Chapter 5: Nature vs. Nuture Flashcards

1
Q

What is meant by the term nature? Give an example.

A

Nature involves the transmission of characteristics from biological parents to their children by genes.
Eg. Both you and your parent might share the trait of stubbornness.

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2
Q

What is meant by the term development?

A

It refers to the changes that occur over time.

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3
Q

What is meant by the term nurture? Give an example.

A

It refers to all the experiences, objects, and events that we are exposed to throughout our lifetime.
Eg. Friendship groups, religion, hobbies

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4
Q

What are the two ways nature and nurture are studied?

A
  • Twin studies

- Adoption studies

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5
Q

What are twin studies?

A

When identical twins and non-identical twins are studied, to determine if nature or nurture has a greater influence on their development.

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6
Q

What are adoption studies?

A

When adopted children, who therefore have no genetic similarity to their adopted parents, are used to determine the influence of nurture on development.

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7
Q

What is meant by physical development? Give an example:

A

The changes in the body and its various systems.

Eg. Development of the different areas of the brain

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8
Q

What is meant by social development? Give an example:

A

Changes in a person’s relationships and their skills in interacting with people.
Eg. Being able to keep close friendships in group situations

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9
Q

What is meant by cognitive development? Give an example:

A

Changes in a person’s mental abilities.

Eg. Being able to problem solve

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10
Q

What is meant by emotional development? Give an example:

A

Changes in how a person experiences different feelings and how they express, interpret, and deal with them.
Eg. A 2 year old would not be able to control their ange, but an adult would.

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11
Q

What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous development?

A

Continuous development is when changes are gradual and continuous, while discontinuous development is when changes happen in distinct stages.

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12
Q

What is sequential nature?

A

Development that happens in an orderly sequence, which may occur in bursts and spurts.

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13
Q

What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative changes?

A

Quantitative changes are variations in the the amount of a thought, feeling, or behaviour and are usually expressed as numbers, while qualititave changes vary in type and are usually expressed in words.

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14
Q

What is mean by the term individual difference? Give an example:

A

Each person develops at a different rate or in a different way to everyone else.
Eg. A person being shy as a child, but then in adulthood is becomes confident

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15
Q

What is heredity? Give an example:

A

The traits a person gets from their biological parents via genes.
Eg. Both a mother and a daughter being very sporty

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16
Q

What is meant by the term environment? Give an example:

A

Everything a person is exposed to throughout their life.

Eg. Friendship groups, beliefs, sickness

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17
Q

What is maturation? Give an example:

A

The orderly and sequential changes that occur in the body that are controlled by genes.
Eg. Areas of the brain having to develop first before a toddler is able to speak

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18
Q

What is the principle of readiness? Give an example:

A

Certain body structures must be properly developed in order to perform certain behaviours and mental processes.
Eg. Muscles must be fully developed in order to walk

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19
Q

What does the term sensitive period refer to? Give an example:

A

The period of time during a person’s development when they are more sensitive to certain experiences.
Eg. Being able to easily learn a different language as a child

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20
Q

What are critical periods? Give an example:

A

A period during a person’s development when they can harmed by being deprived of an environmental stimuli or experience.
Eg. A kitten not opening one of their eyes after birth for a certain period of time may cause blindness in that eye.

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21
Q

What is attachment? Give an example:

A

An emotional bond which forms between a baby and another person.
Eg. A baby having a strong attachment to its mother

22
Q

Name the 3 types of attachment:

A
  • Secure attachment
  • Insecure avoident attachment
  • Insecure resisten attachment
23
Q

What is secure attachment? Give an example:

A

When an infant has a balance between dependance and exploration.
Eg. When a baby explores a room when their caregiver is in the room, but becomes distressed or doesn’t explore when their caregiver leaves the room.

24
Q

What is insecure attachment?

A

When an infant doesn’t seek comfort from their caregiver and doesn’t cry when they leave the room and ignores them when they return.

25
Q

What is insecure resistant attachment?

A

When an infant is upset even when their caregiver is in the room, and become even more upset when their caregiver leaves the room.

26
Q

What are the 3 factors that influence attachment?

A
  • Genetics
  • Temperament (how they react to things)
  • Early life experiences
27
Q

What is temperament? Give an example:

A

How a person reacts to different things.

Eg. Running away from a clown but hugging a teddy

28
Q

What is insecure disorganised attachment? Give an example:

A

Whan an infant reacts in an unusual or contradictory way when separated or reunited with their caregiver.
Eg. When their caregiver enters the room, they might seek contact by moving backwards towards their caregiver without looking at them.

29
Q

What is Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?

A

The belief that cognitive development is a process of adaption to the environment.

30
Q

What is adaption? Give an example:

A

Adaption is when a person processes, organises, and uses new information to adjust to changes in their environment.
Eg. When under water, instead of breathing you have to hold your breath

31
Q

What is assimilation? Give an example:

A

When a person takes in new information and fits it into pre-existing ideas and knowledge.
Eg. A child calling a truck a car

32
Q

What is accommodation? Give an example:

A

When pre-existing ideas and knowledge is changed to fit in new information.
Eg. A baby trying to drink milk from a rattle, until they learn that it is only used to make noise

33
Q

Describe the sensorimotor stage (0-2) and give an example?

A

The stage when babies explore and learn about the world only through the senses and behaviour.
Eg. A baby learning how to reach for a toy

34
Q

What is object performance? Give an example:

A

The understanding that objects still exist even if they can’t be seen, heard or touched.
Eg. A baby learning that a toy doesn’t disappear if it is hidden

35
Q

What is goal-directed behaviour? Give an example:

A

Being able to successfully complete a sequence of actions with a particular purpose in mind.
Eg. A baby learning how to reach an object on a table by standing.

36
Q

Describe the preoperational stage (2-7) and give an example:

A

The stage when a child is able think about or imagine something.
Eg. A child pretending that they are a fairy princess

37
Q

What is symbolic thinking? Give an example:

A

Being abel to use symbols such as words and pictures to reperesent objects that are not physically present.
Eg. A child drawing a castle

38
Q

What is egocentrism? Give an example:

A

When a person is only able to see the world from their own point of view.
Eg. A child covering their eyes because when hiding because they think that if they can’t see themselves others can’t either.

39
Q

What is animism? Give an example:

A

The belief that everything, even objects, has a conscious.

Eg. Children tripping over a ball and calling the ball naughty.

40
Q

What is transformation? Give an example:

A

Being able to understand that something can change from one form to another.
Eg. A child understanding that an iceblock can melt into water

41
Q

What is centration? Give an example:

A

Only being able to focus on one feature or quality of an object, event or time.
Eg. When there are two equal lines of lego and one side is bunched up, a child would believe that the bunched up side has more lego.

42
Q

What is reversability? Give an example:

A

Being able to follow a sequence of events or line of reasoning back to its starting point.
Eg. A child understanding that a deflated ball can be pumped back up to its original form.

43
Q

Describe the concrete operational stage (7-12) and give an example:

A

The stage when a child is capable of true logical thoughts and can accurately imagine something happening without it actually needing to happen.
Eg. A child knowing that if it rains when they are outside they’ll get wet.

44
Q

What is conservation? Give an example:

A

Understanding that certain properties of an object can stay the same eben when its appearance changes.
Eg. When there is an equal amount of water in two different shaped glasses, and a child believes that the taller shaped glass has more water

45
Q

What is classification? Give an example:

A

Being able to organise things based on common features that set them apart from other categories.
Eg. A child not classifying a square as a circle because it has sides.

46
Q

Describe the formal operational stage (12+) and give an example:

A

When a person has more complex thought processes as a result of their experiences and brain maturation.
Eg. A person thinking about why they exist

47
Q

What is abstract thinking? Give an example:

A

A way of thinking that doesn’t rely on being able to see, visualise, experience or manipulate something in order to understand something.
Eg. Understanding what sexism is

48
Q

What is idealistic thinking? Give an example:

A

A perfect standard a persons strives toward.

Eg. Finding the perfect husband

49
Q

Describe Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development:

A

The theory that psychosocial development progresses through 8 sequential stages, where in each stage, the individual has to deal with a different psychosocial crisis that is normal for people at that time of life.

50
Q

What is a psychosocial crisis? Give an example:

A

When a person has an internal conflict when adjusting to society.
Eg. A person wanting to go to school in their pajamas but it is socially unacceptable.