Studied by 13 people
developmental psychology
study of humans from womb to tomb (changes and constants in life)
continuous development
views development as a cumulative process, gradually improving on existing skills
discontinuous development
views development as occurring in distinct stages (specific times/ages)
cross-sectional study
study different groups of people with different ages at the same point in time
ad/disadvantages of cross-sectional
inexpensive, quick, low attrition
different age groups not very alike, differences may be due to characteristic differences (not age)
longitudinal study
study the same group of people over time
ad/disadvantages of longitudinal
detailed info abt subjects, developmental changes studied detailedly, no cohort differences
expensive and time-consuming, maybe high attrition, differences may be due to assessment tools (not age)
biographical/retrospective study
participant's past reconstructed through interviews/other research abt their life
ad/disadvantages of biographical
individual's life is detailed, in-depth study of 1 person
recall of memory may not be accurate, expensive and time-consuming
the lifespan
germinal, embryonic, fetal, infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood, early adult, middle adult, late adult
prenatal development
zygote (4 days), embryo (8 weeks), fetus (11th week - birth)
critical period
time during development when influences have major effects
teratogens
substances that can damage an embryo/fetus (birth defects)
physical development
growth/changes in body, brain, senses, motor skills, health/wellness
cognitive development
learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, creativity
psychosocial development
emotion, personality, social relationships
developmental milestones
Characteristics and behaviors considered normal for children in specific age groups.
biological milestones
tend to be universal (like puberty)
social milestones
vary across cultures (such as starting school)
conception
single sperm cell penetrates outer coating of egg and fuses to make 1 fertilized cell
zygote
fertilized cell with cells that become increasingly diverse
teratogen
environmental agent that causes damage to developing embryo/fetus (alcohol, smoking, drugs, radiation/virus)
fetal-alcohol syndrome
birth defects caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy
newborn reflexes
inborn automatic responses to stimuli (helps newborn survive)
rooting reflex
baby turns head toward something that touches cheek
sucking reflex
sucking objects placed by mouth
grasping reflex
clinging to object placed in hands
moro reflex
spreads arms and pulls back in when they are startled/feel like falling
babinski reflex
toes spread when foot stroked
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to visual stimulus: interest decreases (they are learning)
blooming period
time of rapid academic growth
fine motor skills
physical abilities involving small body movements, especially of the hands and fingers, such as drawing and picking up a coin
gross motor skills
motor skills that involve large-muscle activities, such as walking
separation anxiety
the distress displayed by infants when mommy isn't there (13 months, then gradually declines)
harlow study
A study that shows comfort instead of necessity. Monkey were attracted to the "mother" covered in cloth instead of that covered in food.
harry harlow
Studied attachment in monkeys with artificial mothers
konrad lorenz
researcher who focused on critical attachment periods in baby birds, a concept he called imprinting
imprinting
process by which certain animals form strong attachments early in life
john bowlby
created attachment theory
attachment theory
idea that children need to develop a relationship with at least one caregiver for normal deveopment
mary ainsworth
developmental psychology; devised patterns of attachment; "The Strange Situation": observation of parent/child attachment
secure attachment
showing temporary distress, comforted when parent returns (66% of the time)
avoidant attachment
do not go to parents when they return (21%)
resistant attachment
show extreme stress when parent leaves but do not go to parent when they return (12%)
disorganized attachment
show odd behavior around parent (run away, etc)
termperament
a person's inborn characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity 기질
stella chess
Theorist who, with Alexander Thomas, developed a classic system for describing and categorizing temperament
easy child
generally in a positive mood, quickly establishes regular routines in infancy, and adapts easily to new experiences.
difficult child
tends to react negatively and cry frequently, engages in irregular daily routines, and is slow to accept change.
slow to warm up child
low activity level, somewhat negative, displays a low intensity of mood
diana baumrind
categorized parenting styles
authoritarian parents
parents who impose rules and demand obedience
authoritative parents
parents who set rules but allow open discussion and exceptions
permissive parents
parents who set few limits, make few demands and use little punishment
uninvolved parents
parents who are careless, inattentive and do not seek a close relationship with their child
erik erickson
suggested 8 Stages of Human Development
albert bandura
researcher famous for work in observational or social learning (modeling, observing, imitating) including the famous Bobo doll experiment
temperament
a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
psychosexual theory
freud believed that childhood experiences shape our personality and behavior as adults
development is discontinuous
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stage
schema
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
assimilation
interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas (adding)
accommodation
adapting our current schemas to incorporate new info (modify)
object permanence
the awareness that things continue to exist even when out of sensory range
egocentricism
in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view
theory of mind
the understanding that others have intentions/desires/beliefs/perceptions/emotions different from our own
conservation
principle that properties such as mass/volume remain same despite changes in the forms of objects
formal operational stage
stage of cognitive development (begins age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts
start thinking abt moral/philosophical/ethical issues
using deductive logic
concrete to abstract
lev vygotsky
child development; investigated how culture & social interaction/communication guide development
jean piaget
Known for his theory of cognitive development in children
interaction in physical environment
scaffolding
a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking
teaching children new words
zone of proximal development
zone between what child can/can't do
continuous theory (not stage theory)
"sweet spot", not too easy/hard
lawrence kohlberg
Famous for his theory of moral development in children; made use of moral dilemmas in assessment
heinz dilemma
whether a person should steal medicine to save his wife
3 levels of moral thinking
preconventional (thinking of oneself)
conventional (thinking of how others will perceive yourself)
postconventional (thinking of society, rights, universal principles)
carol gilligan
challenged Kohlberg's findings: drawn from wealthy middle-class males (didn't reflect female moral development)
but, no gender differences
moral intuition
quick gut feelings that precede moral reasoning
adolescence
transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
puberty
period of sexual maturation, person becomes capable of reproducing
brain cells increase connections
why do adolescents engage in risky behaviors/emotional outbursts
the frontal lobe (judgement, impulse control, planning) isn't fully developed yet
imaginary audience
adolescents' belief that they are the focus of everyone else's attention and concern
personal fable
type of thought common to adolescents in which young people believe themselves to be unique and protected from harm
identity
our sense of self
erikson: "adolescents should solidify identity"
social identity
the "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "Who am I?" that comes from our group memberships
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