W1 Conceptualising/Measuring Development Flashcards
What is development?
Systematic changes and continuities in an individual that occur
between conception and death.
What is developing?
It is all the gains, losses, neutral
changes and continuities.
What are the Challenges of Studying Development?
- Thinking Across Time and Space.
It branches many different disciplines like, Cultural, Social, Behavioural, Neural, Physiological, Genetic.
- Complex interactions.
Like Nature affects nurture as it is the basis of experience with the world, and nurture affect nature by changing epigenetics, how the gene is expressed.
What are the 5 environmental systems in the Bioecological model?
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
Chronosystem: changes occur in a timeframe
What is the Microsystem? Give examples.
The immediate physical and social environment. i.e. School, home, peer group.
What is the Mesosystem? Give examples.
It’s the linkages between microsystems. How the micro systems affect each other. i.e. Problems at home lead to decreased performance at school.
What is the Exosystem?
It’s the linkages between social system. Exo: outside.
The outside systems not directly connected to you, that affect you. Government changing educational laws, affecting schools, affecting you.
What is the Macrosystem?
It’s the larger cultural context.
i.e. Western/Tech.
Know memes, do/don’t do customs etc.
What are the aims of developmental psychology?
Describing, Explaining, Predicting, Optimising
Give an example for Describing.
Normal development and individual differences.
Give an example for Explaining.
Why Typical vs. individually different development.
Give an example for Explaining.
This factor will cause people to grow up with this attribute.
AFS (Alcohol Foetal Syndrome) and IQ.
What are the characteristics of a good theory?
Internally consistent (Logical),
Falsifiable,
Supported by data.
What are Theories and Models?
A theory is aimed at a generalized statement aimed at explaining a phenomenon.
A model, on the other hand, is a purposeful representation of reality.
What are the data collection techniques?
Reporting,
Behavioural Observations,
Neural / Physiological / Biological Measures.
What are the pros/cons of Reporting?
+ Data collection with large groups
+ Ability to collect many measures
- Cannot be used with infants, young children, or
those with reading or language difficulties - Difficult to equate questions across age groups
- Self-presentation concerns (children might answer
strategically instead of honestly)