VCE psychology practice questions 2 Flashcards
Some of the Romanian children who were in the orphanage before the intervention program are likely to have missed critical periods and sensitive periods. Compare sensitive and critical periods and provide an example of a sensitive period with reference to the Romanian children. (7 marks)
A Critical period involves a stage, when an organism is most open to acquiring a specific cognitive or motor skill or socio-emotional competence, as a normal part of development, that cannot be acquired normally at a later stage of development whereas a sensitive period is a stage during biological maturation when an organism is most able to gain a particular skill or characteristic
example of a critical and sensitive period within this experiment (7 marks)
Reading and writing could be an example of a sensitive period for the Romanian children and may be detrimentally affected in those areas of their learning, particularly if they remain in orphanages without proper education when they are most sensitive to that type of learning
The psychologists assisting the children employed the biopsychosocial approach to mental wellbeing.
Using biological, psychological, and social factors of this approach, explain why the psychologists were concerned with the children who were still in institutionalised care.
The biopsychosocial model is an approach that proposes that health and illness outcomes are determined by the interaction and contribution of biological, psychological and social factors. Biological: issues with motor development Psychological: Delays in cognitive function/psychiatric disorders Social: Social-emotional functioning
Jean Piaget researched heavily into different cognitive accomplishments that children could be capable of at various stages of their lives.
i. State a stage of cognitive development that could be impacted by the children (0-2 years) in this study.
sensorimotor stage is the first stage in Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, which spans from birth to approximately 2 years of age. During this critical phase, infants and toddlers primarily learn through their senses and by manipulating objects in their environment
Identify a difference between neurotypical and neurodiverse people. Based on the information provided, could any of the children from the institutions be neurodiverse? Justify your response
- Neurotypical people tend to think, behave and feel in ways that are typical of most people whereas neurodivergent, which refers to individuals who think, behave or feel differently from most other people While it is likely that some of children could be neurodivergent, it is unlikely that this has come about from time spent in an institution, and rather, develop biologically through genetic traits transferred from parents.
How does the concept of neurodiversity challenge traditional notions of normality and neurotypicality?
(2 Marks)
Conceptually, neurodivergence is viewed as a mental disorder, with people regarding neurodivergent individuals as socially impaired and lacking the ability to function properly in ‘normal’ society. Neurodivergence challenges the concept of normality by displaying the differences of those individuals who may not be able to function correctly in a neurotypical society as it was not designed for them, allowing changes in tradition through many neurodivergent people speaking out against the pre-existing notions how they ‘should’ function
identify the difference within critical period and sensitive period
A Critical period involves a stage, when an organism is most open to acquiring a specific cognitive or motor skill or socio-emotional competence, as a normal part of development, that cannot be acquired normally at a later stage of development whereas a sensitive period is a stage during biological maturation when an organism is most able to gain a particular skill or characteristic
maladaptive behavior
Maladaptive Behaviour: Behaviours that stop a person from developing or functioning in their day-to-day life and limit their ability to adjust to changing circumstances
what is a biopsychological approach
- The biopsychosocial model is an approach that proposes that health and illness outcomes are determined by the interaction and contribution of biological, psychological and social factors.
- Biological: issues with motor development
- Psychological: Delays in cognitive function/psychiatric disorders
- Social: Social-emotional functioning
provide a benefit for the children for a psychiatrist
A Psychiatrist would be more appropriate as they assess both mental and physical aspects of psychological problems for the most complete treatment. Further to this, if any of the Romanian children required medication to aid in their recovery, a psychiatrist would be able to prescribe this.
distinguish between nature vs nurture within this case?
- Nature refers to the inborn inherited factors, gained genetically from biological parents, that influence the development of our physical, psychological, and behavioural characteristics and development whereas nurture refers to the effect of external biological and social environmental factors on the development of our physical, psychological and behavioural characteristics.
