Week One - Introduction to Lifespan Flashcards
What is Lifespan Developmental Psychology?
Field of study that identifies and explains stability, continuity and growth in an individual from conception to death
What are the 3 different domains of development?
Physical
Cognitive
Social-Emotional
What is Physical development?
Changes that occur in the body and its systems over time eg., hormonal, puberty
What is Cognitive development?
Changes that occur in such aspects as intelligence, problem-solving, memory, and learning eg., language in infancy
What is Social-Emotional development?
Changes that occur in personal characteristics and social interactions eg., increasing level of complexity of interactions between infancy and early childhood
Temporal markers for age can be both what?
Clear or approximate
Biologically or culturally defined
What do researchers in developmental psychology use to collect data? (6)
Observation Interviews (moral development) Standardised tests Surveys Single case studies Data mining
What kind of research designs are used in DP?
Cross-sectional
Longitudinal
Sequential
Microgenetic
What kind of consent is required from children in DP?
Verbal
Why is DP important?
Gives us realistic expectations about children, adolescents and adults
Helps us recognise normal behaviour/significant departures
What is nature?
Inherited characteristics and unfolding of genetic information
What is nurture?
Environmental influences affecting behaviour relating to physical and social environment
What is the interactionist viewpoint of the N vs. N debate?
Behaviour and development are shaped by both genetic and environmental influences along a continuum
Why is important to recognise environmental influence?
Seeing development as purely genetic reduces perceived importance of any intervention
What is continuity development?
Development occurs quantitatively, gradually and incrementally
- experience determines development
What is discontinuity development?
Development occurs in distinct, qualitatively different steps or stages
- maturating determines development
Universal aspects of development can be influenced by a variety of cultural factors including:
Race (characteristics) Ethnicity (background) Culture (individualistic vs collectivist) SES (opportunity) Gender (stereotypes)
What are the 3 types of normative influences on development?
Age-graded
History-graded
Sociocultural-graded
What are age-graded normative influences?
Biological and environmental effects related to particular age groups, regardless of where or when they are born/raised eg social media
What are history-graded normative influences?
Environmental effects that similarly influence people around the same time and place eg covid
What are sociocultural-graded influences?
Environmental effects that are related to cultural factors at a particular time for an individual, depending on class or ethnicity eg., black lives matter
What are non-normative life events?
Idiosyncratic events that may occur in a person’s life that are unpredictable, individual and change life in an irreversible way
What are the cognitive developmental theories? (3)
Piaget: stage theory
Neo-piagetian approaches
Information processing theory: modular approach
What is Freudian psychoanalytic theory?
Personality development is determined by:
ID: unconscious, tries to satisfy bio needs
EGO: rational, conscious, probem-solving
SUPEREGO: moral and ethical
What are defence mechanisms in Freudians psychoanalytic theory?
Unconscious distortions of reality that keep conflicts from the ego’s conscious awareness
What are the 5 stages of Freudians theory?
Oral (birth-1): feeding
Anal (1-3): toilet training
Phallic (3-6): gender/moral development
Latency (6-12): physical/intellectual activities
Genital (12-adulthood): onset of puberty/sexual relationships
What did Erikson’s psychosocial theory believe about what development is?
Development is a psychosocial process with successful solution of a series of ‘crises; leading to a healthy personality
What did Erikson propose development is influenced by?
Biological, physical, social, cultural and historic factors as well as a persons unique circumstances
What are Erikson’s psychosocial stages?
Trust vs. Mistrust Autonomy vs. Shame Initiative vs. Guilt Industry vs. Inferiority Identity vs. Role confusion Intimacy vs. Isolation Generativity vs. Stagnation Ego integrity vs. Despair
What are the 3 behavioural learning theories?
Classical Conditioning: early reflexes and responses help infant to interact with the world
Learning Theory: Behaviours and emotions can be conditioned
Operant Conditioning: Behaviour is shaped by reward and punishment
What is Bandura’s SC theory?
Learning occurring from observation alone (working best with admired people)
What is the aim of Ethological theory?
To see how response patterns in childhood led to particular response in adulthood
Emphasis on evolutionary significance/survival function of early responses (eg attachment)
Explain Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (contextual development)
Proposed the child develops with a complex system of interrelated contexts
Interactive, overlapping, contextual levels that simultaneously influence development
Explain Vygotsky’s Sociocultural development theory (contextual development)
Cognitive development is the result of social interactions: children learn and solve problems through guided participation with significant
others
Zone of Proximal Development: learning from others who are smarter (scaffolding)
What is an essential feature of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural development theory?
Tools provided by culture
- psychological tools: language, counting, writing
- technical tools: calculators computing
What is the dynamic systems theory of development?
The child is part of a dynamic, integrated system (mind, body, physical and social enviro).
A change in one system leads to disruption and the need for more complex behaviours
