Developmental Psychology

Question 1

Define nature and nurture.

Answer 1

Nature – sets out their course via gender, genetics, temperament and maturational stages Nurture – shapes this predetermined course via the environment, parenting, stimulation and nutrition

Question 2

Define temperament.

Answer 2

Innate aspects of an individual’s personality, such as introversion/extroversion

Question 3

What is reciprocal socialisation?

Answer 3

Socialisation is bidirectional, children socialise parents as much as parents socialise children

Question 4

What are the four types of attachment?

Answer 4

Secure attachment = the baby freely explores the room and shows happiness on mother’s return
Insecure attachment– little exploration and little emotional response to mother

Avoidant insecure = Little exploration and little emotional response to mother
Resistant-insecure = Little exploration, great separation anxiety and ambivalent response to mother upon her return
Disorganised-insecure = Little exploration and confused response to mother

Question 5

How is attachment assessed?

Answer 5

Ainsworth’s strange situation test - it tests how babies and young children respond to the temporary absence of their mother It is interested in two things:  How much the child explores the room on their own  How the child responds to the return of the mothe

Question 6

What are the stages of Piaget’s model of cognitive development?

Answer 6

• Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years)
  
  • Infants understand the world primarily through sensory experiences and physical (motor) interactions with objects
• Preoperational stage (2-7 years)
  
  • World is represented symbolically through words and mental images
  • There is no understanding of basic mental operations or rules
• Concrete operational stage (7-12 years)
  
  • Children can perform basic mental operations concerning problems that involve tangible (concrete) objects and situations
• Formal operational stage (12 years onwards)
  
  • Abstract thought emerges, think more about moral philosophical, ethical issues. Use deductive logic/reasoning.

Question 7

What is attachment?

Answer 7

Attachment is a theory defined by Bowlby which describes a biological instinct that seeks proximity to an attachment figure (carer) when threat is perceived or discomfort is experienced. The sense of safety the child experiences provides a secure base from which they can explore their environment thus promoting development through learning whilst being protected in the environment.

Question 8

What is Piaget’s thoery of cognition?

Answer 8

Proposed that children’s thinking changes qualitatively with age This is the result of an interaction of the brain’s biological maturation and personal experiences Development occurs as we acquire new schemas and as our existing schemas become more complex