psy 1102 midterm 1

__Developmental psychology__:

the scientific study of how we change and develop (physically, mentally, emotionally, motivationally, morally), from conception until death.

development

complex patterns of change including positive change and growth as well as deterioration, decay, decline and death.

critical/sensitive periods

times in development where if not exposed to specific stimuli certain abilities will develop improperly or not at all

human development is a mix of ___ __and__ ___ development.

continuous and discontinuous/stages

nature

DNA, genes, heredity

nurture

experiences, environments, influences

epigenetic changes

factors in our environment that influence and effect gene expression (turning them on or off) without affecting the DNA sequence itself.

fertilization takes place…

in the fallopian tubes

gestation period

the duration of pregnancy, from conception to birth

three stages of the gestation period

germinal, embryonic, fetal

the germinal stage begins when…

the egg and sperm freeze together

the technical term during the germinal stage is

zygote

the length of the germinal stage is

10-14 days

major events of the germinal stage

* zygote begins to divide and multiply
* zygote starts to travel to the uterus
* 5-6 days post conception, becomes as blastocyst
* when it reaches the uterus, it attaches to the uterine wall

ectopic pregnancy

when the baby begins to grow in the fallopian tubes

monozygotic twins

identical, 1 egg + 1 sperm, 100% genetically similar

dizygotic twins

fraternal, 2 eggs + 2 sperm, 50% genetically similar (same as any full siblings`)`

technical term during the embryonic stage

embryo

length of the embryonic stage

weeks 3-8

major events of the embryonic stage

* the placenta forms, providing the baby with nutrients, oxygen and protection.
* explosive growth as the nervous system, organs and limbs develop

two theories about how the body develops in the womb

cephalocaudal and proximodistal

cephalocaudal

development starts from the head and makes its way down to the toes

proximodistal

development starts from the centre (heart) and radiates outwards

technical term during the fetal stage

fetus

length of the fetal stage

from week 9 to birth

major events during the fetal stage

* bones solidify
* muscles get stronger
* growth of the brain (15 mil neuron’s per hour, 80-100 at birth)
* sulci (grooves) and gyri (bumps) appear on the brain.

a baby can recognize its mother face as little as ______ after birth.

little as a few hours

high amplitude sucking response

the baby sucks faster if it hears X and slower if Y. babies can deduce the pattern between whats being played and their rate of sucking to select their preferred sound.

orienting reflex

humans and animals when exposed to a new stimulus will give it more attention than anything else in their environment

before Piaget, people believed that children’s minds…

worked just like adults but with less knowledge, and were like sponges

piaget stated that children are not… and are instead…

passive learners, active learned who explore, asses, evaluate, and organize information

schema

a mental model os something or someone, influences how we think, feel and behave.

assimilation

if new information fits what is in our schema, it gets added in seamlessly.

accommodation

if we encounter information that is different to our schema, it requires us to change our schema or create a new one all together

equilibration

what is in our schema fits the real world

disequilibration

whats in our schema does not fit the real world. can be psychologically uncomfortable and requires accommodation.

Piaget’s four developmental stages

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

duration of the sensorimotor stage

0 to 2 years

sensorimotor stage

* children use their senses and motor skills to discover the world.
* incapable of abstract thought.

major achievement of sensorimotor stage

object permanence

was piaget right about the sensorimotor stage?

yes, about object permanence, but they are capable of abstract thought.

duration of the preoperational stage

2 to 7 years

characteristics of the preoperational stage

animism, symbolism, literal thinking, egocentrism

animism

children believe that intimate objects are alive and have thoughts, feelings and intentions.

symbolism

children use symbols to represent the world, but dont have a sophisticated understanding of the symbols

literal thinking

children cant understand the subtleties of language and take `everything` at face value

egocentrism

children are incapable of understanding that other people have different perspectives

major limitations of the preoperational stage

* cant reverse mental operations (1+3=4 doesnt mean 3+1=4).
* cant understand that an object remains the same despite superficial changes (conservation).

duration of the concrete operational stage

7 to 12 years

capabilities of the concrete operational stage

* concrete mental operations
* understanding conservation (because of three major transformative principles)

the three major transformative principles

identity, compensation, inversion

identity (with regard to transformative principles)

we understand that every object and person has an essence that can not be modified by superficial changes

compensation (with regard to transformative principles)

changes in one dimension can be made up for with changes in another dimension

inversion (with regard to transformative principles)

certain actions can be reversed

duration of the formal operational stage

age 12 and up

characteristics of the formal operational stage

* our thinking becomes more sophisticated, complex, theoretical, hypothetical and logical.
* not everyone gets to this stage

lev vygotsky

sociocultural theory, Russian, same time as piaget but got to the western world later

according to vygotsky, language …

is the most essential tool for humans and drives cognitive development

self talk

children start with egocentric (out loud) self talk and then move to silent inner speech

according to vygotsky, development doesnt occur in …

a vacuum, it is rooted in social and cultural context.

apprentice

children are apprentices and need mentorship from people with more knowledge

the zone of proximal development

help must occur within the zone of proximal development (2) otherwise it could harm the child.

\

1. child can do something on its own.
2. child can do something with help.
3. child can not do something, regardless of help.

scaffolding

once the child can do the task on their own, the help must cease or we can hurt the,m

according to vygotsky, culture is …

important to cognitive development and dictates the expectations put on the child.

attachment bond

strong, powerful, deep, lasting emotional bonds between a child and their caregiver

when does a baby form an attachment

its clear by 7-8 months

separation anxiety

when a baby has formed an attachment and notices the caregiver leaving, they become distressed

stranger anxiety

when we have an attachment to a caregiver, we become weary of strangers

attachment bonds + survival

they are vital to survival

psychological security

attachment bonds are essential for security and good mental health

safe haven

the caregiver should be the safest, kindest, gentlest place for us and make us feel encouraged and appreciated

secure base

the caregiver becomes the place we return to when we explore the world

what percent of people are securely attached

60%

who created attachment theory

John bowlby

secure attachment

forms when the caregiver is kind, attentive and responsive.

insecure attachment

forms when the caregiver is abusive, neglectful, and unkind

the strange situation

Mary Ainsworth; used to determine attachment style of a baby

what is the strange situation experiment

baby and mum come into the lab, put in a room with toys, mum leaves, stranger comes in, stranger leaves, mum comes back.

what does secure attachment look like in the strange situation experiment

with mum the baby will explore, when mum leaves the baby will be distressed, the baby is comforted when the mum returns.

what does insecure avoidant attachment look like in the strange situation experiment

baby is indifferent to both mum and stranger, may explore, indifferent to both the leaving and return of mum

what does insecure disorganised attachment look like in the strange situation experiment

conflicted, both avoidiant and resistant behaviours, can be distressed or indifferent when mum leaves

what does insecure resistant attachment look like in the strange situation experiment

the baby is uncomfortable from the start, clings to mum, very distressed with the stranger, wants the mum to return yet is not easily comforted and will remain upset for some time

correlates of attachment

securely attached children have better grades, cooperation, persist more, and take criticism well.

adolescence

the period of life in between childhood and adulthood

duration of adolescence

begins when we enter puberty and ends when we assume full adult responsibilities

spermarche

when puberty begins for boys (first ejaculation)

menarche

when puberty begins for girls (first period)

when do boys enter puberty compared to girls

generally two years later

imaginary audience

we feel like the spotlight is on us and that everyone is judging and evaluating us

personal fable

uniqueness (no one understands how we feel) and invincibility (we believe ourselves to be indestructible)

adolescent egocentrism

imaginary audience + personal fable

idealism

during adolescence we have very high standards and therefore are dissatisfied with ourselves and other people

brain size development

reaches full size between ages 11 and 14 but is still developing until your late 20s/early 30s.

prefrontal cortex

the last to fully develop, explains why teenagers take more risks

pleasure pathways

surges of dopamine, another reason why teens take more risks

pruning

the brain gets rid of unused synapses to make the brain more efficient

adolescent plasticity

the adolescents brain is more modifiable by experience than that of an adult

adolescence brain vulnerability

more vulnerable to negative experiences, including drug and alcohol use

Kohlberg

looked at moral reasoning, created three stages of moral development

pre conventional model

moral action and thinking is driven by pure self-interest, any personally beneficial action is moral.