Developmental Psychology 1

These flashcards cover key concepts from developmental psychology, focusing on methods and prenatal development.

Nativism

The theory that children are born with specific abilities or will naturally gain them with maturity.

Empiricism

The theory that children must learn certain skills through experience and practice.

Stage-Theories

Theories suggesting that children develop through a series of universal stages.

Continuous-Theories

Theories stating that development is fluid and any ability can emerge at any time.

Cross-Sectional Design

A research method that studies participants of different ages/cohorts at the same time.

Longitudinal Design

A research method that tracks one group of participants over time.

Cohort Effects

A third-variable problem in research where differences may be attributed to changes in socialization, life events, etc.

Teratogens

Chemical agents that impair or alter prenatal development.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A disorder caused by exposure to ethanol during the prenatal period, leading to various developmental issues.

Down Syndrome (DS)

A neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a third copy of chromosome 21, leading to physical changes and moderate intellectual disability.

Williams Syndrome (WS)

A rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a deletion of genes on chromosome 7, affecting spatial abilities while preserving language and social skills.

Looking Preferences

A developmental method where infants show a preference for certain visual displays, indicating cognitive processing.

Habituation

A method that exposes participants to the same stimulus repeatedly until they lose interest.

Universal Behaviours

Behaviours that all humans exhibit, which can be used in developmental research.

Pros and cons of cross sectional studies

Cross-sectional studies provide data at a single point in time, allowing for quick comparisons across different age groups. However, they do not account for developmental changes over time and can result in cohort effects.

pros and cons of longitutal

studies include the ability to track changes over time and observe developmental trends no cohort effect, but they can be time-consuming and costly, with potential participant attrition.