Unit 6: Developmental Psychology Flashcards
developmental psychology
a branch of psych that studies physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the lifespan
zygote
1st cell divisions. (conception to week 2)
embryo
when zygote attaches to uterine wall. Genes initiate organ formation, heartbeat, liver makes red blood cells. (week 2 to week 8)
fetus
mov felt by 4th month. more dev; sensory exp + learning. can survive after 27 weeks.
(week 8 to birth)
teratogens
agents with a harmful effect in pregnancy. e.g.
infections such as measles + STDS
environment such as pesticides + radiation
drugs/alcohol (fetal alcohol syndrome)
Moro reflex
the startle reflex found in infants
maturation
orderly sequence of biological growth process - enables routine behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
brain development in infancy
neural networks strengthen + become more complex (enable walk/talk/remember)
brain size increases rapidly, nerve cell interconnections
pruning
during puberty, brain shut down unused neural connections formed in infancy
motor development in infancy
relatively predictable - babies roll over -> sit -> crawl -> walk
walking, bowel/bladder cntrl by age 1 usually, enabled by rapid cerebellum dev
infant memory
infantile amnesia (little stored before age 4), but unconscious recall can still happen: classical conditioning, forgotten childhood languages
afterwards, hippocampus + frontal lobe continue to mature, enabling memory encoding, storing retrieval
schema
concept/framework we use to assimilate new experiences
ex: Alexandra looks at picture books of dogs and learns the schema for dog
assimilation
the process of interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas (our current understandings)
ex: Alexandra sees a cat and tries to assimilate it into the schema for dog
accommodation
the process of adjusting/adapting current understanding to incorporate new information
ex: Alexandra learns to narrow her dog schema by distinguishing dogs from cats
Piaget’s stages of development
sensorimotor (0-2), preoperational (2-7), concrete operational (7-11), formal operational (12+)
sensorimotor stage (Piaget)
know the world mostly in terms of sensory impressions + motor activities
++ stranger anxiety,
XX object permanence: awareness of objects beyond perception (“out of sight out of mind”
preoperational stage (Piaget)
learning to use language BUT can’t comprehend mental operations / concrete logic
++ pretend play
++ egocentrism (difficulty taking others’ POV)
XX conservation
concrete operational stage (Piaget)
gaining mental operations that enable logical thinking about concrete ideas
++ conservation (properties remain unchanged despite changes in form of objects)
++ simple arithmetic
formal operational stage (Piaget)
beginning to think logically about abstract concepts
potential for more mature moral reasoning
theory of mind
people’s ideas about their own / other’s mental states (feelings, perceptions, thoughts)
enables ability to infer people’s emotions and subsequent behaviors
Vygotsky’s development theory
alt theory 2 Piaget that emphasized children’s interactions with SOCIAL (not physical) environment
authority provides scaffold (framework of temporary support to dev higher levels of thinking)
to bridge gap of zone of proximal development (what a child can do with help; the gap btwn what a child can or can’t do)
autism spectrum disorder
impaired theory of mind
communication deficiency / social interaction difficulty
attachment
an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to their caregiver + showing distress upon separation
critical/sensitive period
optimal period for infant when exposure to certain stimuli and experiences produces normal development
(where attachments absent don familiarity form)
imprinting
process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life
Harlow monkey experiments
separated infant monkeys from mothers, raised by inanimate “mother” with baby blanket
monkeys showed distress upon separation
demonstrated that attachment did not depend on source of nourishment, but rather of combo that included physical contact
Lorenz geese experiements
found that geese imprint to a variety of objects, and that imprinting is a very rigid attachment process
Ainsworth “strange situation” experiment
child placed in unfamiliar environment while caregiver leaves/returns; child’s reactions observed
demonstrated effect of abuse/neglect on child attachment
How does childhood neglect or abuse affect children’s attachments?
secure: infants comfortably plays + explores enviro. temp distress when caregiver leaves, comfort when they return.
insecure: infant displays either clinging/anxious attachment OR avoidant attachment (resists closeness)
basic trust
a term coined by Erik Erikson
the sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy
said to be formed during infancy through appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers (aka good early parenting)
self-concept
“Who am I” - understanding + assessment of who one is
stable by age 8-10
authoritarian parenting style
“too hard”
coercive - impose rules and expect obedience.
“Why? Because I said so.”
–>
less social skill, self esteem, overreact to mistakes
permissive parenting stylw
“too soft”
unrestraining - make few demands, set few limits, use little punishment
–>
more aggressive + immature
negligent parenting style
uninvolved. neither demanding nor responsive. careless, inattentive, not close with children
–>
poor academic and social outcomes
authoritative parenting style
“just right”
confrontive. both demanding and responsive. exert control by setting rules, but encourage open discussion and allow exceptions
–>
high self-esteem, self reg, social skill
How can cultural values influence child-raising practices?
Some courage strong sense of familial self (Asians + Africans)
independence vs obedience are taught in West vs East usually
sex
biologically influenced characteristics by which people define male/female/intersex
gender
socially influenced characteristics by which people define boy, girl, man, woman, nonbinary
aggression
any physical/verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically/emotionally
men generally»_space;
hostile ag: impulsive behavior that is motivated by a desire to hurt someone
relational aggression
an act of ag intended to harm a person’s relationship / social standing
women slightly > likely
role
set of norms about social position, defining how those in position ought to behave
gender role
set of expected behaviors, attitudes, traits for genders - social guide for gendered behavior
gender identity
our sense of being male/female/both/none/other
social learning theory
theory that we learn social behavior in childhood by observing and imitating AND rewards/punishment
e.g. “Boys don’t cry”
gender typing
acquisition of traditional masc/fem role - argued it varies from child to child
androgyny
displaying both trad masc + fem characteristics
transgender people
people whose gender identity + expression differs from that associated with birth sex
adolescence
transitional period fmo childhood or adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
puberty
period of sexual maturation - capability of reproduction
impulse control, frontal lobe maturation (late)
Kohlberg’s morality theory
development depends on MOTIVE, not action - moral reasoning guides moral actions
3 stages …
preconventional (before age 9)
convention (early adolescence)
post conventional (adolescence + beyond)
conventional morality
uphold laws + rules to gain social approval / maintain social order –> “If you steal the drug for her, everyone will think you’re a crminal”
preconventional morality
self-interest; obey rules out of reward/punishment –> “If you save your dying wife, you’ll be a hero”
post conventional morality
actions reflect belief in basic rights/self-defined ethical principles –> “People have a right to live.”
What criticisms did Gilgan / Haidt have about Holberg’s reserach
represents mortality from individualistic culture perspective (collectivists shows diff)
Haidt: mortality lies in moral intuition (trolley problem) AND moral action as well as thinking
moral action also feeds moral attitudes
identity
sense of self developed in adolescence by testing + integrating various roles
social identity
the “we” aspect of self-concept … “Who am I” answer that comes from the groups we belong to
as teens distance themselves from parents, peer relationships become more important
intimacy
ability to form emotionally close relationships
Erk Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development
trust v. mistrust (0-1)
autonomy v. shame and doubt (1-3)
initiative v. guilt (3-6)
competence v. inferiority (6-puberty)
identity v. role confusion (adolescence)
intimacy v. isolation (20s-40s)
generativity v. stagnation (40s-60s)
integrity v. despair (60+)
trust v. mistrust
if needs met,infants (0-1) develop basic trust
autonomy v. shame and doubt
toddlers (1-3) learn to exercise will + independence OR doubt abilities
initiative v. guilt
preschoolers (3-6) initiate tasks + carry out plans OR feel guilty about attempts to be independent
competence v. inferiority
elementaries (6-puberty) take pleasure in applying themselves to tasks OR feel inferior
identity v. role confusion
adolescents (teens to 20s) identify roles + integrate them into single identity OR feel confused about who they are
intimacy v. isolation
20s-40s attempt form close relationships + develop capability for intimate love OR socially isolate
generativity v. stagnation
40s-60s discover sense of contributing to the world, usually through family/work OR lack of purpose is felt
integrity v. despair
60s+ reflect on life: sense of satisfaction OR failure
emerging adulthood
For some people in modern cultures, a period from late teens to mid- twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood.
primary sex characteristics
reproductive body structures (ovaries, testes, genitalia)
What as research shown about sexual orientation
neither willfully chosen nor changed. no evidence of environment finfluence.
biological influence evidence: same sex pairings in animals (e.g. penguins)
secondary sex characteristics
no reproductive sex traits such as fem breasts + hips, male voice quality + body hair
What are some physical changes that occur in middle adulthood? (muscular, neurological, senses, immune)
muscle strength + reaction speed, cardiac output ««
amygdala responds less actively to events (less interaction with hippocampus)
vision and distance perception «<, hearing + smell ««
immune system «_space;BUT suffer fewer s/t ailments due to accumulated antibodies
telomere shortening slowed by exercise
menopause
female end of fertility (around age 50
How does memory change with age?
recall «, but recognition steady
studied by cross-sectional or longitudinal studies
How do love and work play important roles in how adults view their lives?
Love/marriage»_space;> intimacy
Work»_space;> generativity
