W1 Lecture Flashcards
Why do many people have limited understanding of early socio-cognitive abilities?
Society is structured so that most people rarely interact with young children, and even less with babies.
Why is studying infants more challenging than studying adults?
Unlike adults, infants cannot be directly questioned, requiring alternative research methods.
What advantage do we have when studying development despite these challenges?
There is a wealth of knowledge available on how development unfolds over time.
Who defined and what is the definition of developmental change?
Kamirloff-Smith (2013) suggests Developmental change is the process of change that occurs in human beings throughout development.
What are the three key aims of developmental science?
- Descriptive goal: What develops and when?; 2. Explanatory goal: How does developmental change occur?; 3. Predictive goal: What are the outcomes of development?
How is brain development more than just growth in size?
It involves multiple processes such as changes in folding, synaptic connections, and neuron myelination.
What is an example of developmental change in the brain related to growth?
Brain Growth – This refers to the overall increase in brain size and head circumference.
What does the folding of the brain indicate in developmental change?
Cachia et al. (2022) suggests the number of folds in the brain increases with development, contributing to greater complexity.
What is synaptogenesis in brain development?
Synaptogenesis – The formation of new synapses, which is prominent up to 10 months of age.
What is synaptic pruning, and when does it occur?
Huttenlocher (1990) suggests Synaptic Pruning is The elimination of unused synapses. It peaks around 8 months, then decreases with a sharp decline in childhood and continues to decrease in old age.
When do synapses increase significantly during development?
Keil (2014) found Synapse formation increases significantly from around 6 months to 1 year.
What happens to neuron structure and myelination during development?
Keil (2014) found Neurons undergo structural changes, with newborn neurons being simpler and lacking the myelin sheath. Myelination increases during development, which enhances neuron signal and transmission speed.
How does myelination change in the brain over time?
Kulikova et al. (2016) found Myelination increases through development. In adult brains, high myelination areas are represented in red, indicating fast processing, while newborn brains have lower myelination that increases rapidly in the first year of life.
What are the three key reasons for studying development?
- Understanding the mature form of an organism.; 2. Gaining insight into children’s capabilities.; 3. Informing social policy based on developmental knowledge.
How does studying prenatal development help explain adult traits?
Example: The formation of zebra stripes can only be understood by examining their development before birth.
What was Jean Piaget’s main contribution to developmental psychology?
He viewed children as “little scientists” who actively construct knowledge through exploration.
How did Piaget become interested in children’s thinking?
He worked with Binet on standardized intelligence testing and studied common mistakes children made.
What type of developmental change did Piaget emphasize?
Qualitative stages of development, where children’s thinking undergoes fundamental shifts.
What is a key limitation of Piaget’s theory?
Some of his claims were later found to be inaccurate, though his work remains highly influential.
What is empiricism?
The belief that knowledge comes from experience, supported by philosophers like John Locke and David Hume.
What is the intuitive view of empiricism regarding newborns?
Newborns start with no knowledge and learn entirely through experience.
What is the modern empiricist view?
Learning occurs through an all-purpose learning system that links together frequently co-occurring information.
What is nativism?
The belief that some cognitive abilities are innate, influenced by philosophers like Descartes and Leibniz.
What is an intuitive argument for nativism?
Just as different dog breeds have distinct abilities, humans show differences in talent that may be inborn.
What is the modern view for nativism?
Some cognitive abilities are innate, supported by specialized learning mechanisms e.g., number discrimination at birth.
What research supports nativism?
Izard et al. (2009) found that newborns can discriminate between different numbers, suggesting an innate numerical sense.
What do cross-species comparisons provide in understanding developmental challenges?
Cross-species comparisons offer insights into shared developmental challenges and traits shaped by natural selection.
Who are the key figures behind the background of comparative and evolutionary perspectives?
Darwin and Lorenz are foundational figures in the field of evolutionary perspectives and comparative development.
What does number discrimination across species suggest about evolutionary development?
Number discrimination across species points to the evolutionary roots of numerical abilities, suggesting that these abilities have evolved across different species.
What is the focus of the Comparative Approach in understanding evolutionary development?
The Comparative Approach suggested by Amemiya et al. (2013) highlights evolutionary relationships among vertebrates through a phylogenetic tree, categorizing organisms into tetrapods, lobe-finned fish, ray-finned fish, and cartilaginous fish, illustrating evolutionary divergence.
What does the Evolutionary Perspective reveal about human evolution?
The Evolutionary Perspective suggested by Pääbo (2013) illustrates how humans share common ancestors with great apes, such as orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees. It shows key divergence points, including the human-chimpanzee split (4-6 million years ago) and earlier hominin divergence (6-8 million years ago).
What are the shared developmental challenges across different species?
Different organisms face similar developmental challenges, such as coordinating visual and motor skills, which suggests common developmental processes across species.
How do natural selection and trait emergence relate to evolutionary development?
Traits, such as body structures and behaviors, evolve through natural selection, shaped by environmental pressures and survival challenges.
What are the key divergence points in human evolution?
4–6 million years ago: Humans split from chimpanzees.; 12–16 million years ago: More distant primate divergences occurred.
Why do researchers use evolutionary trees?
To emphasize shared ancestry and genetic relationships across species.
What is the focus of cross-cultural research in development?
Understanding which aspects of development are universal and which are culturally influenced.
What are some key cross-cultural findings?
- Visual depth perception is universal.; 2. Language development follows similar patterns across cultures.; 3. Religious beliefs are shaped by culture.
What does neuroscience contribute to developmental psychology?
It investigates how brain changes drive psychological development.
What are two key methods used in neuroscience research?
- Electroencephalography (EEG) – Measures brain activity.; 2. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) – Examines oxygen levels in the brain.
What is a longitudinal study?
A research method that tracks the same individuals over time.
What are advantages of the longitudinal approach?
- Identifies long-term patterns.; 2. Helps establish causality.
What are disadvantages of longitudinal studies?
- Time-consuming.; 2. Risk of participant dropout.; 3. Practice effects may influence results.
What is a cross-sectional study?
A study that examines different age groups at a single point in time.
What are advantages of the cross-sectional approach?
- Quick and efficient.; 2. Reveals age-related patterns.
What are disadvantages of cross-sectional studies?
- Cannot determine causes of developmental change.; 2. Cohort effects may influence results.
What is a sequential study?
A combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional methods that tracks multiple cohorts over time.
What is the main advantage of the sequential approach?
It reduces cohort effects by comparing different generations over time.
