Week 1 Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is developmental psychology about?
Development, aka changes, not progression
Changes in thought, behaviour, reasoning, and functioning due biological, individual, and environmental influences
What is developmental psychopathology?
Interdisciplinary scientific field that seeks to elucidate the interplay among the biological, psychological, and social-contextual aspects of normal and abnormal development of the life course
Phases of development
Before birth - prenatal and neonatal
0-2 years - infancy
3-10 years - childhood (early, middle, late)
11-20 years - adolescence (early, middle, late)
20-25 years - emerging adulthood
Aspects of development
Physical
Social/emotional
Cognitive
Patterns of development
Stages
Continuous change (‘U’ function or inverted-U-function
How to test for biological influences
Twin studies
Adoption studies
Shared and non-shared environments
Social influences
Social and physical environment
Learning
Individual differences in susceptibility to environment
Ecological model of human development
Bronfenbrenner, 1979
Microsystem < mesosystem < exosystem < macrosystem
Life span development
Baltes et al., 1980
Basic determinants: biological, environmental, interaction
Influences on development over time: normative age-graded, normative history-graded, non-normative life events, interactions
Features of development: multi-directionality, plasticity, historical context, multiple causation
Ecological transactional models
Sameroff and Chandler, 1975
Early biological and psychological characteristics + continuum of caregiving = healthy development
Developmental trajectories
Compas et al., 1995
Adjustment
Adolescence limited maladjustment
Turnaround
Decline
Maladjustment
Developmental phenomena
Equifinality - various things contribute to the outcome
Multifinality - one factor can affect a variety of outcomes
Common difficulties: 0-4 years
Carr, 2006
Separation anxiety
Sleep problems
Feeding problems
Temper tantrums
Socialisation problems
Common difficulties: 5-7 years
Carr, 2006
Sleep problems
Toileting problems
Learning and communication difficulties
Autism spectrum disorder
Phobias
Common difficulties: 8-11 years
Carr, 2006
Conduct problems
Attention and over activity problems
Fear and anxiety
Somatic problems
School refusal
Mood disorders
Self-esteem issues
Common difficulties: 12-17 years
Carr, 2006
Mood disorders
Anxiety disorders
Relationship difficulties
Self-esteem problems
Deliberate self-harm
Eating disorders
Psychosis
Substance abuse
Conduct disorders
Sexual difficulties
Project Head Start
Bronfenbrenner was one of the founders.
Intervention that had long-lasting effects on disadvantaged children. Was convinced that belief systems can change as a function of education, intervention programs, and the mass media
Social constructionist approach
Emphasises the extent to which we construct ourselves and our environments and deemphasises biological factors
Genotype-environment interaction
A child can help create their own rearing environment (ie temper may influence how parents treat them)
Genie and cognitive development
Could speak words but not full sentences
Curtiss (1977) speculated she was using her rght hemisphere, not her left as is usual. He thought that if language was not acquired at the right time, the cortical tissue may cease to function.
English and Romanian adoptees study
Rutter et al., 1998
Romanian orphans suffered neglect and deprivation - compared to UK oprhans who didn’t.
If the Romanian orphans were adopted before 6 months, there was complete catch-up by 4 years old.
Those adopted between 6 and 24 months scored significanty higher on cognitive tests than those adopted between 24 and 42 months. With later placed groups there was general developmental impairment, and still had not caught up at 6 years old.
Early deprivation beyond a period of two years seems to cause cognitive and physical developmental deficits.
Effect of institutional deprivation
Beckett et al., 2006
No measurable effect of institutional deprivation that did not extend beyond 6 months of age, but there was a substantial decrement in IQ associated with institutional deprivation above that age. When it lasted beyond 6 months, there were certain emotional, conduct, and peer relationship problems still present at 15 years. Over time, there were substantial improvements, however.
The Deficit and Difference Model
The ‘deficit’ model places blame on the home for failing to give adequate socialisation experience for the children, and as a result, the children have poor language skills and/or inadequate intellectual skills to cope at school
The ‘difference’ model argues that schools are White, middle-class institutions in terms of values, language used by teachers, and course content. Children from different backgrounds thus achieve less well.
Four aspects of deprivation
Multidimensional
Concerns material as well as social aspects
Deprivation is relative
Concerns individuals as much as regions or areas
