Development (Ch. 11) Exam 3

Question 1

developmental psychology

Answer 1

examines how people change through time (infancy - old age)

Question 2

questions of developmental psychology?

Answer 2

Q: does development occur in stages of continuous?
A: both
Q: nature or nurture?
A: naturation, genetically determined biological processes which lead to orderly growth require building blocks from the environment

Question 3

cross-sectional design

Answer 3

compares participants of different ages to each other at one point in time
(ex. 6-month baby vs. 12-month baby, changes can be attributed to a change in age, but with older people and greater age differences, hard to tell)

Question 4

drawbacks of cross-sectional design

Answer 4

-hard to attribute change directly to age
-cohort effect- differences due to members of an age group sharing a set of common life experiences

Question 5

longitudinal design

Answer 5

tracks participants at different times and sees the difference between
(ex. tracking a single group of infants from 6 months to age 2)

Question 6

benefits and drawbacks of longitudinal design

Answer 6

+ : confident that people are changing over time
- : requires more time and resources, danger of attrition (people withdrawing before the study is completed)

Question 7

sequential design

Answer 7

tracks multiple age groups across multiple time points
(ex. compares reading skills of 40-year-old vs. 50-year-old, then test the group again in 50 years)

Question 8

benefits of a sequential design

Answer 8

-increases confidence that the observed changes are because of development and not cohort effect
-takes less time than longitudinal

Question 9

conception of an egg

Answer 9

1. mature egg released from ovary
2. one sperm meets egg and fuses, all other sperm then shut out
3. nuclei of egg and sperm fuse to form a zygote (new combo of 23 chromosomes)

Question 10

germinal stage

Answer 10

4. zygote cells multiply creating a blastocyst, which is implanted in the uterus (most don’t make it this far and get flushed out)

Question 11

embryonic stage

Answer 11

(2-8 weeks)
5. placenta forms (the channel between mother and embryo)
- cells begin to differentiate
- endoderm layer (gut), mesoderm layer (skeletal and voluntary muscles), and ectoderm (nervous system and outer skin) form

Question 12

fetal stage

Answer 12

(9-36 weeks) “fetus”
6. by 17th week ears begin to function, by 26th week, eyes open

Question 13

“full-term”

Answer 13

(37 weeks)
7. developed enough for life outside the womb

Question 14

how does a brain develop in an embryo?

Answer 14

rapidly develops starting a month after conception
1. neural tube
2. neural migration

Question 15

neural tube

Answer 15

(1 month after conception, during the embryonic stage)
STEP #1: 3 pts develop (brainstem, cerebellum, spinal cord)
- initially no distinction between cells and types

Question 16

neural migration

Answer 16

STEP #3: cells differentiate into neurons and glia
- glia guidewires & chemicals move neurons into position
- neurons organize into two layers (inside and outside) based on the time of arrival
- genes provide a “wiring diagram” to help neurons migrate

Question 17

what happens when genes and chromosomes are disrupted at conception?

Answer 17

• if specific genes are disrupted: sickle-cell, cystic fibrosis, PKU
• extra copy of chromosome 21: down syndrome, delay in motor skills, intellectual disability

Question 18

what happens when there are disruptions in the prenatal environment?

Answer 18

teratogens: environmental agents that interfere with healthy developing fetuses (mother and baby share placenta so travels from mother to baby) (ex. lead, mercury, carbon monoxide, etc.)

Question 19

fetal alcohol syndrome

Answer 19

alcohol during pregnancy leads to developmental disorders, psychological problems and physical abnormalities

Question 20

newborn reflexes

Answer 20

(automatic motor responses triggered by sensory stimulus)
- automatically open mouth when cheek touched as if expecting to suck nipple for milk
- grasp hand when touched (probably inherited from apes carrying babies on their back)

Question 21

what developmental insights can we gain from newborn reflexes?

Answer 21

recognize mothers voice bc when they speak, babies tend to suck harder

Question 22

newborn head, eye, facial movement control

Answer 22

• gaze longer at human faces
• newborns can imitate facial expressions (instructors made funny faces and babies could replicate)

Question 23

habituation/ dishabituation

Answer 23

habituation - lower response to repeated stimuli (get bored).
dishabituation - greater response to a new stimulus

Question 24

checkerboard habituation study

Answer 24

shower babies checkerboard of a single style for a while until looking time decreased, then showed a new pattern and looking time increased

Question 25

baby motor development

Answer 25

1. emerges from head to feet (can control hands before feet, so can catch themselves when they fall) 2. emerges from center of body outwards (core strength before finer motor skills)

Question 26

what is the impact of culture on baby development

Answer 26

(ex. some Caribbean cultures massage infants which can lead to them learning to walk faster more quickly) (ex. sometimes put babies on their backs to sleep which can lead to slower motor development) - simply need opportunities to practice

Question 27

violation of expectation method study

Answer 27

a baby is shown an object moving in a radial pathway on a table. A block is then added such that you would expect the object to stop at the block, but the babies are presented with two possible outcomes. Either the object passes through the block (false floor and it falls in) which is impossible or it stops at the block which is possible. When it sees the possible action looking time doesn't change, but when they see the impossible action looking time increases.

Question 28

social referencing

Answer 28

relying on facial expressions of caretakers or other adults as a source of information on how to react. (but specific to humans, study had claw pick up object but only reacted when human picked up object)

Question 29

what does separation anxiety indicate about an infant?

Answer 29

that they formed attachment (emotional bond) with their caretakers

Question 30

what does separation anxiety look like in ducks?

Answer 30

imprinting (attached to organisms that they first see)

Question 31

are infants attached to mothers because they provide food?

Answer 31

NO. mothers provide milk, but not the sole reason they are attached.

Question 32

are infants attached to mothers because they provide gentle comfort?

Answer 32

YES. (Harlow monkey study) monkeys formed attached to gauze pads in their cage and were distressed when they were removed.

Question 33

are infants more attached to food providers or gentle comfort providers?

Answer 33

comfort. (Harlow monkey study) monkeys were raised with artificial metal monkey with food and soft fabric covered monkey without food. The monkeys went to the first one for food, but clung to the second when scared

Question 34

what happens when humans have no opportunities for attachment?

Answer 34

their development becomes stunted. (ex. because of a birthing mandate there were a lot of kids in Romanian orphanages) they had delays in physical, motor, and cognitive development because little human comfort

Question 35

strange situation test

Answer 35

(To understand different attachments) caretakers and child go into a room full of toys, a stranger comes in, the caretaker leaves, caretaker returns, both leave, then both adults return

Question 36

secure attachment

Answer 36

use caretakers as a secure base (minor distress when caretakers leave and enthusiasm when they return)

Question 37

insecure attachment

Answer 37

caretakers aren't used as base and newborns aren't reassured when they return insecure/ avoidant & insecure/ ambivalent

Question 38

insecure/ avoidant

Answer 38

distant with caretakers present and usually ignore them when they return (unruffled on surface but increased HR when caretakers leave and stays high when they return)

Question 39

insecure/ ambivalent

Answer 39

babies don't explore and they're upset when caretakers leave and ambivalent when they return (cry to be picked up them kick to get down)

Question 40

why do babies have different attachment styles?

Answer 40

temperament (of infants) - pattern of emotional behavior and this behavior is impacted by their genetics

Question 41

what is the impact of infant irritability?

Answer 41

lower parental responsiveness

Question 42

childhood

Answer 42

time between the end of infancy and the start of adolecence

Question 43

symbolic representation

Answer 43

use of words, sounds, gestures, visual images, or objects to represent other things

Question 44

when does symbolic representation begin, according to Piaget?

Answer 44

the preoperational period (2-6 or 7 years old)

Question 45

symbolic representation study

Answer 45

showed 2 1/2- 4 year olds a scale model of a room, children watched as researchers hid a mini toy in model and they were told a larger version was hidden somewhere in the real room. 3 year olds could find it but 2 1/2 year olds couldn't (HOWEVER) when out of reach with a glass partition, 2 1/2 year olds were able to see it (as a symbol)

Question 46

operations

Answer 46

imagining how things (ex. people or objects) might be different than what they are or imagining the result of an event without seeing it (multiple schemas)

Question 47

concrete operational period (Piaget)

Answer 47

developmental ages from 7-12 when child can transfer between interrelated schemas to solve complex problems

Question 48

Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural view of development

Answer 48

child's mind grows through interactions with the social environment

Question 49

scaffolding

Answer 49

actively challenging and supporting children as they attempt things outside of their current skills (ex. teaching kids how to tie their shoe vs. doing it for them)

Question 50

authoritarian parents

Answer 50

low responsiveness, very demanding, low emotional support, strict rules expect absolute obedience, if not will respond with severe punishment

Question 51

what is the impact of authoritarian parenting on children?

Answer 51

obedient towards adults but low academic performance and self-esteem

Question 52

permissive parents

Answer 52

high responsiveness, not very demanding, warm and attentive, few rules indulge in child's wishes, rate punishment and require little of their kids

Question 53

what is the impact of permissive parenting on children?

Answer 53

high self-confidence but low self-control

Question 54

authoritative parents

Answer 54

high responsiveness, very demanding, clear rules and structure but explain the reasoning, rules can change and open to discussion give kids responsibility and coaching which promotes maturity

Question 55

what is the impact of authoritative parents?

Answer 55

a study predicted greater academic achievement and problem-solving

Question 56

disengaged parents

Answer 56

not responsive, not demanding, few rules/ responsibilities, insensitive to child's needs

Question 57

whatis the impact of disengaged parents?

Answer 57

low academic outcomes, high rates of depression

Question 58

what are the problems with using parenting styles to consider future outcomes?

Answer 58

they're not absolute and some parts of it not equal across people - not the same across genders and race - data is correlational however, parenting styles still matter, study showed that training authoritative parenting styles can lead to better outcomes

Question 59

adolescence

Answer 59

period of transition between childhood and adulthood

Question 60

what changes in adolescent brains?

Answer 60

1. burst of synaptic growth 2. second wave of synaptic pruning to discard less useful connections and increase more useful ones 3. (ongoing myelination leads to greater neurotransmission)

Question 61

why are adolescents considered more reckless?

Answer 61

pre-frontal cortex isn't developed enough yet, so harder to override impulses the limbic system (regulates emotion) goes through more change which increases the perception of reward

Question 62

puberty

Answer 62

period of sexual maturation where men and women are capable of reproduction - hormonal release leads to changes in primary sex characteristics (body parts for reproduction, ovaries, testes, etc.) - changes in secondary sex characteristics (nonproductive body structures: hips, torso, voices, body hair) - genetics, diet, and exercise impact the timing of puberty

Question 63

what is the impact of early puberty?

Answer 63

(F): greater psychological problems, social anxiety, embarrassment (lower impact when better relationship with parents and stable community) (M): greater social status because they become bigger and stronger (but can lead to greater impulsivity and alcohol use)

Question 64

Kohlberg's moral reasoning theory

Answer 64

3 stages

Question 65

pre-conventional stage

Answer 65

(before age 9) - self-interest and obeying rules to avoid punishment and gain reward

Question 66

conventional stage

Answer 66

(early adolescence) - something wrong because hurts someone or violates a law

Question 67

post-conventional stage

Answer 67

(later adolescence) - moral judgement from a sense of principles/ ideals

Question 68

Heinz dilemma

Answer 68

dilemma used for Kohlberg's oral reasoning theory - the dilemma is a life-saving drug that's really expensive and he tries to get money from the community but it isn't enough to pay for them so he steals it

Question 69

why is Kohlberg's theory correct?

Answer 69

a study found that people are more likely to cheat if reasoned on the pre-conventional level

Question 70

why is Kohlberg's theory incorrect?

Answer 70

- greater representation of men, women see morality increase with compassion (but based on "test" accounts women as less moral) - not the same for different cultures (ex. in a small Turkish village, knows neighbor so they would reason with pre-conventional stage bc personal, but Kohlberg would say they're less moral)

Question 71

social clock

Answer 71

norms of timing of milestones in adulthood (ex. marriage, retirement, etc.)

Question 72

question of adulthood (Erik Erikson)

Answer 72

finding love vs. engaging in meaningful work

Question 73

struggle for intimacy

Answer 73

want to build close relationship but societal pressures for social clock (marriage, etc.) (Studies): happier after marriage but also because happier people tend to get married, greater well-being of married people when marriage is culturally important in that country

Question 74

struggle to contribute something that will create an impact on future generations

Answer 74

(Studies): people who feel generative report feeling happier seek generativity with meaningful work and/ or having kids (also evolutionary advantage, continue humanity)

Question 75

does parenting really make people happier?

Answer 75

mixed results, depends on how respond to stress - men more likely to be happier with parenting than women because more demands on women - parents are happiest before children and once empty nesters till one of them dies

Question 76

can tech apps/ tools help with memory?

Answer 76

little evidence that it can help with preserving intellectual thinking

Question 77

what question do old people grapple with?

Answer 77

what has my life meant?