Module 7- Developmental Psychology

Define nature

the genetic and biological disposition of an individual

cephalocaudal development

the pattern of growth in which areas near the head develop earlier than areas farther from the head

embryonic period

the period from two to eight weeks after fertilization, during which the major organs and structures of the organism develop

menopause

12 months without menstruation

formal operational stage

12+. abstract and scientific reasoning

preoperational stage

2-7. understand object permanence. trouble with symbols. can't conserve substances

concrete operational stage

7-11. logical and sequential

What is a crisis, according to Erikson?

A moment of decision

Erik Erickson

A neo-Freudian psychologist that hypothesized that people face pass through 8 social development stages from infancy to old age. Each challenge has an outcome that affects a persons social and personality development.

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

A theory made up of sensorimotor period, preoperational period, concrete operations, and formal operations expressed by Jean Piaget

What is menopause?

A woman going 12 months without menstruation.

Describe the four parenting styles.

Authoritarian parents are strong disciplinarians who do not show much affection to their children. Authoritative parents are also strong disciplinarians, who balance discipline with love. This is thought to be the best parenting style, and research indicates that children from authoritative families tend to show the best outcomes in terms of psychological and school functioning. Permissive parents are quite lax on discipline, but shower their children with affection. While this style may be acceptable for an easy child with few problem behaviors, some kids growing up in permissive families turn out to be aggressive with poor impulse control.Neglectful parents are neither affectionate nor strong on discipline. Neglect is a form of child maltreatment, and neglectful parents fail to monitor their children or provide necessary support.

What are some of the main issues in Erikson's childhood stages?

Autonomy vs. Self Doubt: children recognizing that they are separate from their parents. Initiative vs. Guilt: children understanding that they have the ability to make and create things. Competence vs. Inferiority: children realizing that they can be good at certain things.

milestones

By age 4, children can skip on one foot, use child scissors, and throw a ball. By age 5, children can use a scooter and write basic letters. By age 7, children can tie shoelaces and jump rope. By age 9, children can bat a ball and roll a ball.

How did Jean Piaget come up with his theory of cognitive development?

By observing his children as they grew up as well as other children.

What are the differences between concrete operational thought and formal operational thought?

Concrete Operational thought is logical and sequential. Conservation. Formal Operational thought is even beyond simple logic and includes scientific and abstract reasoning.

What mental task do preoperational children have trouble with?

Conservation. They cannot conserve substances, or they don't understand that the physical properties of substances or subjects do not change if nothing is added or taken away

What are the differences between a cross-sectional and longitudinal study?

Cross-sectional studies examine people at one period of time, while longitudinal studies follow participants over a longer period of time.

What is developmental psychology?

Developmental psychology studies the changes that occur across the human lifespan, whether physical, cognitive, or social development.

What tips are recommended in order to prevent SIDS?

Don't smoke around an infant, don't sleep with an infant, make sure the crib or sleeping area is free of anything that could fall over the infant's face and obstruct breathing, lie the baby on her back to sleep

Describe the sensorimotor stage

From birth to age 2, according to Piaget. In this stage, infants learn about the world by interacting with it—by touching and tasting. Infants must physically interact with something in order to think about it. Infants in this stage do not understand object permanence.

Which hormone is produced by the hypothalamus and triggers the release of gonadotropins?

GnRH

What is your reaction to the results from the Seattle Longitudinal Study? Be specific.

I am not surprised that the middle-aged adults outperformed their younger selves. We learn every day and with age comes knowledge and experience.

What is the basic crisis in adolescence?

Identity crisis. identity vs role confusion

Describe the Trust vs. Mistrust stage.

If infants have loving caregivers who supply safety and security for the infant, the baby will develop a sense of trust in them. If, however, the infant's life is chaotic and lacks reliable caregivers, the infant may develop a mistrustful outlook toward people.

Compare the crises in early adulthood, middle age, and late adulthood.

Intimacy vs. Isolation (early adulthood): will the adult be intimate with people or will he or she be lonely and cut off from others. Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle age): will the adult leave a legacy, or will he and she be self-indulged and selfish. Ego Integrity vs. Despair (late adulthood): will the adult be satisfied with the life that he or she led, or will the adult become bitter and full of despair.

Discuss the lifespan approach to human development.

In the past, developmental psychologists only focused on change in childhood. The Lifespan approach to human development recognizes that very important changes occur in adulthood as well. The Lifespan approach to development emphasizes human change from conception to death. Each period of life is considered to be important.

insecure attachment

Infants are wary of exploring the environment and resist or avoid the mother when she attempts to offer comfort or consolation

Give an overview of Kohlberg's theory of moral development.

Kohlberg classified individuals into various stages: preconventional, conventional, post-conventional. The pre-conventional stage view morality as externally controlled; the conventional stage considers the social ramifications of moral laws; the post-conventional stage sees universal laws as being morally binding

What is overregularization?

Over-applying a grammar rule.

Proximodistal development

Pattern of development that occurs from the body core to the extremities. from the trunk to the limbs

critical periods

Periods in the developmental sequence during which an organism must experience certain kinds of social or sensory experiences in order for normal development to take place

language acquisition device (LAD)

Structure in the brain innately programmed with some of the fundamental rules of grammar

Define nurture

The environmental influences on individuals, such as friends, family and culture.

Seattle longitudinal study

The first cross-sequential study of adult intelligence. This study began in 1956; the most recent testing was conducted in 2005. middle aged adults outperformed younger selves.

germinal period

The first two weeks of prenatal development after conception, zygote is created and attaches to uterine wall

What is object permanence?

The idea that objects still exist even if you can't see them.

What factors influence whether or not a teratogen will have an effect?

The mother's health, the amount of the teratogen, and the timing of the teratogen. Organs that are in the process of forming are at the greatest risk of a teratogen.

Stages of Erik Erikson

Trust vs mistrust (infants) Autonomy vs self doubt (toddlers) initiative vs guilt (children) Competence vs inferiority (pre-adolescents) Identity vs role confusion (adolescence) Intimacy vs isolation (early adulthood) Generativity vs stagnation (middle age) Ego integrity vs despair (late adulthood)

strange situation

a behavioral test developed by Mary Ainsworth that is used to determine a child's attachment style

GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone)

a hormone secreted by the hypothalamus that regulates the pituitary's secretion of gonad-stimulating hormones.

secure attachment

a relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver

accommodation

adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

teratogen

any factor that can cause a birth defect. drugs, maternal illnesses, X-rays, maternal stress, maternal malnutrition

preoperational stage

birth to 2 yrs old.learn about the world by interacting

prenatal development

development in utero

multidirectional development

development involving improvement and decline, sometimes at the same time

separation anxiety

emotional distress seen in many infants when they are separated from people with whom they have formed an attachment

lifespan

emphasizes human change across the lifespan, from conception to death

Perimeopause

estrogen fluctuations, hot flashes etc

longitudinal studies

examine people over time

Nature vs nurture

extent to which human biology influences thought and behavior and the extent to which environmental influences influence behavior

mylinated

fatty sheath covering neurons to speed up the conduction of messages

prenatal development periods

germinal embryonic fetal

What is maturation?

has to do with something becoming more developed and more advanced.

puberty

hypothalamus sends GnRH to pituitary. pituitary releases FSH and LH blodstream has an increased production of sex hormones

Assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas. change new info to fit what you already know

crisis

moment of decision

gross motor skills

motor skills that involve large-muscle activities, such as walking

fine motor skills

physical abilities involving small body movements, especially of the hands and fingers, such as drawing and picking up a coin

growth

physical changes. physical process of development growing taller in observable ways- growth spurt

types of changes across the lifespan

physical, cognitive and social

maturation

physical, emotional or cognitive. something becoming more developed and advanced

Kohlberg's stages of moral development

preconventional, conventional, postconventional

aging

process of growing older

Development

refers to the organism's progressive change

socioemotional development

social and emotional development

overproduction

synaptic connections that are used get stronger and the ones that are not used prune away (pruning)

cross sectional research design

take a cross section or group of people at one period of time

object permanence

the understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of view

fetal period

two months after conception until birth. major growth and development

prenatal diagnostic tests

ultrasound, amniocentesis, chorionic villus

Name 3 examples of gross motor skills.

walking, running, jogging. playing a sport