Unit 9: Developmental Psychology Flashcards
developmental psychologist
studies how heredity and the environment influence human development and behavior throughout the lifespan
nature versus nurture
debate on whether heretical factors or environmental factors influence cognition and behavior
X chromosome
sex chromosome found in both genders
Y chromosome
sex chromosome found in males
Zygote
fertilized egg
How do heredity and environments affect development?
Heredity influences development by predisposing organisms to certain traits and behaviors. It is the environment that shapes those behaviors
temperament
natural tendency to think, feel, and behave a specific way
embryo
organism in the embryonic stage of prenatal development
fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
when there are high alcohol levels in the baby due to mother’s consumption of alcohol
fetus
organism in the fetal stage of prenatal development
maturation
physical changes and development due to genetic programming
newborn reflexes
involuntary movements that newborns exhibit in responses to stimuli
What can newborn babies do?
Newborns exhibit natural reflexes such as the moro, sucking, grasping, and rooting reflexes
What influences does maturation have on early development?
Maturation facilitates early physical development
autism spectrum disorder
children deficient in communication and social interactions; have specific and repetitive interests
Habituation
decreased responsiveness to repeated stimulation
infantile amnesia
inability to recall events preceding age three
Jean Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory
theory of cognitive development emphasizing physical experiences and interactions
Schemata
concepts formed from experiences
Assimilation
interpretation of new experiences using current schemas
accommodation
combining of new experiences with personal schemas
sensorimotor stage
(ages 0-2) when children explore the world using senses and actions
object permanence
awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived
preoperational stage
(ages 2- 6 or 7) can represent things with words and images (symbolic thinking) and use intuition but not logical reasoning
Egocentric
inability to see others’ points of view
concrete operations
(ages 6 or 7 - 11) use logical thinking and understand basic arithmetic
concepts of conservation
ability to understand that change in form does not mean change in quantity
formal operations
(ages 12 and up) can use abstract reasoning
Metacognition
ability to be conscious of and be able to control one’s cognitive processes
Teratogens
harmful substances that embryo or fetus can be exposed to during prenatal development
theory of mind
ability to understand others’ mental states and points of view
Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development
things that a learner can accomplish with help from others
Jean Piaget
a very influential french psychologist who developed a theory for how cognitive development occurs- through physical experiences
Lev Vygotsky
a very influential Russian psychologist who developed an opposing theory to Piaget’s for how cognitive development occurs- through social interactions
Attachment
close emotional bond between two people
authoritarian parents
impose rules and expect obedience without question
authoritative parents
expect mature behavior, explain why rules must be followed, and negotiates with children about rules and boundaries
Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development
8 stages that describe crises that an individual must overcome in their lifetime to psychosocially develop
trust versus mistrust
must determine whether to trust or not trust people (0-2)
autonomy versus shame and doubt
develop independence and responsibility (2-3)
initiative versus guilt
try to control one’s behavior (3-6)
industry versus inferiority
try to develop good social skills (6-puberty)
identity versus role confusion
try to figure out who one is (adolescence)
intimacy versus isolation
try to develop intimate relationships (early adulthood)
generativity versus stagnation
try to inspire young individuals (middle adulthood)
integrity versus despair
try to find the meaning of one’s life (late adulthood)
Mary Ainsworth’s strange situation
experiments with infants, caregivers, and strangers to describe types of infant-caregiver attachments
stranger anxiety
fear of strangers that infants commonly display
secure attachments
use caregiver for comfort and security
avoidant attachments
avoid feelings, emotional closeness, and intimacy
anxious/ambivalent attachments
don’t fully engage in attachments for fear of being rejected
permissive parents
submit to children’s desires; impose few rules and use little punishment
Mary Ainsworth
developed the types of infant-caregiver attachments
Diana Baumrind
identified the types of parenting styles
Erik Erikson
developed the psychosocial theory of development
Harry Harlow
stated that attachment may occur due to reasons other than basic needs
What is the significance of children’s emotional bonds with their parents?
Child-parent bonds can influence the personality of the child in the later years of their life
How important are parenting styles?
Parenting styles are very important because they can influence the personality of the child in the future
How do children acquire language?
Children acquire language through social interactions with peers and family
How do children learn to think?
Two theories describe children’s cognitive ability development: these are Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of cognitive development. Piaget said that children learn to think via physical and isolated exploration of the world which occurs in stages. Vygotsky said that children learn to think via social interaction, cultural influences, and linguistic influences
Lawrence Kohlberg’s moral development theory
states that one’s cognitive level influences one’s ability in moral reasoning
pre-conventional stage
right/wrong behavior determined by what gets rewarded/punished
conventional stage
right/wrong behavior determined by social norms
post-conventional stage
right/wrong behaviors determined by personal ethical principles
Carol Gilligan
female research assistant to Lawrence Kohlberg who opposed and criticized him for stating that women are morally inferior to men. She instead reasoned that women operate on a different level of reasoning than men (justice vs care reasoning)
Lawrence Kohlberg
American Psychologist who emphasized that cognitive abilities determine moral reasoning abilities and developed the theory of moral reasoning
How do people develop morals and values?
According to Lawrence Kohlberg, people develop morals and values based on their level of cognitive abilities, which increases with age
Aggression
physical and verbal behavior intended to harm or destroy
basic trust
sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy
critical period
interval in early life where attachments must form to facilitate proper development
Gender
socially constructed roles and characteristics by which culture defines male and female
gender identity
person’s sense of being masculine or feminine
gender role
social expectations that guide men’s and women’s behavior
gender typing
organization of traditional “masculine” and “feminine” roles
Imprinting
the process by which attachments form in certain animals during a certain critical period
Role
set of expectations about a social position
Self-concept
thoughts and feelings of who one is
social learning theory
we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded and punished
Konrad Lorenz
studied imprinting in animals
How do effective parents discipline their children?
Effective parents discipline based on the culture’s views. However, authoritative disciplines seem tobe most effective by correlating with increased social skills and esteem
Transgender
gender identity and expression different from birth sex
Adolescence
period of physical and psychological changes between childhood and adulthood
Identity
one’s sense of who one is
Menarche
beginning of menstruation in females during puberty
primary sex characteristics
physical structures needed for reproduction
Puberty
period where adult characteristics develop in teens and they are able to reproduce
secondary sex characteristics
physical structures distinguishing genders from one another
Testosterone
male sex hormone
Why is adolescent development especially challenging?
Because they experience puberty, which can cause stress in the physical and psychological stages, as well as an identity crisis
emerging adulthood
time between adolescence and official adulthood
Menopause
end of the female menstrual cycle in middle adulthood
What happens psychologically during adulthood?
One may reach their cognitive peak in young adulthood, but it may decline in middle adulthood and may greatly decrease due to dementia in late adulthood
What are the psychological challenges of aging?
The main psychological challenges include awareness of mortality and decreased cognitive ability over time
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)
dangerous STI transmitted from the HIV virus that depletes the immune system
cross-sectional research
study where people of different ages are compared with one another
Intimacy
ability to form close, loving relationships
longitudinal research
study where one individual is studied throughout his or her life
sexual development
development of sexual characteristics
sexual orientation
one’s sexual attraction towards a specific gender, no gender, or both genders
social clock
culturally preferred timing of certain events
social identity
the idea of who one is compared to others
How do people typically react to death and bereavement?
Such an event will be tragic and may cause great depression and sadness, though this can vary among individuals
What factors contribute most to a happy and fulfilling life?
According to Freud, the main two factors include love and work
Freud’s psychosexual stages of development
describes how one’s childhood pleasure-interests change over time
oral stage
(0-18 months) pleasure focuses in the mouth via sucking, biting, and chewing
anal stage
(18-36 months) pleasure focuses on waste excretion
phallic stage
(3-6 years) pleasure occurs in the genitals, coping with sexual feelings
latent stage
(6- puberty) unconscious sexual feelings
genital stage
(puberty and up) maturation of sexual interests
Albert Bandura
emphasized that chance events can change and progress adulthood
Sigmund Freud
stated that a healthy adult can love and work
How has new knowledge about genetics affected parenthood?
Research shows that genetics in the parents influence a good amount of warmth, control, and negativity towards the child, influencing the children’s characteristics which in turn influence again the parents’ behavior
What are some of the more serious childhood problems?
Neglect, Autism disorder, abuse, etc
