Chapter 1: The Science of Child Development

Question 1

What was Plato’s and Rousseau’s philosophy on child development?

Answer 1

They believed each child was born with innate knowledge that their brain would access over time

Question 2

What was Aristotle’s and Locke’s philosophy on child development?

Answer 2

They believed that children were born with a blank slate and developed based on experiences they encountered in their life.

Question 3

What are baby biographies?

Answer 3

The observation and detailed recording of infants and children as they develop and grow

Question 4

Why were baby biographies important

Answer 4

They paved the way for objective, analytical research

Question 5

Society of Research in Child Development (SRCD)

Answer 5

Main professional organization for child development researchers

Question 6

Canadian Psychology Organization

Answer 6

Main organization for psychologists. Founded in 1939

Question 7

Applied developmental science

Answer 7

Uses developmental research to promote healthy development for children and families

Question 8

Theories

Answer 8

Organized sets of ideas that explain and make predictions about development

Question 9

Biological Perspective

Answer 9

Personality and physical development rooted in biology

Question 10

Maturational Theory

Answer 10

Child development predetermined by biological factors, primarily genetic factors.

No room for environmental variability

Question 11

Ethological Theory

Answer 11

Adaptive behaviours due to evolution. Believe some learning can only occur at certain ages

Similar to maturational theory

Question 12

Critical Period

Answer 12

A period in time where a specific characteristic can be developed

Question 13

Imprinting

Answer 13

The emotional bond between child and mother

Question 14

The Psychodynamic Perspective

Answer 14

Development largely determined by resolve of certain conflicts at certain ages

Question 15

Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory

Answer 15

Conflict between the id, ego, and superego

Question 16

The Id

Answer 16

The primitive instincts located in the unconscious part of the brain. Time is not a factor, just has urges for what it wants and wants it now.

Question 17

The Ego

Answer 17

The practical and rational part of personality. Primarily located in unconscious part of the brain, but is aware of the future and past and prevents you from doing anything dangerous.

Question 18

The Superego

Answer 18

The moral part of one’s personality. Located in conscious part of the brain and decides whether something is right or wrong according to social and individual norms and values

Question 19

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Answer 19

There are multiple stages throughout a person’s life defined by a specific conflict. i.e. trust vs mistrust

Proposed development could occur throughout life

Question 20

The Learning Perspective

Answer 20

Mind is a blank slate

Question 21

Classical Conditioning

Answer 21

Association of a previously unrelated stimulus to a specific response

Developed by Ivan Pavlov

Question 22

Operant Conditioning

Answer 22

Action associated with a consequence

Developed by B.F. Skinner

Question 23

Reinforcement

Answer 23

Reinforcing a behaviour by either rewarding the action (positive) or removing something bad (negative)

Question 24

Punishment

Answer 24

Decreasing the frequency of a behaviour by adding something bad (positive) or taking away something good (negative)

Question 25

Social Cognitive Theory

Answer 25

Children imitate people's behaviour if that person seems smart or popular. If the behaviour is positively reinforced they are more likely to imitate behaviour

Question 26

Self-efficacy

Answer 26

Beliefs about a child's own abilities. If a child believes they are not capable of performing something, they won't mimic it.

Question 27

The Cognitive-Developmental Theory

Answer 27

How children think and how their thinking changes over time

Question 28

Piaget's Theory

Answer 28

Children create and revise theories of the world around them

Question 29

The Contextual Perspective

Answer 29

Culture is an important influence on development from infancy to adolescence. Developed by Vygotsky

Question 30

Bronfenbrenner's Theory of Ecological Systems

Answer 30

Child is embedded in a series of complex and interactive systems

Question 31

Micro-system

Answer 31

People and objects in immediate environment

Question 32

Mesosystem

Answer 32

What happens in one microsystem can influence another

Question 33

Exosystem

Answer 33

Social settings that a person may not experience, but still influenced by

Question 34

Macrosystem

Answer 34

Subcultures and cultures in which prior systems are embedded in

Question 35

Chronosystem

Answer 35

The idea that all systems can change and alter over time

Question 36

Continuity vs Discontinuity

Answer 36

Relatedness of early childhood behaviours and behaviour of a person later in life. Early behaviour does not predict behaviour later in life, but increases likelihood of similar behaviours and values

Question 37

Nature vs Nurture

Answer 37

Biology vs Environment Interaction between both shape child

Question 38

Active vs Passive

Answer 38

Is the child at the mercy of the environment or can their unique characteristics influence their development. Child's influence on parents and vice versa

Question 39

Connections

Answer 39

Each advancement of an aspect of a child's development is connected to and can influence development of other aspects of a child i.e. motor development influences cognitive development

Question 40

Scientific Method

Answer 40

Identify a question, form a hypothesis, select a method for collecting data

Question 41

Systematic Observation

Answer 41

Watching children and recording how they interact

Question 42

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 42

Observing child in natural setting Effective for seeing how child behaves in real world

Question 43

Structured Observation

Answer 43

Observing child in lab setting Effective for observing rare phenomena, but may not accurately represent how person behaves in real life

Question 44

Observer Bias

Answer 44

When observer notices behaviours that support hypothesis and discounts behaviours that don't

Question 45

Observer Influence

Answer 45

Participant behaves differently when being observed

Question 46

Habituation

Answer 46

Making participant feel comfortable with observer to garner more accurate results

Question 47

Sampling Behaviours with Tasks

Answer 47

Create tasks that sample target behaviours Can't determine if task samples target behaviour in real life

Question 48

Self-Reports

Answer 48

Answering questionnaires about target topic Can lead directly to info about topic, but participant may be unable to recall events exactly

Question 49

Response Bias

Answer 49

Participant influenced by answering perceived as socially acceptable

Question 50

Physiological Measures

Answer 50

Measuring children's physiological responses such as brain activity or cortisol levels Effective when used in conjunction with other method

Question 51

Construct Validity

Answer 51

If a method measures the theoretical construct it is supposed to

Question 52

Concurrent Validity

Answer 52

When two forms of measurement get same results

Question 53

Representative Sampling

Answer 53

Use sample populations to represent a larger population

Question 54

Correlational Studies

Answer 54

Correlation between to variables r= -1 to +1

Question 55

Experimental Studies

Answer 55

Systematically varies factors thought to cause a behaviour

Question 56

Inferential Statistics

Answer 56

Allows one to draw conclusions, often about a population

Question 57

Field Experiment

Answer 57

Manipulating variables in a natural setting

Question 58

Longitudinal Design

Answer 58

Same individuals repeatedly measured throughout lives Only way to answer continuity vs discontinuity, but children may drop out or test subject to cohort

Question 59

Cohort

Answer 59

A result is influenced by generation of subjects

Question 60

Cross-Sectional Design

Answer 60

Developmental stages measured using different children at specific points in time Learn nothing about continuity vs discontinuity

Question 61

Longitudinal-Sequential Design

Answer 61

sequences of samples, each studied longitudinally Can expose cohorts and give some idea about continuity

Question 62

Ethical Responsibilites

Answer 62

Don't be a dick and inform the participant about what is going on in the experiment

Question 63

Sensorimotor Stage

Answer 63

Infants knowledge of world based on motor skills Learns objects exist outside of vision

Question 64

Peoperational Thought

Answer 64

Child learns to use symbols such as words

Question 65

Concrete Operational Thought

Answer 65

Applies logical operations to experiences, as long as experience is here and now

Question 66

Formal Operational Thought

Answer 66

Can think in abstract terms. Experience or situation does not have to actually be present or exist in order to apply logic

Question 67

Information Processing Theory

Answer 67

Seeing the mind as a computer Development reflects changes in mental hardware and mental software

Question 68

Developmental Psychopathology

Answer 68

The understanding of how abnormal psychology can develop

Question 69

Reliability

Answer 69

If something is tested repeatedly do you get the same results

Question 70

Convergent Validity

Answer 70

If one variable is positively correlated to another

Question 71

Divergent Validity

Answer 71

If one variable is negatively correlated to another