Unit 1 Flashcards
(30 cards)
- What is a theory in the context of human development?
Answer: A theory is a structured set of statements that describes, explains, and predicts behavior.
- What are the two main reasons why theories are important in understanding human development?
Answer: Theories offer a framework for observing people and guiding our understanding of their behavior. Additionally, research verifies theories, making them a reliable basis for practical actions.
- What are the three fundamental issues addressed by theories of human development?
Answer: The three basic issues are:
● Continuous or discontinuous development: Is development a gradual, cumulative process, or does it occur in distinct stages?
● One course of development or many: Do all individuals follow the same developmental pathway, or are there multiple possible courses influenced by context?
● Relative influence of nature and nurture: To what extent do genetics and environmental factors shape development?
- Explain the difference between continuous and discontinuous development.
Answer: Continuous development suggests that change is gradual, with skills building upon existing ones. In contrast, discontinuous development proposes that development happens in distinct stages, with new ways of thinking and behaving emerging at specific times.
- How do stage theorists view development?
Answer: Stage theorists believe that people universally follow the same sequence of development.
- What is the contemporary perspective on the course of development?
Answer: Modern theorists recognize that development is shaped by complex and multi-layered contexts, including both personal and environmental factors. They emphasize that individuals not only are influenced by their context but also contribute to it.
- Define nature and nurture in the context of development.
Answer: Nature refers to the inherited genetic information from parents, while nurture encompasses the physical and social environment that influences us before and after birth. to influential experiences
- Describe the viewpoints on stability versus plasticity in development.
Answer: Theories emphasizing stability suggest that individuals’ characteristics remain relatively consistent over time, often attributing this stability to early experiences. Conversely, theories advocating for plasticity posit that development remains open to change throughout life in response
- What is the lifespan perspective on human development?
Answer: The lifespan perspective views development as a continuous process from conception to death, shaped by a complex network of biological, psychological, and social influences.
- What are the four key assumptions of the lifespan perspective?
The lifespan perspective assumes that development is:
● Lifelong
● Multidimensional and multidirectional
● Highly plastic
● Affected by multiple, interacting forces
- Explain the concept of lifelong development.
Answer: No single age period holds supreme importance in shaping the life course; each stage offers opportunities for significant change and growth.
- What are the three broad domains of development within each life period?
Answer: The three interacting domains of development are:
● Physical: Changes in body size, proportions, appearance, functioning of body systems, perceptual and motor capacities, and physical health.
● Cognitive: Changes in intellectual abilities, including attention, memory, academic and everyday knowledge, problem solving, imagination, creativity, and language.
● Emotional/Social: Changes in emotional communication, self-understanding, knowledge about other people, interpersonal skills, friendships, intimate relationships, and moral reasoning and behavior.
- How is development multidimensional?
Answer: Development involves changes across biological, psychological, and social dimensions, creating a complex interplay of influences.
- Explain the multidirectional nature of development.
Answer: Development is characterized by both growth and decline. Skills and abilities can advance in some areas while diminishing in others. Also, change can occur within specific domains of development, with different aspects progressing or regressing.
- What does it mean for development to be plastic?
Answer: Plasticity refers to the capacity for change and adaptation throughout life. While this capacity might decrease with age, it remains a possibility.
- What are the three categories of influences on development?
Answer:
● Age-graded influences: Events strongly related to age and predictable in timing, like puberty or menopause.
● History-graded influences: Forces unique to a specific historical era, impacting individuals born around the same time (a cohort), such as wars or economic depressions.
● Nonnormative influences: Irregular events that impact only a few individuals and don’t follow a predictable timetable, like a serious illness or winning the lottery.
- Describe the psychoanalytic perspective on development.
Answer: This perspective views development as discontinuous, occurring in stages. It emphasizes the influence of both nature and nurture, suggesting that innate impulses are shaped by early childhood experiences.
- What is the focus of behaviorism and social learning theory?
Answer: Behaviorism emphasizes continuous development through learning. It focuses on observable behavior and the role of conditioning and modeling. It acknowledges multiple developmental pathways shaped by various environmental influences.
- What is Piaget’s cognitive-developmental theory?
Answer: This theory, focused on discontinuous development, proposes that children progress through distinct stages of cognitive development. It highlights the interplay of nature and nurture, with children’s innate drive for understanding interacting with environmental stimulation.
- Explain Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory.
Answer: This theory views development as both continuous and discontinuous, emphasizing the role of culture and social interaction in shaping cognitive processes. It posits that learning occurs through dialogues with more knowledgeable individuals within a particular cultural context, leading to multiple possible developmental paths.
- Describe Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory.
answer: This theory does not explicitly specify continuous or discontinuous development. It emphasizes the multiple layers of environmental influence on development, including microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, and macrosystems. It highlights the dynamic interaction between individuals and their environments, acknowledging multiple possible courses of development.
- What are common research methods used in human development?
Answer: The source does not provide a comprehensive list but mentions several key methods:
● Longitudinal designs: Researchers repeatedly study the same group of participants over time, observing changes and patterns.
● Cross-sectional designs: Researchers compare groups of individuals of different ages at a single point in time to identify age-related differences.
● Sequential designs: Researchers combine longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches, studying multiple cohorts over time, to examine both age-related changes and cohort effects.
● Experimental designs: Researchers manipulate variables and observe the effects on behavior to establish cause-and-effect relationships.
- What are the key features of the lifespan perspective in the comparison of theories?
Answer: The lifespan perspective encompasses both continuous and discontinuous aspects of development. It acknowledges the influence of multiple interacting forces, leading to diverse developmental pathways. It highlights the impact of both nature and nurture, emphasizing plasticity throughout life.
- What is a longitudinal research design?
Answer: A longitudinal design involves studying the same individuals over an extended period, allowing researchers to track changes and identify developmental patterns within the same group.
