unit 1 - human lifespan development Flashcards
1
Q
define ‘growth’
A
an increase in a measurable quality such as weight, height or head circumference
2
Q
define ‘development’
A
a complex change including skills & abilities and capabilities
3
Q
define ‘gross motor skills’
A
involves movements of large muscles such as arms, legs, hand & feet
4
Q
define ‘fine motor skills’
A
this the smaller more refined movements things such as fingers, toes
5
Q
what age is infancy & early childhood?
A
infancy - 0-2
early childhood - 3-8
6
Q
what is the ages for adolescence & early adulthood?
A
adolescence - 9-18
early adulthood - 19-45
7
Q
what is the ages for middle adulthood and later adulthood?
A
middle adulthood - 45-65
later adulthood - 65+
8
Q
what are the physical development for 19-45 years (early adulthood)
A
brain wave patterns are more mature patterns
young adults have reached full height and strength
towards the end of the stage adults may start to lose speed and strength
9
Q
what’s the role of hormones in females & what are these hormones?
A
the two hormones in females are oestrogen & progesterone
the ovaries produce these which are responsible for changes in ovulation & menstruation
10
Q
what is it the main role of hormones in male & what is this hormone called?
A
this hormone is called testosterone
the testes start to produce testosterone which stimulates sperm production
testosterone is also responsible for development of secondary sexual characteristics
11
Q
what’s the role of hormones in sexual maturity?
A
sex hormones are responsible for the changes that occur in puberty
the release of hormones from the pituitary glands controls the onset and rate of puberty (physical changes e.g. hair)
12
Q
name some of the primary sexual characteristics in males
A
penis enlarges
testes begin to produce sperm
the prostate glands produces secretion
13
Q
name some of the secondary sexual characteristics for males?
A
hair growth on armpits
facial hair growth
voice breaks
14
Q
name some primary sexual characteristics in females?
A
oestrogen - maintaining your uterus
ovaries begin to release eggs
the menstrual cycle commences
15
Q
name some secondary sexual characteristics for females?
A
oily skin
wider hips
breast development
hair grows
16
Q
define ‘lactation’
A
the secretion of milk from the mammary gland
17
Q
define prolactin & oxytocin?
A
prolactin stimulates the production of milk
oxytocin stimulates the flow of milk
18
Q
what happens in the perimenopause?
A
the level of oestrogen rises and falls unevenly, your menstrual cycles may lengthen or shorten, and you may begin having menstrual cycles in which your ovaries don’t release an egg (ovulate)
with 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, you’ve reached menopause
19
Q
symptoms of perimenopause?
A
hot flushes and night sweats breast tenderness loss of libido (lower sex drive) fatigue irregular or very heavy periods vaginal dryness, discomfort during sex mood swings trouble sleeping urine leakage when coughing or sneezing urinary urgency (an urgent need to urinate more frequently)
20
Q
state the physical development which happens in middle adulthood?
A
aging speeds up during middle adulthood (ages 40–65) and there is a decline in vision, hearing, and immune-system functioning
round the age of 60, the eyes lose their ability to adjust to objects at varying distances
most people between the ages of 40 and 60 will need some form of corrective lenses for vision deficits
middle-aged adults are also at higher risk than younger adults for certain eye problem, such as glaucoma
21
Q
state the physical development which happens in later adulthood?
A
during late adulthood the skin continues to lose elasticity, reaction time slows further, muscle strength and mobility diminishes, hearing and vision decline, and the immune system weakens
22
Q
when menopause happens there is a decrease of oestrogen, explain what this does to the body?
A
bones break down more easier and the bones are less dense
23
Q
name the five aspects of intellectual development and what they are?
A
language development - essential for organising thoughts & to share ideas
problem solving - a skill which is required to work things out & make prediction of what might happen
memory - it stores, recalls and retrieves information
moral development - informs you how to act towards others and yourself and allows for reasoning and making choices
abstract thoughts & creative thinking - essential for thinking & discussing situations/events that can not be observed
24
Q
intellectual milestones from 3-8
A
age 3 - ask questions, count recognise colours
age 5 - starting to read & write & draw in detail, can talk about past and future
age 8 - can think more deeply, reason, talk about abstract ideas and plans
25
intellectual development in middle adulthood?
can think through problems and make sounds, judgments using life experiences
26
intellectual development for later adulthood?
changes in the brain can cause short term memory decline and slower thought processes and reaction times
27
what is a schema?
a category of knowledge as well as the process of acquiring knowledge
an example of a schema is - Jack has developed a schema for a cow. He knows that a cow is large, has four legs and a tail
when he sees a horse he might initially call it a cow as it fits with his schema of a large animal
once Jack has been told that the horse is a different animal, he will modify his existing schema for a cow and create a new schema for a horse.
28
four processes of schema?
adaptation - the overall process of adjusting behaviours to cope with the environment
assimilation - when a child perceives new objects or events in terms of existing schemas
disequilibrium/Accommodation - when a child tries to interpret something new with an old schema, they often get it wrong and so get confused, this is known as disequilibrium, they are forced to change your old schema/create a new schema to cope with this new information.
Equilibrium - a balance between assimilation and accommodation-being able to respond effectively in a variety of different situations
29
state the two assumptions of the piaget's stage theory?
progress through the stages is in a fixed order
the abilities in each stage have to be achieved in before the child can progress to the next level
30
what is the 0-2 stage called and what is it?
the sensorimotor - where infants know the world through movements and sensations
basic actions so as sucking, grasping, looking and listening
31
what study is used for 0-2 year olds?
piaget (1963) blanket and ball study
piaget tested object permanence by taking a toy from the child and hiding it under a blanket.
before 8 months of age, infants would not reach for the hidden toy
infants over 8 months would search for the toy, showing that they had object permanence
piaget concluded that object permanence develops around 8 months
32
what is the stage for 2-7 year olds?
the pre- operational stage - children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects
tend to be egocentric
33
what is the study used for 2-7 year olds?
three mountains task -
showed 4-12 year-olds a model of 3 mountains, a person was sat on the other side of the model.
from the other side of the model the child had to choose the view that the person would be able to see
children aged 4-5 years chose their own view but by 7-8 years they could choose the correct view
piaget concluded that pre-operational children cannot decentre: they are egocentric
34
what is the 7-11 stage called?
concrete operational
during this stage, children begin to thinking logically about concrete events
they begin to understand the concept of conservation; that the amount of liquid in a short, wide cup is equal to that in a tall, skinny glass
their thinking becomes more logical and organized, but still very concrete
35
what is the study used for 7-11 year olds called?
conservation of number -
by having a tall, long glass filled with water and a small wide glass filled with water the children should be able to realise that they have the same amount in but just different sizes
36
what is the 12-18 stage called?
formal operational
at this stage, the adolescent or young adult begins to think abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems
teens begin to think more about moral, philosophical, ethical, social, and political issues that require theoretical and abstract reasoning
begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general principle to specific information
37
what is the study for 12-18 year olds called?
pendulum task
the method involved a length of string and a set of weights
participants had to consider three factors (variables) the length of the string, the heaviness of the weight and the strength of push
the task was to work out which factor was most important in determining the speed of swing of the pendulum
participants can vary the length of the pendulum string, and vary the weight, they can measure the pendulum speed by counting the number of swings per minute.
to find the correct answer the participant has to grasp the idea of the experimental method - that is to vary one variable at a time (e.g. trying different lengths with the same weight)
piaget concluded that the systematic approach indicated the children were thinking logically, in the abstract, and could see the relationships between things, these are the characteristics of the formal operational stage.
38
state some of the criticisms of piaget?
small number of children in his study
piaget suggest that the age/stages he describes may be more fluid than he thought and that he underestimated and overestimated children’s cognitive abilities
studies show at 5 years old they do understand others feelings and are far less egocentric than Piaget suggested
bruner did not agree with Piaget’s notion of fixed stages and ‘readiness’ to learn. He believes that, with adult support, children can be helped to progress to higher level thinking skills
other research suggests that children take longer than 11 years to become skilled at abstract logical thinking
39
state what Bower and Wishart (1972) experiment is?
Bower and Wishart showed 20 week old babies a toy dangling from a string.
they then turned out the lights and found that all the infants continued to reach for an object in the dark
the finding suggest that Piaget underestimated children’s capabilities because his methods were limited. Their reactions depend on how the object disappears.
40
state what Hughes and Donaldson experiment is (1979)?
hughes showed 3 ½ - 5 year-olds a model with intersecting walls. A boy doll and a policeman doll were positioned in the model and the child had to say if the policeman could see the boy. They then had to hide the boy doll from the policeman doll.
hughes found that 90% of children were successful
the finding suggest that Piaget underestimated children’s capabilities because his methods were limited. Their reactions depend on how the task is presented.
41
state what McGarrigle and Donaldson's experiment is (1974)?
McGarrigle and Donaldson showed children two versions of Piaget’s conservation experiment- one where the row of beads was altered by the researcher and one where the beads were altered by ‘Naughty Teddy’.
results showed that 60% of 6 year-olds could conserve if the rearrangement of the materials (beads) appeared to be accidental (by Naughty Teddy)
The finding suggest that Piaget underestimated children’s capabilities because his methods were limited. Their reactions depend on how the task is presented.
42
state what wood and middeton experiment is (1974)?
Wood and Middleton observed parents helping young children build bricks. The task was too hard for the children to do alone. Parents initially showed their child, then stopped giving direct help but made comments and suggestions.
The amount of help was reduced over time
This study highlights the way that children’s cognitive development can be assisted by adult help- scaffolding.
43
state what chomsky believed in?
Noam Chomsky (1959) believed that the ability to develop a signed or spoken language is genetically programmed into individuals.
44
what is language acquisition device?
Chomsky states that individuals are born with a ’language acquisition device’ (LAD) that enables children to recognise and develop the languages they experience. According to Chomsky’s theory, children are ‘preprogramed’ to acquire language and it evolves naturally in the same way that children have the ability to stand and to walk.
45
state the critics of chomsky?
lack of scientific evidence he puts too much emphasis on grammar didn't take delayed language development children into consideration
46
define attachment?
a strong emotional connection/bond between two people
47
define empathy?
the ability to understand and share other people's feelings
48
what does Bowlby say about children attachments in the first two years of there life?
according to Bowlby if the attachment is not developed within the first two and half years of a child’s life irreversible damage will be caused
49
what are the four different types attachments?
secure
ambivalent
avoidant
disorganised
50
define secure attachment characteristics?
A child will:
Be able to separate from a parent
Prefers parents to strangers
Seek comfort from a parent or caregiver if they are frightened
Become excited when they see their parent/caregiver
51
define ambivalent attachment characteristics?
A child will:
Be wary of strangers
Become very distressed when a parent/caregiver leaves
Do not appear to be comforted in the return of a parent/caregiver
52
define avoidant attachment characteristics?
Children may:
May avoid parents
Don’t really seek comfort from parents of caregivers
Show no real preference between a parent/caregiver or a stranger
53
define disorganised attachment characteristics?
Characteristics change with age.
A child of at age 1.
Mixture of avoidance and resistant behaviours
Can seem confused and apprehensive
A child at 6
May take on a parent role
Some may act as a caregiver towards the parent
54
what's Schaffer and Emerson's sequences of attachment?
Research by Schaffer and Emerson suggests that babies are most likely to form attachments to caregivers who respond effectively to their signals. This is not necessarily the person they spend the most time with. The most important factor in forming attachments, therefore, is not the adult who feeds and changes the baby but the adult who plays and communicates with the baby
55
state reasons for attachment not going smoothly?
Prematurity
Post natal depression
Separation
Foster care/ adoption
Emotional unavailability
Disability
56
what's the process of babies from 1-9 months with Schaffer’s and Emerson’s attachment theory?
1 month they have a strong relationship with initial care giver ( mother)
4 months form closer bonds with mother but accepts care from others
7months shows signs of separation anxiety when parted from mother and will become anxious when cared for by others
9months starts to have firm attachments with others who care for her and will be more confident when her mother is not there
57
what does self-esteem involve?
self esteem involves both self-confidence and self acceptance
58
what should parents do to help young children with there self-esteem?
Parents can help to foster a child’s self esteem by teaching problem-solving skills
Parents can also encourage young children to accept failure as well as success, seeing it as a learning experience and not a negative process
59
characteristics from children with low self-esteem?
depressed
self-critical
pessimistic
easily frustrated
60
self esteem in adolescence?
The physical and emotional changes which occur during puberty and adolescence can present new challenges to young people.
Fitting in with peer groups and gaining acceptance is very important.
61
what can low self-esteem in teens result too?
```
self harm
school refusal
teen pregnancy
bullying
depression
poor school achievement
```
62
self-esteem in adulthood?
Self esteem is not fixed and may fluctuate throughout the life stages.
In adulthood, the factors that impact on self-esteem may change.
Career development and other personal achievements will increase a person’s self-worth while stress and life events that are difficult to cope with can result in lack of confidence and negative self-esteem.
63
four main attributes to self-esteem in all ages?
appearance
gender - women aren't as strong as men
culture - different beliefs/race
sexual orientation
64
what are Ainsworth's attachment types and there meanings?
secure attachment -
a child who is securely attached to its caregiver will explore freely while the caregiver is present, will engage with strangers, will be visibly upset when the caregiver departs, and happy to see the caregiver return
anxious avoidant insecure Attachment -
child will avoid or ignore the caregiver and show little emotion when the caregiver departs or returns
strangers will not be treated very differently from the caregiver. There is not much emotional range displayed regardless of who is in the room or if it is empty.
anxious-Ambivalent Insecure Attachment -
a child that is anxious of exploration and of strangers, even when the caregiver is present.
when the caregiver departs, the child is extremely distressed. The child will be ambivalent when she returns and will seek to remain close to the caregiver, but will be resentful, and also resistant when the caregiver initiates attention
65
what is the connections between Bowlby and Ainsworth?
Ainsworth was Bowlby's student - Ainsworth supported Bowlby's theory (hence the similarity) however felt there could be some change wanted to test them for herself
66
state the four different types of play and the age ranges?
solo Play - 0 – 1 years
solo play - 12 – 18 months
parallel play - 18 months – 2 years
associative play - 3 – 4 years
co-operative play - 4 – 6 years
co-operative play - 6 – 8 years
67
state what solo play is 0-1 years?
looks at adults closely, puts things into mouth and touches things with hands. Plays alone with toys. Gradually begins to play simple games, for example peeka- boo and begins to explore toys alone.
68
state what solo play is 12-18 years?
begins to play and talk alone, repeats actions and starts to play with adults, notices other children.
69
what's parallel play?
begins to enjoy repetitive actions, such as putting objects into and taking them out of boxes. Begins to copy other children and adults. Enjoys playing with adults as well as on own. Learns to complete tasks through trial and error.
70
state what associate play is?
begins to play co-operatively with other children and starts to show reasoning skills by asking questions, ‘why’ and ‘how’. They join in pretend and fantasy games negotiating and taking on roles.
71
state what co-operational play is 4-6years?
begins to use simple rules in games. Plays co-operatively towards a shared goal and takes turns when playing table top games with other children.
72
state what co-operational play is 6-8years?
begins to enjoy playing in small groups, making up own games and rules. Enjoys understanding and using rules, but does not usually cope well with losing.
73
what are piaget's stages of play?
functional play
constructive play
symbolic/fantasy/imaginative play
games with rules
74
what is functional play?
functional play - the use of bodily movements, with or without objects, such as running and jumping, sliding, gathering and dumping, manipulating and stacking objects, and informal games without rules.
75
what is constructive play?
constructive play uses objects—blocks, Legos, or different materials (sand, modelling clay, paint, blocks)—in an organized, goal-oriented way to make something.
76
what is symbolic play?
symbolic/Fantasy/imaginative play is role playing or make-believe play, such as pretending to be a baby, firefighter, superhero, or monster, and make believe actions, such as driving a car by moving a pretend steering wheel, or using a block of wood as a cell phone.
77
what is 'games with rules' play?
games with rules are games with peers that are controlled by pre-established rules, such as tag, Mother-May-I, checkers, Duck-Duck-Goose, and so on.
78
define positive reinforcement?
the behaviour is repeated because of personal satisfaction (intrinsic reinforcement) or rewards (extrinsic reinforcement)
79
define negative reinforcement?
the behaviour is not repeated to avoid any adverse experience such as lack of satisfaction
80
define diathesis?
a predisposition or vulnerability to mental disorder through abnormality of the brain of neurotransmitters.
81
what are the two types of modelling and what are they?
live models – people who are physically present in our environment
symbolic models – people who are present in films, books and cartoons
82
what are the four stages of observational learning?
attention: Child A watches and adult comfort a child.
retention: Child A assimilates and accommodates the information.
motor reproduction: Child A tries to comfort a child.
motivation: If they are praised, they feel successful, adding to levels of self-esteem.
83
what are the strategies associated with the albert bandura?
modelling - where the parent or guardian acts a certain way and the child copies
social skills training
family therapy
84
what is SLT?
Social learning techniques are widely used in education
social learning theory has overcome many of the weaknesses of behaviourist theory, but it does not take account of fact that children's ability/learning is age-related
85
what does SLT studies observe?
social learning studies only observable behaviour, so its methods and theories can be easily replicated and confirmed; observational learning has been demonstrated in a number of animal experiments.
86
if SLT was true how would children react and what evidence is there?
if social learning theory was true, the children's personalities would be constantly changing, depending on who they were copying at the time
there is some evidence that some characteristics, such as gender behaviour and aggression are determined genetically
87
what is the bobo doll experiment?
where children are shown adults being aggressive or non-aggressive towards the bobo doll
the adults were rewarded or reprimanded
it shows that children would copy the aggressive behaviour of another person
the outcome for the adult impacted on the likelihood of children copying the behaviour
88
result of bobo doll experience?
children learned aggressive behaviour through observation
| children were more likely to imitate an adult who was rewarded for aggressive behaviour than one who was reprimanded
89
what is a diathesis?
predisposition for disorder e.g. genetic
90
what are the diathesis factor?
individual psychological characteristics such as hostility or impulsivity; biological characteristics (e.g., cardiovascular reactivity, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal responsivity)
environmental characteristics such as childhood maltreatment or low socioeconomic status. Diathesis factors are generally assumed to be relatively stable but not necessarily permanent.
91
what is the diathesis stress model?
the diathesis-stress predictions outlined in cognitive theory have not received more consistent support in part because multi-factorial research, comprising different levels of analysis, has rarely done justice to the many considerations unique to each level
92
what's Arnold Gesell theory
maturation refers to the changes that follow an orderly sequence and are largely dictated by the genetic blueprint which produces Growth, Development, Maturation, and Evolution commonalities in our growth and development.
Growth is what happens; maturation is how it happens
Although maturation determines the sequence of development, the precise age is not exact.
93
Arnold Gesell theory critiques?
It can show how people change and develop over time as they mature. This allows us to know what to expect from people of different ages and so we will be better able to identify problems in development.
It is useful for teachers as it informs them what methods work best when teaching children of certain age groups.
The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, a contemporary of Gesell, proposed an alternate and opposing view. Piaget believed that a child is Influenced by his environment more than his genetic disposition
Often Gesell is criticised for not taking education into his theory. Similar to the idea of nurture affecting a child's development, education can have a considerable impact.
Because Gesell's model does not bridge the gap between adolescence and adulthood, it cannot be considered to be complete
It almost completely ignores the child's emotional development
94
define predictable events?
these are events that are expected to happen at a particular time
while expected, they may still have an effect on a person’s health and wellbeing
95
define unpredictable events?
these are events that happen unexpectedly and can have serious physical and psychological effects on an individual
96
what is Holmes-Rahe theory?
created a list of life events that could cause someone stress
called the social readjustment rating scale
the list was made into a questionnaire and measures how vulnerable someone is to stress related illness
there were 43 stressful life events on the list
each one had a Life Change Unit depending on how traumatic it was felt by the sample of participants that took part.
if a person had less than 150 life change units they would have a 30% chance of suffering from a stress related illness
150-300 units equates to a 50% chance of suffering from a stress related illness
over 300 then they would have an 80% chance of suffering from a stress
97
what can stress cause and lead to?
individuals to become irritable, fatigued, have headaches, lack of motivation, unable to concentrate
can lead to over/under eating - smoking/drinking too much
98
what can chronic stress lead to?
anxiety attacks, depression and cardiovascular problems
