Lecture 2 - Theories of Development Flashcards
(56 cards)
What are important debates in developmental psychology?
Nature - Nurture
Activity - Passivity
Continuity - Discontinuity
Universality - Context specificity
What are the opposing views in the nature - nurture debate?
Development is the product of genes, biology OR experience, learning, social influences
What are the opposing views in the activity - passivity debate?
Humans actively shape their own environments and contribute to their own development OR they are passively shaped by forces beyond their control
What are the opposing views in the continuity - discontinuity debate?
Humans change gradually in quantitative ways OR they progress through qualitatively different stages and develop different competencies and characteristics
What are the opposing views in the universality - context specificity debate?
Development is similar from person to person and culture to culture OR pathways of development vary considerably depending on the social context
What supports the Nature side of the debate?
Facial expression of emotions is already present shortly after birth, twin studies
What is the goal of twin studies?
Explore the genetic contribution to differences between humans
What is heritability?
Amount of variation seen in a certain trait within a population that can be attributed to genes, as opposed to environment
When is the heritability coefficient the most important?
During middle adulthood
Explain the critical period.
Maturational period in which the nervous system is especially sensitive to certain environmental stimuli. If the organism does not receive the appropriate stimulus at the right time, it is impossible, to develop certain associated functions later in life.
Explain the sensitive period.
Maturational period in which specific experiences have maximal positive or negative effects: Periods of increased plasticity under the influence of specific condition factors.
In what ways do nature and nurture interact?
Gene - environment interaction, gene - environment correlation, epigenetics
What is the gene - environment interaction?
People with different genes are affected differently by environmental influences
What are the types of gene-environment correlations?
Passive, evocative, active
Explain the passive gene - environment fit.
Parents design partly the life of their children
Parent is social > likely to have sociable child bc exposure
Explain the evocative gene - environment fit.
Own inborn characteristics evoke certain responses from environment
Characteristic of child affect environment and get a response back
Explain the active gene - environment fit.
Individuals actively select a specific environment based on their genetic tendencies
What is the main principle of epigenetics?
Nurture affects nature - environment affects genes
Environment sensitive genes > gene expression can be changed by environmental influences
What is the main idea behind Erikson’s psychosocial development theory?
Personality develops throughout the lifespan and is influenced by culture, society, and history.
How many stages of development are there according to Erikson? What is their purpose?
- At each stage must cope with a crisis/conflict in an adaptive or maladaptive manner
Which are the 8 stages of development and their virtues?
Trust/Mistrust- hope Autonomy / Shame - will Initiative / Guilt - purpose Industry / Inferiority - competency Ego identity / Role confusion - fidelity Intimacy / Isolation - love Generativity / Stagnation - care Ego integrity / Despair - wisdom
What happens if one of Erikson’s developmental stages is dealt with in a maladaptive manner?
The following stages cannot be adequately attended. This leads to a maladaptive individual
According to Erikson what happens when we cope appropriately with a crisis during the stages?
For each successfully dealt with stage, we develop a virtue.
What is development according to the principle of classical conditioning?
Development = learning associations
