Human Dev. Chp 1 Questions

Questions Only

What are some of the developmental categories we are covering in this class?

Physical Development: Covers bodily changes, brain development, growth, sensory capacities, motor skills, and health/wellness. Cognitive Development: Focuses on mental processes, including learning, memory, attention, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity. Psychosocial Development: Examines emotions, personality, self-esteem, relationships, social skills, and interactions with family and peers.

What is the "nature vs. nurture" debate? What is the "answer"?

Both interact constantly to shape our lives. Nature affects nurture. Nurture affects nature.

How does epigenetics play a role in development?

acting as chemical switches that turn genes on or off without changing the underlying DNA sequence.

Compare and contrast continuous development and discontinuous development.

Continuous development- growth happens in a steady, ongoing, and quantitative way. Discontinuous development- growth happens in abrupt, qualitative shifts or distinct steps known as stages.

How is a critical period different from a sensitive period? Do we have examples of these in humans?

A critical period is a strict, limited time window when a specific environmental input must occur for normal development, whereas a sensitive period is a broader, more flexible optimal window

What are some examples of the distinct levels of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model?

Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, Chronosystem

What is SES and what does it correlate with in development?

Socioeconomic status (SES) measures an individual's or family's economic and social position based on income, education, and occupation. In human development, SES strongly links to cognitive, emotional, and physical outcomes.

Who is one of the key developmental psychologists to focus on cultural influence?

Lev Vygotsky is the key developmental psychologist best known for making cultural influence a central focus of cognitive development.

What are the steps of the scientific method?

1. Curiosity 2. Hypothesis 3. Test Hypothesis 4. Draw conclusions 5. Report results; replication

Why is replication important?

repeating a study or experiment proves whether original findings are reliable, accurate, and free from random chance or error.

How can you tell which variable is the dependent variable?

the outcome or measurement that changes in response to another factor.

What are some issues with surveys?

Surveys frequently suffer from inaccuracies due to biased participant sampling, poorly designed or leading questions.

What are some populations that we test often?

College students, clinical patients, consumers, and employees.

What is a theory (vs a hypothesis)?

A theory is a well-substantiated, comprehensive explanation of an aspect of the natural world that is supported by a vast body of evidence, whereas a hypothesis is a specific, testable prediction about what will happen in a particular circumstances.

Briefly describe the key ideas associated with Freud, Erikson, Watson, Pavlov, Skinner, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Maslow.

Freud: Unconscious drives, childhood Erikson: 8 lifelong stages of psychosocial identity crises. Watson: Founded behaviorism; conditioned fear ("Little Albert"). Pavlov: Classical conditioning (associating stimuli with reflexes). Skinner: Operant conditioning (behavior shaped by rewards/punishments). Piaget: 4 distinct stages of active cognitive development. Vygotsky: Social learning via the Zone of Proximal Development. Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs leading to self-actualization.

In what way are operant and classical conditioning similar? In what ways are they different?

While both are forms of associative learning that adapt behavior over time, classical conditioning pairs two stimuli to trigger an involuntary reflex, whereas operant conditioning pairs a voluntary behavior with a consequence.

What is the difference between assimilation and accommodation?

Assimilation fits new information into existing cognitive schemas, whereas accommodation alters existing schemas or creates new ones because the new information does not fit.

What are Piaget's four stages?

Sensorimotor (birth-2 years; learning through senses/actions), Preoperational (2-7 years; symbolic thought and language), Concrete Operational (7-11 years; logical thought about physical objects), and Formal Operational (12+ years; abstract and hypothetical reasoning)

Why is evolution important in developmental psychology?

Evolution is important in developmental psychology because it explains why certain human behaviors, cognitive frameworks, and developmental milestones evolved to help our ancestors survive and reproduce.