Week One - Introduction to Lifespan

Question 1

What is Lifespan Developmental Psychology?

Answer 1

Field of study that identifies and explains stability, continuity and growth in an individual from conception to death

Question 2

What are the 3 different domains of development?

Answer 2

Physical
Cognitive
Social-Emotional

Question 3

What is Physical development?

Answer 3

Changes that occur in the body and its systems over time eg., hormonal, puberty

Question 4

What is Cognitive development?

Answer 4

Changes that occur in such aspects as intelligence, problem-solving, memory, and learning eg., language in infancy

Question 5

What is Social-Emotional development?

Answer 5

Changes that occur in personal characteristics and social interactions eg., increasing level of complexity of interactions between infancy and early childhood

Question 6

Temporal markers for age can be both what?

Answer 6

Clear or approximate

Biologically or culturally defined

Question 7

What do researchers in developmental psychology use to collect data? (6)

Answer 7

Observation
Interviews (moral development)
Standardised tests
Surveys
Single case studies
Data mining

Question 8

What kind of research designs are used in DP?

Answer 8

Cross-sectional
Longitudinal
Sequential
Microgenetic

Question 9

What kind of consent is required from children in DP?

Answer 9

Verbal

Question 10

Why is DP important?

Answer 10

Gives us realistic expectations about children, adolescents and adults

Helps us recognise normal behaviour/significant departures

Question 11

What is nature?

Answer 11

Inherited characteristics and unfolding of genetic information

Question 12

What is nurture?

Answer 12

Environmental influences affecting behaviour relating to physical and social environment

Question 13

What is the interactionist viewpoint of the N vs. N debate?

Answer 13

Behaviour and development are shaped by both genetic and environmental influences along a continuum

Question 14

Why is important to recognise environmental influence?

Answer 14

Seeing development as purely genetic reduces perceived importance of any intervention

Question 15

What is continuity development?

Answer 15

Development occurs quantitatively, gradually and incrementally
- experience determines development

Question 16

What is discontinuity development?

Answer 16

Development occurs in distinct, qualitatively different steps or stages
- maturating determines development

Question 17

Universal aspects of development can be influenced by a variety of cultural factors including:

Answer 17

Race (characteristics)
Ethnicity (background)
Culture (individualistic vs collectivist)
SES (opportunity)
Gender (stereotypes)

Question 18

What are the 3 types of normative influences on development?

Answer 18

Age-graded
History-graded
Sociocultural-graded

Question 19

What are age-graded normative influences?

Answer 19

Biological and environmental effects related to particular age groups, regardless of where or when they are born/raised eg social media

Question 20

What are history-graded normative influences?

Answer 20

Environmental effects that similarly influence people around the same time and place eg covid

Question 21

What are sociocultural-graded influences?

Answer 21

Environmental effects that are related to cultural factors at a particular time for an individual, depending on class or ethnicity eg., black lives matter

Question 22

What are non-normative life events?

Answer 22

Idiosyncratic events that may occur in a person’s life that are unpredictable, individual and change life in an irreversible way

Question 23

What are the cognitive developmental theories? (3)

Answer 23

Piaget: stage theory
Neo-piagetian approaches
Information processing theory: modular approach

Question 24

What is Freudian psychoanalytic theory?

Answer 24

Personality development is determined by:
ID: unconscious, tries to satisfy bio needs
EGO: rational, conscious, probem-solving
SUPEREGO: moral and ethical

Question 25

What are defence mechanisms in Freudians psychoanalytic theory?

Answer 25

Unconscious distortions of reality that keep conflicts from the ego’s conscious awareness

Question 26

What are the 5 stages of Freudians theory?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

What did Erikson’s psychosocial theory believe about what development is?

Answer 27

Development is a psychosocial process with successful solution of a series of ‘crises; leading to a healthy personality

Question 28

What did Erikson propose development is influenced by?

Answer 28

Biological, physical, social, cultural and historic factors as well as a persons unique circumstances

Question 29

What are Erikson’s psychosocial stages?

Answer 29

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

Question 30

What are the 3 behavioural learning theories?

Answer 30

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

Question 31

What is Bandura’s SC theory?

Answer 31

Learning occurring from observation alone (working best with admired people)

Question 32

What is the aim of Ethological theory?

Answer 32

To see how response patterns in childhood led to particular response in adulthood

Emphasis on evolutionary significance/survival function of early responses (eg attachment)

Question 33

Explain Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (contextual development)

Answer 33

Proposed the child develops with a complex system of interrelated contexts

Interactive, overlapping, contextual levels that simultaneously influence development

Question 34

Explain Vygotsky’s Sociocultural development theory (contextual development)

Answer 34

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)

Question 35

What is an essential feature of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural development theory?

Answer 35

Tools provided by culture

• psychological tools: language, counting, writing
• technical tools: calculators computing

Question 36

What is the dynamic systems theory of development?

Answer 36

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