What is Developmental Psychology?

Question 1

What is the lifespan perspective of development?

Answer 1

The scientific study of how and why human beings change over the course of their lives.

Question 2

What are the two types of systematic observation?

Answer 2

Naturalistic
Structured/lab-based

Question 3

What is a naturalistic observation?

Answer 3

A qualitative research method where you record the behaviours in real-world settings.

Question 4

What is a structured/lab-based observation?

Answer 4

Observing the behaviours of subjects that are in a controlled environment.
E.g. Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

Question 5

Examples of self-report observations.

Answer 5

Binet-Simon test, structured interview, questionnaire, clinical interview.

Question 6

What is the Binet-Simon test?

Answer 6

Assesses a person’s cognitive abilities and mental capacities (memory, reasoning, problem-solving and perception).

Question 7

How is information collected in a case study?

Answer 7

Conducting interviews, observations and test scores (to produce a picture of psychological functioning).

Question 8

What is a correlational research design?

Answer 8

Examines the relationship between variable X and Y.

Question 9

What is an experimental research design?

Answer 9

Directly manipulates the independent variable and examines its effect on the dependent variable.

Question 10

What is a longitudinal design?

Answer 10

Studies the same group over a period of time/ages.

Question 11

What is a cross-sectional design?

Answer 11

Studies different age groups at the same time.

Question 12

What is a sequential design?

Answer 12

Studies different age groups over a period of time.

Question 13

What is the cohort effect?
Include an example.

Answer 13

People of a given generation are affected by factors unique to their generation.
E.g. would be shown when measuring the IQ of children born in the 1950s versus those born in the 1960s.

Question 14

What is the micro genetic approach?

Answer 14

Examining change as it occurs - attempting to identify and explain its underlying mechanisms.

Question 15

What is Piaget’s theory of cognitive development? Briefly, include the names of the stages.

Answer 15

A theory that explains how a child constructs a mental model of the world.
Sensorimotor stage, pre-operational stage, concrete operational stage and formal operational stage.