W1 Lecture

Question 1

Why do many people have limited understanding of early socio-cognitive abilities?

Answer 1

Society is structured so that most people rarely interact with young children, and even less with babies.

Question 2

Why is studying infants more challenging than studying adults?

Answer 2

Unlike adults, infants cannot be directly questioned, requiring alternative research methods.

Question 3

What advantage do we have when studying development despite these challenges?

Answer 3

There is a wealth of knowledge available on how development unfolds over time.

Question 4

Who defined and what is the definition of developmental change?

Answer 4

Kamirloff-Smith (2013) suggests Developmental change is the process of change that occurs in human beings throughout development.

Question 5

What are the three key aims of developmental science?

Answer 5

1. Descriptive goal: What develops and when?; 2. Explanatory goal: How does developmental change occur?; 3. Predictive goal: What are the outcomes of development?

Question 6

How is brain development more than just growth in size?

Answer 6

It involves multiple processes such as changes in folding, synaptic connections, and neuron myelination.

Question 7

What is an example of developmental change in the brain related to growth?

Answer 7

Brain Growth – This refers to the overall increase in brain size and head circumference.

Question 8

What does the folding of the brain indicate in developmental change?

Answer 8

Cachia et al. (2022) suggests the number of folds in the brain increases with development, contributing to greater complexity.

Question 9

What is synaptogenesis in brain development?

Answer 9

Synaptogenesis – The formation of new synapses, which is prominent up to 10 months of age.

Question 10

What is synaptic pruning, and when does it occur?

Answer 10

Huttenlocher (1990) suggests Synaptic Pruning is The elimination of unused synapses. It peaks around 8 months, then decreases with a sharp decline in childhood and continues to decrease in old age.

Question 11

When do synapses increase significantly during development?

Answer 11

Keil (2014) found Synapse formation increases significantly from around 6 months to 1 year.

Question 12

What happens to neuron structure and myelination during development?

Answer 12

Keil (2014) found Neurons undergo structural changes, with newborn neurons being simpler and lacking the myelin sheath. Myelination increases during development, which enhances neuron signal and transmission speed.

Question 13

How does myelination change in the brain over time?

Answer 13

Kulikova et al. (2016) found Myelination increases through development. In adult brains, high myelination areas are represented in red, indicating fast processing, while newborn brains have lower myelination that increases rapidly in the first year of life.

Question 14

What are the three key reasons for studying development?

Answer 14

1. Understanding the mature form of an organism.; 2. Gaining insight into children’s capabilities.; 3. Informing social policy based on developmental knowledge.

Question 15

How does studying prenatal development help explain adult traits?

Answer 15

Example: The formation of zebra stripes can only be understood by examining their development before birth.

Question 16

What was Jean Piaget’s main contribution to developmental psychology?

Answer 16

He viewed children as “little scientists” who actively construct knowledge through exploration.

Question 17

How did Piaget become interested in children’s thinking?

Answer 17

He worked with Binet on standardized intelligence testing and studied common mistakes children made.

Question 18

What type of developmental change did Piaget emphasize?

Answer 18

Qualitative stages of development, where children’s thinking undergoes fundamental shifts.

Question 19

What is a key limitation of Piaget’s theory?

Answer 19

Some of his claims were later found to be inaccurate, though his work remains highly influential.

Question 20

What is empiricism?

Answer 20

The belief that knowledge comes from experience, supported by philosophers like John Locke and David Hume.

Question 21

What is the intuitive view of empiricism regarding newborns?

Answer 21

Newborns start with no knowledge and learn entirely through experience.

Question 22

What is the modern empiricist view?

Answer 22

Learning occurs through an all-purpose learning system that links together frequently co-occurring information.

Question 23

What is nativism?

Answer 23

The belief that some cognitive abilities are innate, influenced by philosophers like Descartes and Leibniz.

Question 24

What is an intuitive argument for nativism?

Answer 24

Just as different dog breeds have distinct abilities, humans show differences in talent that may be inborn.

Question 25

What is the modern view for nativism?

Answer 25

Some cognitive abilities are innate, supported by specialized learning mechanisms e.g., number discrimination at birth.

Question 26

What research supports nativism?

Answer 26

Izard et al. (2009) found that newborns can discriminate between different numbers, suggesting an innate numerical sense.

Question 27

What do cross-species comparisons provide in understanding developmental challenges?

Answer 27

Cross-species comparisons offer insights into shared developmental challenges and traits shaped by natural selection.

Question 28

Who are the key figures behind the background of comparative and evolutionary perspectives?

Answer 28

Darwin and Lorenz are foundational figures in the field of evolutionary perspectives and comparative development.

Question 29

What does number discrimination across species suggest about evolutionary development?

Answer 29

Number discrimination across species points to the evolutionary roots of numerical abilities, suggesting that these abilities have evolved across different species.

Question 30

What is the focus of the Comparative Approach in understanding evolutionary development?

Answer 30

The Comparative Approach suggested by Amemiya et al. (2013) highlights evolutionary relationships among vertebrates through a phylogenetic tree, categorizing organisms into tetrapods, lobe-finned fish, ray-finned fish, and cartilaginous fish, illustrating evolutionary divergence.

Question 31

What does the Evolutionary Perspective reveal about human evolution?

Answer 31

The Evolutionary Perspective suggested by Pääbo (2013) illustrates how humans share common ancestors with great apes, such as orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees. It shows key divergence points, including the human-chimpanzee split (4-6 million years ago) and earlier hominin divergence (6-8 million years ago).

Question 32

What are the shared developmental challenges across different species?

Answer 32

Different organisms face similar developmental challenges, such as coordinating visual and motor skills, which suggests common developmental processes across species.

Question 33

How do natural selection and trait emergence relate to evolutionary development?

Answer 33

Traits, such as body structures and behaviors, evolve through natural selection, shaped by environmental pressures and survival challenges.

Question 34

What are the key divergence points in human evolution?

Answer 34

4–6 million years ago: Humans split from chimpanzees.; 12–16 million years ago: More distant primate divergences occurred.

Question 35

Why do researchers use evolutionary trees?

Answer 35

To emphasize shared ancestry and genetic relationships across species.

Question 36

What is the focus of cross-cultural research in development?

Answer 36

Understanding which aspects of development are universal and which are culturally influenced.

Question 37

What are some key cross-cultural findings?

Answer 37

1. Visual depth perception is universal.; 2. Language development follows similar patterns across cultures.; 3. Religious beliefs are shaped by culture.

Question 38

What does neuroscience contribute to developmental psychology?

Answer 38

It investigates how brain changes drive psychological development.

Question 39

What are two key methods used in neuroscience research?

Answer 39

1. Electroencephalography (EEG) – Measures brain activity.; 2. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) – Examines oxygen levels in the brain.

Question 40

What is a longitudinal study?

Answer 40

A research method that tracks the same individuals over time.

Question 41

What are advantages of the longitudinal approach?

Answer 41

1. Identifies long-term patterns.; 2. Helps establish causality.

Question 42

What are disadvantages of longitudinal studies?

Answer 42

1. Time-consuming.; 2. Risk of participant dropout.; 3. Practice effects may influence results.

Question 43

What is a cross-sectional study?

Answer 43

A study that examines different age groups at a single point in time.

Question 44

What are advantages of the cross-sectional approach?

Answer 44

1. Quick and efficient.; 2. Reveals age-related patterns.

Question 45

What are disadvantages of cross-sectional studies?

Answer 45

1. Cannot determine causes of developmental change.; 2. Cohort effects may influence results.

Question 46

What is a sequential study?

Answer 46

A combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional methods that tracks multiple cohorts over time.

Question 47

What is the main advantage of the sequential approach?

Answer 47

It reduces cohort effects by comparing different generations over time.