Psychology - development

Name 2 parts of a neuron.

Any 2 from:

Axon

Cell body

Nucleus

Axon terminal

An unborn baby’s brain areas have developed by halfway through pregnancy. True or false?

True.

Define plasticity. [2]

The ability of the brain to respond to circumstances and modify its neural structure [1]. Even after childhood/ adolescent brain development processes are complete [1].

What’s the difference between the brain stem and a stem cell?

The brain stem is a region of the brain, responsible for autonomic functions whereas a stem cell is an individual cell that develops in early pregnancy and can later turn into a neuron.

Which side of the nature vs nurture debate states that genes play more of an important role in human development than the environment?

Nature.

Name a type of research study that can be done to help provide evidence about the role of genes in development.

A twin study.

True or false? Identical twins tend to be more similar in intelligence then non-identical twins.

True.

True or false? If one identical twin has a mental illness, then the other twin will definatly get it too.

False.

True or false? If a gene is expressed, this means that it causes a protein to be produced, affecting development.

True.

True or false? Cases where twins are raised by different families are rare and difficult to study.

True.

Explain the nurture side of the nature vs nurture. [4]

Nurture side puts more emphasis on parenting/ upbringing and life experiences rather than genetics when explaining personality, intelligence, mental health, etc [1]. Answer should include the role of parents/ environment/ social background (rather than genetics) e.g. in educational success [1]. Study of epigenetics suggests that life experiences can impact on gene expression, so the two are linked [1]. Could also mention the importance of an enriched rather than deprived environment, or the role of culture in behaviour [1].

What term means children can’t picture the world from another person’s point of view?

Egocentrism/ egocentric.

Explain the features of the concrete operational stage of development. [3]

The child starts to make logical operations [1], is less egocentric [1], and no longer shows centration/ can conserve volume in the ‘tall glass’ task [1].

What terms are sometimes used for learners who prefer to process new information verbally or visually?

Verbalisers and visulisers.

State one thing that can affect self-efficacy.

Any one from:

Praise

Success and failure

Feedback and messages from parents and teachers

Does Willingham think it is important to learn facts? Why, or why not?

Yes. Because learning facts provides essential schema knowledge to which new learning can be connected.

For what type of functions is the brain stem responsible? Give an example.

Autonomic functions. E.g. breathing, heartbeat.

Label areas 2, 3 and 4.

2) Cell body with nucleus

3) Axon, which can send a message elsewhere in the body

4) Axon terminal, which can release neurotransmitters

True neurons begin to form on day 42 of a pregnancy. Why is it unlikely that the unborn child can think and remember before this point?

Because without neurons, the brain has not yet developed the structures that are required for sensory processing (thalamus and visual cortex), thinking, memory (cerebral cortex), etc.

The visual cortex is part of the cerebral cortex. Which part of the brain acts as a replay between the sense and the visual cortex?

The thalamus.

How many neurons are there in the human brain?

A) Fewer than 1 billion

B) Between 1-20 billion

C) Between 20-80 billion

D) Over 80 billion

D) Over 80 billion

Which area of the brain controls precise physical movement and helps to coordinate actions?

A) The cerebral cortex

B) The cerebellum

C) The brain stem

D) The thalamus

B) The cerebellum

Explain how a child’s brain develops after birth. Include the role of the environment. [4]

The child’s brain continues to develop through to adolescence and beyond [1] and this occurs mainly through the strengthening of connections and pruning of unnecessary ones [1]. It is important to have a stimulating environment that challenges the child and allows for creative play [1]. A deprived environment can set back brain development and take years to recover from, or even have permanent effects [1].

Which of the following explanations of personaility development is not associated with the nurture side of the debate?

A) Parenting

B) Education

C) Life experiences

D) Genetics

D) Genetics

Which of the following is not associated with biological development?

A) DNA

B) Education

C) Genes

D) Epigenetics

B) Education

Which side of the nature vs nurture debate states that intelligence is largely innate?

The nature side.

Describe how genes and the environment interact during development. [2]

Genes do not have a direct effect on development but instead are modified by life experience [1]. If a certain environmental condition is present then the gene will be expressed - if not, then it won’t be [1].

What process means linking new information to an existing schema?

Assimilation.

What is the name for the forth stage of Piaget’s theory?

The formal operarional stage.

What is the name of the developmental stage where the child focuses on interacting with physical objects?

A) Sensorimotor

B) Pre-operational

C) Concrete operational

D) Formal operational

A) Sensorimotor

What is the name of the developmental stage where the child becomes less egocentric?

A) Sensorimotor

B) Pre-operational

C) Concrete operational

D) Formal operational

C) Concrete operational

What is the name given to the controversial theory that everyone has their own most effective way of learning (verbal, visual or kinaesthetic)?

Learning styles.

An important development theory includes the concepts of growth and fixed mindsets. [4]

a) Explain the theory

b) Briefly explain one piece of supporting evidence

a) In a growth mindset, abilities are seen as open to improvement and mistakes are viewed as helpful feedback [2]. Whereas for someone with a fixed mindset, abilities are not seen as open to change/ improvement with effort/ practice, and mistakes are viewed as a threat (to self-efficacy) [2].

b) Blackwell et al.’s (2007) study of maths learning in school. He found that those with a growth mindsets improved their grades whereas those with fixed mindsets remained at the same grade.

Describe one experiment that has been used to criticise Piaget’s theories.

The policeman doll study. Hughes in 1975. 30 3-5 year olds were given a model with four walls in a +. 2 policeman dolls were placed on the model and the child had to place a boy doll where the policeman would be unable to see it. 90% of 4 year olds succeeded.

Give 2 reasons why Willingham does not agree with leaning styles theory.

Any 2 from:

No scientific evidence that learning style makes a difference to learning

It makes no sense to try and learn items in a way that doesn’t fit the material

It is best to combine the senses where possible e.g. via dual coding.

What term means a persons belief about how good or bad they are at something?

Self-efficacy.

Suzie says “I’m not good at drawing, but I plan to take an art class and improve my skills”. Which type of mindset is shown in this example? Give a reason for you answer.

Growth mindset. Because Suzie thinks that a skill is not fixed but can be improved.