intro to developmental psych

Question 1

area of psychology that studies growth and change throughout the lifespan

Answer 1

developmental psychology

Question 2

why do we study development?

Answer 2

• understand growth over time
• apply to other areas: parenting, education, health care
• to know the norm

Question 3

what is nature in psychology?

Answer 3

belief that development is due to heredity and maturation

Question 4

what is nurture in psychology?

Answer 4

belief that development is due to experience and the environment

Question 5

Arnold Gesell

Answer 5

• proponent of nature approach
• developed norms of motor development which are still used today

Question 6

John Watson

Answer 6

• father of behaviorism
• did Little Albert experiment

Question 7

behaviorism

Answer 7

the psychological theory that all behavior is learned

Question 8

Little Albert experiment

Answer 8

an experiment performed by John Watson, focused on fear and classical conditioning using a child
- used neural stimuli

Question 9

Nature AND Nurture

Answer 9

this is an interaction approach, now considered the most accepted view since the 1960s

Question 10

Jean Piaget

Answer 10

• father of developmental psychology
• Swiss man
• supported interaction of nature v nurture

Question 11

Piaget’s contribution to developmental psychology

Answer 11

• the theory of how we learn
• stages of cognitive development
• applications of theories in psych and education

Question 12

Piaget’s theory of how we learn

Answer 12

• humans are active learners
• learn through actions and exploration
• hands on/experiential learning

Question 13

What do the stages of cognitive development provide?

Answer 13

a framework to understand how individuals think

Question 14

are the stages of cognitive development universal?

Answer 14

yes

Question 15

Stages of Cognitive Development

Answer 15

• Sensorimotor
• Preoperational
• concrete
• formal operation

Question 16

Sensorimotor stage

Answer 16

• infancy
• thought is non-symbolic
• object permanence

Question 17

Preoperational stage

Answer 17

• early childhood
• thought is symbolic, but illogical

Question 18

Concrete stage

Answer 18

• middle childhood
• thought is logical, but concrete

Question 19

Formal Operations stage

Answer 19

• adolescence to adults
• thought is abstract

Question 20

B.F Skinner

Answer 20

• supported the nurture approach
• developed the Theory of Reinforcement
• his theories are applied in psych and education

Question 21

Theory of Reinforcement

Answer 21

we repeat behaviors that are awarded and fail to repeat those that are punished
- positive and negative reinforcement

Question 22

Sigmund Freud

Answer 22

• expanded the field of psych to include personality, abnormal behavior, and therapy
• based his theory of personality on case studies of patients with emotional disorders
• supported interaction approach
• highly controversial. Oedipus Complex, highly sexualized view of children

Question 23

Freud’s contributions to developmental psych

Answer 23

• emphasized the importance of infancy and early childhood on emotional development
• first to propose that emotional development is due to the interaction of child and parent
• his stages of psychosexual development provide a framework for understanding personality/emotional development

Question 24

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Personality Development

Answer 24

• oral
• anal
• phallic
• latency
• genital

Question 25

Oral Stage

Answer 25

infancy, 1st year - trust and security developed

Question 26

Anal Stage

Answer 26

Infancy, 2nd year - independence stage

Question 27

Phallic Stage

Answer 27

early childhood - concepts of gender roles developed

Question 28

Latency Stage

Answer 28

middle childhood - learning about the world

Question 29

Genital Stage

Answer 29

adolescence/adult - personal relationships

Question 30

Erik Erikson

Answer 30

- Swiss psychologist - student of Freud - supported the interaction approach

Question 31

Erikson's contributions to developmental psych

Answer 31

- First to propose a lifespan theory of personality development - expanded focus to include influence of social and cultural factors on personality development - his stages of psychosocial development provide framework for understanding personality/emotional development

Question 32

Lifespan theory of personality development

Answer 32

- suggests that adults mature as age progresses - 3 stages: early adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood

Question 33

Erikson's stages of personality development

Answer 33

- 8 stages (from infancy to late adulthood) - conflict to be resolved at each stage --> positive resolution makes it easier to resolve the next stage

Question 34

cross sectional design

Answer 34

- groups of subjects of different ages are studied or assessed once

Question 35

advantages of cross sectional study

Answer 35

- studies growth and change - takes less time - less problem with subjects dropping out

Question 36

limitations to cross sectional study

Answer 36

- cannot measure stability of traits or behavior - cohort effects (other factors that cannot be controlled)

Question 37

longitudinal design

Answer 37

a group of subjects is studied or assessed more than once over time

Question 38

advantages of longitudinal study

Answer 38

- can study change and stability of traits and behaviors - controls for cohort effects

Question 39

limitations of longitudinal study

Answer 39

- subjects may drop out - takes more time

Question 40

free card!

Answer 40

free card!