Developmental: Various Topics Flashcards
You will be able to outline the psychological changes across the lifespan, including cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development, as influenced by biological and environmental factors.
What defines the life-span perspective of developmental psychology?
The study of changes in abilities, thoughts, and behaviors that occur as one ages.
Which pervasive debate in developmental psychology deals with the extent to which heredity and the environment each influence behavior?
nature vs. nurture debate
Define:
nature
As part of the nature vs. nurture debate, people who emphasize nature believe that people develop based on unique qualities inherent in their genetic code.
Fill in the blank.
________ is the half of the nature vs. nurture debate that states one’s development is based entirely in the experiences and environment that person has.
Nurture
What is the difference between life-span psychologists and child psychologists?
- Life-span psychologists study human development from infancy to old age, examining changes across the entire life span.
- Child psychologists focus specifically on development and behavior during infancy, childhood, and sometimes adolescence.
What is defined as the typical sequence of developmental changes for a group of people?
normative development
Describe the cross-sectional method.
This method compares groups of people of different ages on similar tasks.
Describe the longitudinal method.
It involves following a small group of people over a long portion of their lives, assessing change at set intervals.
Describe the cohort effect.
When there are differences in the experiences of each age group as a result of growing up in different historical times.
In which study method are cross-sectional groups assessed at least two times over a span of months or years?
cohort-sequential studies
What is maturation?
The biological and genetic processes of growth and development that occur naturally over time, independent of environmental influences.
Maturationists emphasize which of the following?
- Conceptualizing different learning cues and incorporating them into future interactions.
- Genetically programmed growth and development of the body.
- Learning through various social interactions over the lifetime.
Genetically programmed growth and development of the body.
From the maturation perspective of development, what is the benefit of greater preprogrammed physiological development of the brain?
More complex conceptualization and reasoning.
True or false:
Continuous development is gradual.
True
One example of continuous development is social skill building.
Fill in the blank.
One example of stage-oriented, or __________ learning, is experiencing a growth spurt.
discontinuous
Fill in the blank.
The time during which a skill or ability must develop is referred to as the __________.
critical period
What are the two divisions of culture in developmental psychology?
- collectivist
- individualist
Which type of culture promotes personal needs above the needs of the society?
individualist
Western cultures are typically viewed as individualist cultures.
What do collectivist cultures emphasize?
The needs of society, which are placed before the needs of the individual.
Many Asian cultures are considered collectivist cultures.
Fill in the blank.
Stages are patterns of behavior that occur in a __________ __________.
fixed sequence
How do the developmental stages of psychology work?
each stage has a unique set of cognitive structures (or sets of mental abilities) that build on the cognitive structures established in the previous stage such that one cannot skip a step
What are the three realms of development?
- physical
- cognitive
- social
What six reflexes is the neonate equipped with?
- sucking reflex
- palmar reflex
- Babinski reflex
- head-turning (rooting) reflex
- Moro reflex
- orienting reflex
When I put my finger in a neonate’s hand and she grabs it, this exemplifies which reflex?
palmar reflex