Developmental Psychology Review Flashcards

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering key concepts, theories, and terms in developmental psychology for exam preparation.

Self-efficacy

Your belief about whether you can succeed at a task.

Childhood processing speed

Improves from ages 6-18.

Adulthood cognitive decline

Slows down gradually from 20s to 80s.

Methods of observing development

Longitudinal, cross-sectional, experimental, and correlational.

Longitudinal study

Follows the same people over time.

Cross-sectional study

Compares different ages at one time.

Fluid intelligence

Declines with age.

Crystallized intelligence

Increases with age.

Plasticity

Ability to change in response to experience.

Utilization deficiencies

Young children trying memory strategies with no benefit.

Stage theories (Piaget)

Development happens in stages with different thinking abilities.

Invariance assumption

Children must go in order through developmental stages.

Homogeneity assumption

Children in a stage think similarly across tasks.

Biological influences on development

Includes brain, hormones, genes.

Psychological influences on development

Covers thinking, processing speed, and emotions.

Sociocultural influences on development

Includes peers, parents, school, and culture.

Adopted siblings and IQ

Become less similar in IQ as they age.

Nature vs Nurture debate

Focuses on the influence of genetics (nature) versus environment (nurture).

Continuity vs Discontinuity debate

Continuity refers to gradual change, discontinuity refers to stage theories.

Universal vs Context-Specific development

Universal milestones versus those influenced by culture.

Activity vs Passivity in development

Activity suggests children shape the environment; passivity suggests the environment shapes the child.

Freud’s Id

Represents instincts and seeks immediate gratification.

Freud’s Ego

Rational part that deals with reality.

Freud’s Superego

Moral conscience and internalized rules.

Erikson's psychosocial stages

Focuses on challenges and crises at each developmental stage.

Skinner’s learning theory

Behavior is shaped by consequences.

Positive reinforcement

Adding something good to increase behavior.

Negative reinforcement

Removing something bad to increase behavior.

Positive punishment

Adding something bad to decrease behavior.

Negative punishment

Removing something good to decrease behavior.

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory

People learn by observing others.

Bobo doll study

random assignment, manipulation of variable, can identify cause

independent variable=type of vid

dependent= agression

Piaget’s cognitive stages

Describes the mental representation of objects and events in children.

Sensorimotor stage

(0-2 years) Lack of object permanence initially; develops later.

Preoperational stage

(2-6 years) Symbolic play and usage of language.

Concrete operations stage

(6-12 years) Logical thinking with concrete objects.

Formal operations stage

(12+ years) Abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking.

Information Processing Theory

Compares the mind to a computer's functions.

Sensory memory (SM)

First stage that takes in sensory impressions.

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Limited capacity to hold about 7 +/- 2 items.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

Stores everything learned.

Developmental method terms

Age, cohort, and time-of-testing affect results.

Twin Studies

MZ twins share 100% of genes; DZ twins share ~50%.

Adoption studies

Adopted siblings become less similar in IQ over time.

Passive genetic effects

Parents provide both genes and environment.

Evocative genetic effects

Traits provoke responses from others.

Active genetic effects

Individuals choose environments that match their genes.

Prenatal development stages

Zygote, embryo, and fetal stages.

Teratogens

Substances that can cause malformations during prenatal development.

Apgar score

Assessment of newborn's health.

Brazelton Neonatal Assessment

Evaluates reflexes and behavior of newborns.

Language components

Phonemes, morphemes, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

Broca’s area

Region controlling speech production.

Wernicke’s area

Region managing language comprehension.

Critical period for language acquisition

Period when it is easiest to learn language.

Attachment stages in infants

Includes pre-attachment- infants respond the same to everyone

attachment in the making- babies start to prefer familiar people

clear-cut attachment- strong preference for caregiver, separation anxiety and stranger anxiety

reciprocal relationship- toddler understands caregiver comes and goes, anxiety about separation decreases

Separation anxiety

Distress when a caregiver leaves, peaks around 12-18 months.

Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

Procedure assessing attachment via separation and reunion.

Secure attachment

Child is upset but easily comforted.

Resistant attachment

Child is upset but not comforted, can be angry.

Avoidant attachment

Little distress; avoids caregiver.

Disorganized attachment

Confused and odd behaviors.

Caregiving hypothesis

sensitive- secure

inconsistent- resistant

rejecting- avoidant

frightening- disorganized

Cognitive Development in children

Involves various stages and the ability to perform mental operations.

Mental operations on volume task

compensation- the ability to understand quantity changes despite alterations in shape or arrangement.

reversibility- child can mentally undo action

ADHD characteristics

Includes hyperactivity, distractibility, and impulsiveness.

Attributions of failure in depression

Internal (my fault), stable (wont change), and global (it affects everything in my life) for those with depression.

Kohlberg's moral development

Stages of moral reasoning including preconventional, conventional, and postconventional.

Heinz dilemma

Morality questioned regarding theft for a dying spouse.

Preconventional stage 1

punishment and obedience

• right= avoiding punishment

• obey rules because you don’t want to get in trouble

stage 2 self interest

right= benefits me?

Conventional stage 3

Motivation based on gaining approval.

stage 4 law and order

• right= following laws and maintaining social order

• respect for authority and rules

Postconventional stage 5

Laws are social contracts that can be changed if harm human rights

stage 6 universal ethics

right= following personal moral principles

will do what’s right even if it breaks the law

Cognition in adolescence

Features abstract, logical, and hypothetical thinking.

Fluid intelligence (Gf)

Quick thinking and problem-solving that declines with age.

Crystallized intelligence (Gc)

Knowledge and skills that typically increase with age.

Schaie's Seattle Longitudinal Study

tracked adults over decades. showed that cognitive decline is not inevitable early in adulthood. Study showing cognitive abilities can remain stable or improve into middle age.

Friendships in adulthood

Vital for support and companionship.

Personality trait model

Includes the Big Five: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism.

Middle adulthood overview

Period of life covering ages 40-65 associated with responsibilities and aging.

Presbyopia

Age-related difficulty in seeing close objects.

Stroke types

Ischemic (blocked vessel)- common

hemorrhagic (bleeding vessel)- dangerous less common

presbycusis

age related hearing loss, especially high pitched sounds, more common in men

Aphasia types

Broca’s aphasia (speech production) and Wernicke’s aphasia (comprehension).

Longevity

Length of life

average age

mid to late 70s

max age

120

metabolic theory

aging happens because the body gradually wears out as it uses energy

cellular theories

telomeres- protective caps on chromosome ends

shorten each time a cell divides, this shortening limits the number of times a cell can divide, contributing to aging.

free radicals

unstable oxygen molecules that damage cells

• more free radical damage=faster aging

antioxidants

neutralize free radicals

• vitamin c, e, carotenoids= may slow cellular damage

genetic programming theories

body has biological clock that control aging

aging is partly pre programmed in our dna

Alzheimer’s disease (neurofibrillary tangles)

Includes memory loss and personality changes.

• twisted fibers of protein tau inside neurons

  • block nutrient and signal flow cause neurons to stop functioning and die

Alzheimer’s disease (amyloid plaques0

clumps of beta amyloid protein that build up between the neurons

• disrupt communication

Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s

Involves cognitive tests and brain imaging.

PET scans look for buildup

Genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s

Family history and APOE-ε4 gene.

Memory improvements for Alzheimer's

Cholinesterase inhibitors and lifestyle support.

Death concepts

Children initially view death as reversible.

adolescents know its permanent but feel invincible

adults- fear decreases with age; older adults most accepting

Grief definition

Emotional response to loss.

Palliative care

Comfort-focused care for serious illness.

Hospice care

End-of-life care providing dignity and comfort.