Psychology Chapter 10

What is imprinted on an animal's brain at a certain point in its development?

A mother image.

What is a zygote and how many chromosomes does it have?

A zygote is a fertilized egg with 46 chromosomes.

What are several explanations for why people abuse their children?

Child abusers do not know much about children. They often come from violent backgrounds. They may be experiencing financial problems, stress, or alcoholism.

Piaget Cognitive Development: Preoperational Stage (Two to Seven Years)

Children know that things can be permanent. The child is not yet able (pre) to operate effectively on and within the world because he or she is so completely self-involved. Children at this age think that rocks have the same feelings they do, and they have long discussions with them. Language develops at an extremely fast rate during this stage and the child's vocabulary expands.

What conclusions about development can be drawn from Kellogg's chimpanzee studies (Developmental Patterns section)?

Development within a species is orderly and specific with its own timetable and pattern.

What is the difference between dizygotic twins and monozygotic twins?

Dizygotic: develop from two different eggs; have different eggs; have different heredity. Monozygotic: develop from one fertilized egg; have identical heredity.

What determines one's eye color, hair color, adult height, and so on?

Genes, the basic units of heredity, determine everything we are born with.

Why did Genie's speech level not improve beyond that of a child aged four or five?

Genie had missed many critical periods for language and development.

What are growth cycles?

Growth cycles are patterns of development; some areas develop more rapidly than others.

If mothers work outside the home, does this seem to have a negative effect on the children? Why or why not?

If a mom works, this does not seem to have a negative effect-as long as the child still feels loved and cared for. In that case, the attachment to the mother will likely be strong.

What do feral children tell us about critical periods?

If critical periods are bypassed, we will never be able to fully make up for what we have lost.

What is the relationship between imprinting and critical periods?

Imprinting occurs during a critical period. It can only occur during this period, which makes it critical.

What is meant by maturation?

Maturation is the orderly, sequential process of physical and mental development.

Kohlberg Moral Development: Preconventional Level (Younger Than Age Six)

Morality is determined by the sheer power of outside authority. Adults impose their own wills on the children. At these ages, it is impossible for the child to grasp the complexities of right and wrong; instead, the child focuses on whether he or she is being punished or rewarded. If punished, you are bad. If you are not punished, or if you are praised, you must be doing good.

What is the difference between nature and nurture?

Nature refers to heredity; nurture refers to the environment.

If a father is absent from a home, does this seem to have a profound negative effect on the children?

Not really-as long as the child still feels loved and cared for.

What is the difference between a nuclear family and an extended family?

Nuclear: parents and their children. Extended: nuclear family along with relatives.

Can the maturation process be sped up or slowed down?

Patterns of maturation will be the same for all children. The timing of development will vary from child to child, however. The maturation process, in general, cannot be sped up. Without proper stimulation, on the other hand, maturation may slow down.

What are three parenting styles? What effects does each have on children?

Permissive: children do whatever they want; children do not learn about unacceptable behavior and its consequences; children are usually impulsive, irresponsible, and do not have much self-discipline; they lack self-confidence. Dictatorial: parents are tyrants, inflexible; children are not good at making their own decisions; they may be moody and have low self-esteem. Authoritative: parents are authority figures but they are flexible, not dictators; children tend to be self-reliant, confident, and friendly; they take responsibility for their actions.

How do people decide right and wrong in each of Kohlberg's three levels of moral development?

Preconventional: self reasoning is used; person is worried about being punished by authority. Conventional: other's expectations are considered. Postconventional: personal ethics and human rights are considered.

Piaget Cognitive Development: Sensory Stage (Birth to Two Years)

The child spends time on two activities: sensation (sensory) and movement (motor responses; meaning arm, leg, and trunk of the body movements). The baby sees, studies, and grasps a bottle, the milk providing a pleasurable sensation Learning requires the motor response and a connection with sensation.

Kohlberg Moral Development: Conventional Level (Seven to 11 Years)

The expectations of others is the major motivation for doing what is right or wrong. At first, children are seeking the approval of others. But gradually there emerges the idea of social order, or behaving in a certain way because society expects it. In time, the intentions of a person's actions become an important consideration in whether the child judges these actions to be right or wrong.

Piaget Cognitive Development: Concrete Operations Stage (Seven to Ten Years)

The world has become fixed and real (that is, concrete), with separate objects being different and lying outside the child in the world. The idea of reversibility, or seeing things from someone else's viewpoint, is no longer a problem. Children at this stage are still limited, however. While they can see objects as permanent and complete, they have some trouble seeing objects as having more than one dimension at a time.

How are chromosomes in the reproductive cells different than chromosomes in other body cells?

Their are 23 chromosomes in the reproductive cells, 23 pairs (or 46) in other body cells.

What is separation anxiety? Is it normal? Is it universal?

This is when a baby is afraid of being away from his or her parents. This is normal and universal.

Piaget Cognitive Development: Formal Operations Stage (11 Years On)

This stage appears sometime after 11 years of age and can become more elaborate and complex into young adulthood. The term formal operations refers to the ability to deal with highly symbolic thoughts, such as those found in mathematics, logic, and philosophy.