Developmental Psyc

Why is ethics important in research?

Ethics ensure that participants are not harmed and that research is conducted responsibly and transparently.

What is informed consent?

Participants must agree to participate with full awareness of the study’s purpose and any risks.

What is voluntary participation?

Participation must be free from coercion; participants choose to take part willingly.

What is withdrawal of consent?

Participants have the right to discontinue participation at any point without penalty.

When is deception used in research?

Deception may be used if necessary, but it must be justified and participants must be debriefed afterwards.

What is the normative approach in developmental psychology?

Focuses on what is typical or average in development for someone of a given age and domain.

What are the three domains of development?

Physical, cognitive, and social.

What does physical development involve?

Growth and changes in the body, motor skills, and physical abilities.

What does cognitive development involve?

Development of thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and mental processes.

What does social development involve?

Relationship building, social awareness, cooperation and negotiation, communication, empathy and morality, social norms

Dynamic Systems Theory

The idea that new behaviors emerge as a result of complex interplay between biological and environmental factors.

How do nature and nurture influence development?

Nature = biology/genetics; Nurture = environment. Both interact to shape development 

What is the difference between stage and continuous theories of development?

Stage = distinct steps (like software updates); Continuous = gradual, ongoing changes (like height).

What is Freud’s Psychosexual Development theory?

Childhood development occurs in five stages: oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital. How these desires are “handled” by parents can lead to a fixation

What is Erikson’s Psychosocial Development theory?

Development occurs across the lifespan in eight stages, with a new psychosocial task to resolve at each stage. This allows a person to produce their ego identity (personal values, beliefs, roles, and social interactions that create a stable sense of self).

Memorize the stages of Psychosocial development including Approximate age and the psycho social crisis. 

What is Piaget’s Cognitive Development theory?

Children develop in four stages, thinking differently from adults and learning via assimilation and accommodation of schemas.

What are cognitive schemas?

Mental frameworks used to organize knowledge into categories based on shared characteristics.

What is assimilation in Piaget’s theory?

Applying new information to an existing schema without changing it.
Example: Seeing a new yellow flower and calling it a dandelion because it fits the existing schema.

What is accommodation in Piaget’s theory?

Modifying an existing schema to fit new information.
Example: Learning that not all yellow flowers are dandelions and updating the schema.

What is the Sensorimotor Stage (0–2 years)?

Children explore the world through senses and movement. Key tasks: object permanence and stranger anxiety (assimilation).

What is the Preoperational Stage (2–7 years)?

Children think symbolically, engage in pretend play, but lack logical reasoning; key task: conservation or quantity, and egocentrism/theory of mind (little red riding hood).

What is the Concrete Operational Stage (7–11 years)?

Children can think logically about concrete events and understand concepts like cause and effect.

What is the Formal Operational Stage (12+ years)?

Individuals can engage in abstract thought, hypothetical reasoning, and systematic problem-solving.

What is Post Formal Thinking?

Decisions are made based on the situation/circumstances since logic is integrated with emotion (drawing on past experiences to solve current problems).

What do we believe cognitive development is today?

1) a more continuous process

2) often expressed earlier than Piaget thought

3) more than formal logic

What did Kohlberg proposed?

That moral reasoning develops through three levels, each with two stages.

Level 1 of Kolberg’s theory of moral development

Level 1: Preconventional Morality

• Stage 1: Obedience and Punishment Orientation - behavior by avoiding punishment

• Stage 2: Individualism and Exchange - behavior driven by self-interest and rewards.

Level 2 of Kolberg’s theory of moral development

Level 2: Conventional Morality

• Stage 3: Good Interpersonal Relationships - Behavior driven by social approva

• Stage 4: Maintaining Social Order - Behavior driven by obeying authority and conforming to social order/laws

Level 3 of of Kolberg’s theory of moral development

Level 3: Postconventional Morality

• Stage 5: Social Contract and Individual Rights - Recognition that laws are social contracts, and sometimes individual rights may override laws.

• Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles - Behavior driven by internal moral principles (justice, equality, human rights)

What are some assumptions behind Kohlberg’s theory? (5 listed)

• Moral reasoning develops in stages: It progresses in a fixed order, and individuals cannot skip stages.

• Cognitive development drives moral development: As thinking becomes more sophisticated, moral reasoning becomes more advanced.

• Universality: Kohlberg assumed the stages are universal across cultures (though later critics challenged this).

• Focus on reasoning, not behavior: He emphasized why people make decisions, not just what they decide.

• Justice-oriented: His framework centers around justice and rights as the highest form of morality.

Apply Kohlberg’s theory to scenario:

A child steals medicine to help sick parent.

• Stage 1 (Obedience & Punishment): “Stealing is wrong because you’ll get punished.”

• Stage 2 (Self-Interest): “If you steal, you can save your parent, and that helps you.”

• Stage 3 (Good Boy/Good Girl): “People will think you’re kind for helping your parent.”

• Stage 4 (Law & Order): “You shouldn’t steal because it breaks the law.”

• Stage 5 (Social Contract): “The law is important, but saving a life is more important than property rights.”

• Stage 6 (Universal Principles): “It’s morally right to preserve human life, even if it means breaking an unjust law.”

What is an alternative approach to morality, instead of cognitive?

Moral intuitionist approach → moral reasoning is not based on logic, but on how it makes us feel emotionally.

What are reflexes?

• Reflexes are automatic, involuntary responses to specific stimuli present at birth (rooting, sucking, grasping, startle reflex).

• They are biologically programmed survival mechanisms.

What do reflexes tell us about development?

Their presence and gradual disappearance provide insight into neurological development and health. For example:

• If a reflex is absent at birth → possible neurological issue.

• If it persists too long → possible developmental disorder.

What are teratogens, and what are some examples?

Teratogens are environmental agents that can cause harm during prenatal development. Examples: alcohol, nicotine, radiation, infections

When do environmental influences begin?

From conception/ in the womb

What is attachment, and when does it start?

A strong emotional bond between infant and caregiver influences later relationships. Starts around 6 months old (it is evolutionary).

Who is Mary Ainsworth and what did she do?

In 1979 Ainsworth looked at how a infant would act when the caregiver left the room and when they returned (Strange situation).

Secure attachment (results in strange situation)

Child is distressed when caregiver leaves, comforted when they return.

Avoidant attachment (results in strange situation)

Child avoids or ignores caregiver, little distress on separation.

Resistant/Ambivalent attachment (results in strange situation)

Child is very distressed when caregiver leaves, but not easily comforted when they return (clingy + resistant).

(Later added) Disorganized attachment

Child shows inconsistent, confused behaviors (common in neglect/trauma).