Chapter 1 notecards Flashcards
field of study devoted to understanding constancy and change throughout lifespan
major goal is to identify those factors that influence consistencies and transformations in people from conception to death
developmental science
orderly, integrated set of statements that explains and predicts behavior
important for two reasons:
provide organizing frameworks for our observations
theories verified by research provide a sound basis for how to improve welfare of individuals
theory
a process of gradually augmenting the same types of skills that were there to begin with
continuous
a process in which new ways of understanding and responding to the world emerge at specific times
______: qualatative changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving that characterize specific periods of development
discontinuous
stages
unique combinations of personal and environmental circumstances that can result in different paths of change
______: a shy person who fears social encounters develops contexts from people who are more outgoing and readily seek out other people
_________; people who grow up in a third world village different experiences in their families than people who grow up in an American city
contexts
personal
enviromental
inborn biological givens
the information we inherit from our parents from the moment of conception
nature
the complex forces of the physical and social world that influence our biological makeup and psychological experiences before and after birth
nurture
a theorys position on the roles of nature vs nurture affect how it explains individual differences
-nature/heredity
_________: that individuals who are high or low in a characteristic (example: verbal ability or anxiety) will stay that way throughout their life
-nurture/environment
_______: tha change is possible and even likely if new experiences support it
stability
plasticity
4 major assumptions: development is: - - - -
lifelong multidimensional and multidirectional highly plastic affected by multiple interacting forces -biological, historical, social, cultural
development is affected by a blend of biological, psychological, and social forces
multidimensional
development is not limited to improved performance, every period consists of growth and decline
change is also multidirectional from within each domain of development
multidirectional
events that are strongly related to age and therefore are fairly predictable in when they occur and how long they last
example: most people begin walking shortly after their 1st bday
age-graded influences
influences on development unique to a particular historical era (ex. epidemics, wars, periods of economic prosperity or depression)
ex.my great-grandmother was raised during a time of great economic depression and because of this she stockpiled goods in her home. Today she would be described in modern terms as a “hoarder”
history-graded influences
irregular event that only happen to one person or a few people and do not follow a predictable timetable
ex. meeting your life long partner on a random blind date
nonnormative influences
founder of the child study movement
G. Stanly Hall
measures of behaviors are taken on large numbers of individuals, and age-related averages are computed to represent typical development
normative approach
the psychoanalytic perspective, behaviorism and social learning theory, Piaget’s cognitive development theory
mid 20th century theories
people move through a series of stages in which they confront conflicts between biological drives and social expectations
-how these conflicts are resolved determines the person’s ability to learn, to get along with others and to cope with anxiety
psychoanalytic perspective
________: psychosexual theory
_______: psychosocial theory
sigmund freud
erik erikson
emphasizes that how parents manage their childs sexual and aggressive drives in the first few years of life is crucial for healthy personality development
psychosexual theory
during childhood sexual impulses shift from their focus from the oral to the anal to the genital regions of the body
psychosexual stages oral anal phallic latency genital
emphasized that the ego makes a positive contribution to development, acquiring attitudes and skills at each stage that make the individual an active, contributing member of society
psychosocial theory
only directly observable events are appropriate to study
completely disregards anything that can’t be directly observed
behaviorism
largest portion of the mind
unconscious, present at birth
source of biological needs and desires
ids
