
Socialization
The process through which individuals learn and adopt the norms, values, and behaviors of their society.
Genes
The instruction manuals that determine our traits and characteristics. They are made up of DNA and are passed down from our parents.
Chromosomes
Structures found inside our cells that carry our genes. Humans have 46; 23 from each parent. They contain the DNA that determines our traits and characteristics.
Dominant
Traits that are more likely to be expressed or observed in an individual, even if they only inherit one copy of the gene associated with that trait. If a dominant trait is present, it will usually be seen in the individual’s physical appearance or characteristics.
Recessive
Genes that are only expressed or observed when an individual inherits two copies of the gene, one from each parent. If a person inherits a recessive gene for a certain trait, it will only be seen in their physical appearance or characteristics if they don’t have a dominant gene for that trait.
Sex-Linked Recessive Characteristics
Traits that are controlled by genes located on the sex chromosomes, specifically the X chromosome. Since males have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes, certain traits carried on the X chromosome can be more commonly expressed in males. This is because if a male inherits a recessive gene on his X chromosome, he doesn’t have a second X chromosome to potentially mask the expression of that gene.
Conception
Sperm united with ovum in fallopian tube.
Zygote, Embryo, Fetus
Zygote- attachment to uterine wall: 2 weeks (known as the germinal period). Embryo- primitive organs and limbs develop: 2-8 weeks. Fetus- tremendous growth from 8 weeks to birth.
Monozygotic Twins (Identical) and Dizygotic Twins (Fraternal)
Identical: 1 egg, 1 sperm; split into two identical zygotes. Fraternal: 2 eggs, 2 sprem; both zygotes grow separately.
Critical Period
First three months (trimester) of development. The organs (brains, heart, etc…) and limbs are forming. Vital for the mother to get proper nutrition and stay healthy at this time.
Teratogen
Chemical, virus, or drug that causes a birth defect. The placenta screens out most, but not all hazards.
Cystic Fibrosis
Fluid in the lungs.
Sickle Cell Anemia
Blood disorder.
Tay-Sachs
Neurological disorder (death of nerve cells).
PKU
Cannot break down the amino acid, phenylalanine.
Down Syndrome
Extra chromosome 21 (trisomy 21).
Miscarriage and Stillbirth
Miscarriage- natural ending of pregnancy. Before 20 weeks. Fetus was not developing properly and could not survive. Stillbirth- after 20 weeks.
Age of Viability
Age at which a baby can be born prematurely and still survive (22-26 weeks).
Newborn Reflexes- grasping, startle, rooting, stepping, sucking, Babinski
Grasping- automatically closing their fingers around objects that touch their palms. Startle (moro)- when a baby is unexpectedly startled, they react by extending their arms, opening their hands, and arching their back. Rooting- when a baby’s cheek or mouth is touched, they will turn their head and open their mouth. Stepping- when you hold them upright and let their fett touch a solid surface, they’ll instinctively start making stepping movements. Sucking- when something touches their lips or the roof of their mouth, they automatically begin to suck. Babinski- when the sole of a baby’s foot is stroked, they spread their toes out.
Cephalocaudal Trend and Proximodistal Trend
Cephalocaudal- head to foot direction of growth and motor development. Proximodistal- center-outward direction of growth and motor development.
Newborn Motor Milestones
Raising head- 2-4 months, rolling over- 2-5 months, sitting up with support- 4-6 months, sitting without support- 6-7 months, crawling- 7-8 months, walking- 8-18 months.
Vision in Newborns
Least developed. Mostly black and white vision until 2 months. Mostly nearsighted vision until 2 months. Fixed vision at about 7-10 inches.
Visual Cliff
Gibson and Walk Research. Clear table with a faux cliff- when child begins to crawl, they begin to have depth perception.
Babbling and Telegraphic Speech
Cooing- around two months; vowel noises. Babbling- around 6 months; consonant sounds. One-word speech- around age 1; one word demands. Telegraphic speech- around 1 and a half; short phrases. Whole sentences- preschool age to year 6; solidify this ability.
Baby Talk
The high pitched voice that caregivers and adults use around infants. Helpful in soothing the infant and forming a bond. Once the baby begins to babble, stop baby talk.
Chomsky and LAD
Language Acqusition Device- a hypothetical model that allows children to learn language very quickly. An instinctive mental capacity to learn language.
Overregulation
Rules of language are applied too regularly at the early stages of learning.
Under-Extension and Over-Extension
Under- incorrectly using a word to describe only one object. Over- incorrectly using a word to describe a larger set of objects.
Infantile Amnesia
Not remembering events before age 2 or 3. Early memories before age 2 or 3 seem to be implicit- so babies can learn to grasp, crawl, and walk. Explicit memories do not occur until after age 2 or 3- when babies’ hippocampi are more advanced and the language development is more conscious.
Easy, Difficult, and Slow To Warm Up Temperaments
Behavioral and emotional characteristics at birth. Easy- regular schedules of eating and sleeping, adaptable to change, happy and easily soothed. Difficult- irregular schedules of eating and sleeping, unhappy about change, not easily comforted. Slow-To-Warm-Up- fairly regular schedules, need to be introduced gradually to change, slow to be comforted, but not difficult.
Mary Ainsworth and Attachment Styles
The emotional bond between the caretaker and the baby. Mary Ainsworth measured the attachment level through the “Strange Situation”- how babies react to strangers.
Secure Attachment
Willing to walk away from mother. Explored the room happily, looked back at mother to “touch base”. When strangers entered, wary, but mother was nearby so they were soothed. Mothers were warm, loving, and sensitive.
Avoidant Attachment
Willing to explore, but do not “touch base”. Reacted very little to mother or stranger in the room. No interest or concern in others. Mothers were unresponsive and cold.
Ambivalent Attachment
Clingy and unwilling to explore. Upset about stranger regardless of mother’s presence. When mother was in the room- demanded to be picked up. Mothers were inconsistent to meeting baby’s needs.
Disorganized Attachment
Unable to decide how to react to the mother. Fearful and depressed looking. Would not make eye contact with mother. Mothers were abusive and neglectful.
Harlow’s Monkeys
Experiment with rhesus monkeys. Infants could choose to get food through wire surrogate mother or cloth surrogate mother. Chose the cloth mother. Contact comfort- soft objects are more soothing.
Accommodation and Assimilation
Assimilation- when you encounter a new idea and must fit it into what you already know. Accommodation- existing schema doesn’t work and you need to adapt it.
Sensorimotor Stage- Object Permanence
Birth to two years. Explore the world using the senses. Object permanence occurs- knowing an object still exists when it is out of sight. If they do not have this, they are in the sensorimotor stage, if they have this, they are in the preoperational stage.
Preoperational Stage- Egocentrism
2-7 years. Use symbols to represent objects and events; pretend. Role playing- playing pretend. Egocentrism- only seeing the world through your own eyes. Will lose egocentrism before moving to the next stage.
Concrete Operational Stage- Conservation of Mass and Volume
7-12 years. Classify objects by characteristics. Conservation of mass and volume occurs. And reversibility- objects can change shape and return. If they have this, they move to the next stage.
Formal Operational Stage
12-adult years. Systematically examine the world. Concerned with the hypothetical. Use the scientific methods and advanced operations.
Vygotsky and Zone of Proximal Development
Social and cultural development. Scaffolding- when someone else provides example of concepts to give a good background, the more the child’s skills improve. Zone of proximal development- the difference between what a child can do alone versus with help.
Psychosocial Development/Erikson
Development of the self. Self-concept- image you have of yourself. Focused on the relationship of the child in relation to others. 8 psychosocial stages- set on a spectrum of “crises”.
Trust versus Mistrust
Birth-1 year. Learn to trust their caretakers- when needs are met. Or, mistrust their caretakers- when needs are not met.
Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt
1-3 years. Learn independence in walking and talking. Or, attempts at independence are blocked.
Initiative versus Guilt
3-5 years. Preschoolers that learn responsibility for their behaviors. Or, preschoolers that cannot control their behaviors and feel guilty about it.
Industry versus Inferiority
5-12 years. Feeling success in learning new skills like math and reading. Or, feeling inferior compared to the rest of their age group.
Identity versus Role Confusion
13-20 years. Teenagers that can define their values and know themselves. Or, teenagers that cannot define themselves and follow the crowd.
Intimacy versus Isolation
20’s-30’s. Adults that can find someone that shares their identity. Or, adults who cannot find someone- often because their identity is unstable.
Generativity versus Stagnation
40’s-50’s. Adults who focus on the future generations by being a parent or mentor. Or, adults that are too focused on themselves that do not feel like they have made a difference.
Ego Integrity versus Despair
60’s +. Adults that can let go of regrets and see death as a part of life. Or, adults who did not achieve identity or intimacy and cannot let go of their regrets.
Adolescence
Period of life from 13 to the early 20’s. No longer physically a child, but not yet self-supporting. Not necessarily determined by chronological age.
Puberty
A three year span of physical changes in primary sex characteristics (growth of sex organs) and secondary sex characteristics (changes in the body). Pituary gland communicates with other glands to stimulate growth. Thyroid increases growth. Adrenal and sex glands promote primary and secondary characteristics.
Personal Fable
The belief that no one has ever had the same thoughts as you before.
Imaginary Audience
The feeling that everyone is always watching you.
Spotlight Effect
The tendency to overestimate others’ noticing and evaluating our performances, appearances, and blunders.
Self-Regulation
The ability to act in accordance with lifelong interest and in accordance with a personal set of values.
Ethnic Identity
The degree to which an individual identifies with their cultural beckground.
Delay of Gratification
The ability to put off an immediate reward to receive a larger reward in the future.
Menopause/Andropause
Menopause- cessation of ovulation and the menstrual cycle. Andropause- decline in testosterone; reduced sperm count.
Social Clock
Throughout adulthood, there may be a feeling like a “social clock” is ticking.
Midlife Transition
Discontentment with life and the desire for change.
Mortality Salience
An awareness that death is inevitable.
Authoritarian Parenting
Overly concerned with rules. No negotiations.
Authoritative Parenting
Combination of firm limits and love. Children get to negotiate the terms.
Permissive Parenting
Few demands on children. Children make the rules.
Uninvolved Parenting
Neglectful. Too busy with their own lives.
Imprinting
Children pick up many characteristics and behaviors from their parents.
Cellular Clock Theory
Cells are limited to the number of times that can reproduce to repair damage.
Wear and Tear Theory
Stress and bodily damage wears out our skin.
Free Radical Theory
Free-radicals damage skin’s collagen (elastic tissue that allows the skin to be flexible) over time.
Activity Theory
Adults that remain active adjust more positively to aging.
Terminal Drop
Hypothesis that sates that cognitive functioning declines dramatically in a 1-5 year period preceding death. Often due to degenerative diseases. Often criticized because some individuals that naturally never dramatically lose cognitive function.
Stages of Death and Dying- Kubler-Ross
Stages of grief- DABDA (Kubler-Ross). Denial- refuse to believe diagnosis. Anger- why is this happening to me. Bargaining- make a deal with doctors or God. Depression- sadness from loss. Acceptance- knowing it is inevitable.
Moral Development/Kohlberg
Kohlberg asked what should be done in a moral dilemma. 3 levels of thinking.
Preconventional Morality
Young children. Actions that are rewarded are right; those punished are wrong.
Conventional Morality
Adolescents, adults. Actions that conform to the rules of society are right.
Postconventional Morality
1/5th of adult population. Morality is determined by the experiences and judgements of the person, even if it disagrees with society’s rules.
Gilligan’s View of Morality
Gilligan was a student of Kohlberg and disagreed with his moral dilemma. She believed that males and females will react to a moral dilemma differently. Females are more likely to help others in a caring and altruistic manner than males. Females are morally more aware of relationships and social context.
