Chapter 16 - Conclusions

the interaction of nature and nurture before birth is apparent when things go wrong, especially in the case of _

teratogens

nature equips babies with a host of qualities that elicit _ from parents and other caregivers

appropriate nurture

timing of exposure to teratogens greatly influences their effects on

prenatal development

many genetically influenced properties do not become evident until ___

middle childhood, adolescence, or adulthood

factors other than genes also have a role in terms of support from _

famiily and peers, and values of the broader society

infants’ and older children’s actions produce _ in other people, which further shape the children’s development

reactions

How do children contribute to their own development?

1. physically interacting with the environment
2. interpreting their experinece
3. regulating their behaviour
4. eliciting reactions from other people

in the womb, fetuses make breathing movements that and swallow amniotic fluid that prepares their digestive system for after birth

strengthen their lungs,

children and adolescents’ interpretations of their experiences extend to _ as well as about the external world

inferences about themselves

children who successfully regulate their emotions tend to be more popular and ___ than those less skilled at emotional regulation

more socially competent

children’s characteristics and behaviour influence __, as well as those of their peers

parents’ and teachers’ reactions

what 4 key assumptions do all stage theories share?

1. development progressing through a series of qualitatively distinct stages
2. when children are in a given stage, a fairly broad range of their thinking and behaviour exhibits the features characteristic of that stage
3. the stages occur in the same order for all children
4. transitions between stages occur quickly

biological change mechanisms come into play the moment a sperm units with an egg, with each containing ____ of the DNA that will constitude the child’s genotype throughout life

half

the brain includes a number of areas that are specialized for specific functions which makes possible ___which enhances learning of the relevant type of information

rapid and universal development of these functions

like older children, infants can also learn through _, or operant, conditioning

instrumental

among the crucial contributors to this social learning are

imitation, social referencing, language, and guided participation

scaffolding

• when a more knowledgeable person may provide the learning with an overview of a given task, demonstrate how to do the most difficult parts, provide help with the most difficult parts, and offer suggestions to the learner on how to proceed

4 types of information-processing mechanisms

• basic processes, strategies, metacognition, and content knowledge

many have proposed that nearly universal, rapid learning in these domains is produced by that operate on everyday experience to produce accurate conclusions about the world

domain-specific learning mechanisms

values and practices that people within a society take for granted as natural often

vary substantially among societies

the degree of economic inequality within each society influences ___

how large a difference the economic circumstances make

the influence of friends, other peers, teachers, and other adults, varies in as many ways as that of _

families

the correlation between a person’s gender and future individual differences reflects complex interactions among _ influences

social and biological

children and adolescents who are high in self-esteem tend to be strong on many other dimensions of ___ functioning as well

social and emotional

values and practices that people within a society take for granted as natural often vary

substantially among societies

the degree of economic inequality within each society influences how large a difference the ___ make

economic circumstances

beyond intelligence and gender, 2 other crucial dimensions of individual differences are __

attachment and self-esteem

the relative stability of most children’s environments contributes to these long-term continuities of __

psychological functioning

parents exert at least as large an influence on their children’s social and emotional development as on their _ development

intellctual

most parents have no difficulty forming a secure attachment with their baby, but some do not form such bonds. Why?

• genetics
• baby’s temperament, and parent’s attitude and responsiveness that influence the quality of attachment

Information-processing theories suggest that _ available to children in everyday activities can improve learning

analyzing the types of information

Early educational programs that are _, like the Abecedarian Project, produce large gains in both academic achievement and social skills that continue through childhood and adolescence

optimally staffed, high funded, and carefully designed

knowledge of child-development research can inform your __ on many issues relevant to children

perspectives

there is no end of social problems, and understanding child development can _

help address the ones that affect children’s futures