developmental psychology

Question 1

developmental psychology

Answer 1

science of human development seeks to understand how and why people (all kinds), everywhere change and remain the same over time

Question 2

3 types of developmental psychology

Answer 2

1. Physical (including neural)
   2. Cognitive (including intellectual: how we think and process the world)
      Refers to mental activities associated with thinking, knowing , remembering and communicating
   3. Social (including emotional)

All interdependent domains (changes in one are likely to cause change in others)

Question 3

nature and nurture

Answer 3

the extent to which development is influenced by nature and\or nurture
Epigenetics: environment in the womb you are exposed to will affect and influence who you become later in life
* Nature contributes strongly to some characteristics like physical size and appearance
* Complex traits are influenced by environmental factors as well as genes (intelligence and personality)
- Heredity creates predispositions and environment influence how they develop

Question 4

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory defenition

Answer 4

Relationships between an individual and their environment are bi-directional

Question 5

Bronfenbrenner’s different systems

Answer 5

• Microsystem: most immediate surrounding (family, friends, teachers)
  
  • Mesosystem: reflects relations between microsystems (connection between home and workplace)
  • Exosystem: comprises social settings that affect the individual without them playing an active role (workplace policies)
  • Macrosystem: operates at the outer level of the ecology (laws, cultural values)
    Chronosystem: changes that occur over time

Question 6

critical period

Answer 6

Critical period: suggests that the brain is set to acquire a function during a limited period of time
If KEY experiences don’t occur during the critical period, function may not develop or may not be fully developed
Example: babies learning how to eat food, start on liquids and then move to proper food

Question 8

maturation

Answer 8

biologically based changes that follow an orderly sequence

Question 9

stability and change

Answer 9

Change: acquisition or the loss of a behaviour or function

Question 10

continuous change

Answer 10

refers to gradual alteration of behaviour

Question 11

discontinuous change

Answer 11

refers to stages of growth that are qualitatively different and that are usually ordered in a fixed sequence

Question 12

continuity and discontinuity

Answer 12

Strong consistencies over time in:
* Intelligence
* Personality
* Social skills

Because of
* Effects of biological characteristics
* Individuals shaping their environment and experiences
* Cumulative effects of positive or negative experiences

Question 13

normative events

Answer 13

age related - those that people experience at certain ages

Question 14

non-normative events

Answer 14

atypical or unexpected events
* Exposure to disaster
* Loss of a parent
* Violence at home
That potentially alters a person’s developmental trajectory

Question 15

quantitative trajectorie

Answer 15

Individuals with a developmental delay or intellectual Disability usually go through same stages of development, but at a slower pace

Question 16

qualitative

Answer 16

Individuals with a developmental delay or intellectual Disability usually go through same stages of development, but at a slower pace

Question 17

cross sectional research

Answer 17

different participants of various ages are compared at one point in time to determine age related differences

Question 18

longitudinal research

Answer 18

the same participants are studied at various ages to determine age related changes

Question 19

sequential designs

Answer 19

Examine different ages groups at multiple time points (reduce cohort effects
Combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs

Question 20

piagets theory

Answer 20

childrens thinking changes qualitatively with age

Question 21

sensorimotor stage

Answer 21

birth to nearly 2 years
experiencing the world through senses and actions (looking, touching, mouthing

• object permanence
  -stranger anxiety

Question 22

preoperational stage

Answer 22

around 2 to 6 years
representing things with words and images but lacking logical reasoning

-pretend play
- egocentrism
- language development

Question 23

concrete operational

Answer 23

about 7 to 11 years
thinking logically about concrete events
grasping concrete analogies and performing arithmetical operations

-conservation
-mathematical transformations

Question 24

formal operational

Answer 24

about 12 through adulthood
abstract reasoning

• abstract logic
• potential for moral reasoning

Question 25

egocentrism

Answer 25

* Inability to take another’s point of view * Inability to assume the role of another person * Inability to recognise others have viewpoints too

Question 26

conservation

Answer 26

the ability to recognise that a given quantity, weight or volume remains the same despite changes to shape, length or position

Question 27

schemas

Answer 27

organised patterns of thoughts and action, we acquire new schemas and existing schemas become more complex

Question 28

assimilation

Answer 28

process by which new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas

Question 29

accomodation

Answer 29

process by which new experiences cause existing schemas to change

Question 30

disequilibrium

Answer 30

an imbalance between existing schemas and new experiences

Question 31

constructivism

Answer 31

Through engaging with the world and things in it, children come to construct schemas, or mental representations, that help us understand how the world works

Question 32

vygotsky

Answer 32

importance of social interaction in development Importance of learning from contact with others "scripts" for activities in the world