Developmental Psychology Flashcards
(48 cards)
continuity model
Development takes place through slow and steady change.
discontinuity model
When development is characterized by rapid and sudden change.
maturation definition
Biological growth process that enables orderly changes in behavior. Basically unfolding of the genetic blueprint
reflexes
sucking, rooting (touching the cheek and the head turns), startle (limbs go up in the air)
Longitudinal Design
A study that compares the same individuals at periodic intervals over an extended period of time. Accurate but expensive and high drop out rates
Temperament
A human’s way of consistently responding emotionally and behaviorally to environment; seems to be inborn
Thomas and Chess study
reviewed the temperament of group of humans from childhood to adulthood and determined that temperament is fairly stable as age
cross-sectional study
Researchers compare groups of participants of different ages at the same period of time.
Ex: compare memories of 6 yr olds, 20 yr olds and 40 yr olds.
less expensive and low drop out rates but less accurate
cohort effect
flaw with the cross-sectional study; occurs when commonly aged group of people in research that affects results due to their common age-related influences
attachment
Close emotional bond that occurs between infant & caregivers.
Imprinting
formation of a strong bond of attachment to the first moving object seen after birth
lorenz’s goose experiment
Newborn geese first set eyes on Lorenz & follow him all around. They ignore own mothers.
harlow’s attachment study
infant monkeys are placed in a cage with two types of surrogate or substitute mothers (wire or soft), they go to the soft mother when they are scared even though the soft mother has no food and the wire one does
what did harlow prove
bonding is not just about primary reinforcements or else they would run to nourishing, wire mother. Emotional bond provided by attachment is crucial to our development
ainsworth’s study
“Strange Situation” study. A mother leaves child unattended and a stranger comes in. The child responds to the stranger in 3 different attachment styles
ainsworth’s attachment styles
secure, anxious-ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized
what is the best attachment style
secure attachment; A positive correlation between secure attachment style and future success. Attachment style when young usually follows you as age. So if secure attachment when young, you will develop secure relationship and better social development
assimilation
When child is exposed to something new in environment. If new concepts fit into an existing schema it’s called assimilation
accommodation
When new information & experiences cause you to change existing schema
object permanence
When children learn at the end of the sensorimotor stage that an object still exists when it’s out of sight.
pre-operational stage
The development of symbolic thought paves the way for language, 2-6 yrs
Egocentric Thought
inability to see situation from another person’s point of view
laws of conservation
Changing an objects form or shape doesn’t change the amount of the substance. Don’t understand until in concrete operational stage
Formal Operational Stage
can start to think about abstract things (algebra, metaphors etc), 12 yrs+
