Psych Unit 1

What is the traditional approach for Lifespan Development?

lots of change from birth to adolescence. Little to no change in adulthood and then decline in old age.

Who lived to 122?

Jeanna Calment

Life expectancy

predicted number of years a person born in a particular time period can reasonably expect to live

Biological Age

person’s age in terms of biological health

Psychological Age

Individual’s adaptive capacities compared with those of other individuals of the same chronological age

Social Age

Refers to connectedness with others and the social roles individuals adopt

Who came up with the life-span perspective?

Paul Baltes

life-span perspective

Views development as lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual

normative age-graded influences

similar experiences for individuals in a particular age group

age grade

A specific age group such as toddler, adolescent, or senior

Normative history-graded influences

common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances

Non-normative life events

unusual occurrences that have a major impact on the individual’s life. Ex: Winning the lottery

According to Baltes, what are the three goals of human development?

growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss

Teratogen

agent that causes a birth defect

Neurogenesis

generation of new neurons

neuronal migration

cells moving outward from their point of origin to their appropriate locations

Gray matter

regions of the brain that contain the cell bodies

White matter

Made up of axons that form the neural pathways. Covered in myelin sheath, a fatty substance

Synaptogenesis

Formation of connections between neurons

Synaptic blooming

period of rapid neural growth

pruning

allows for the brain to function more efficiently and understand more complex skills

Infantile Amnesia

the inability to recall memories from the first few years of life

What is the biological perspective for Infantile Amnesia

due to the immaturity of the infant brain

What is the cognitive perspective of Infantile Amnesia

the lack of linguistic skills

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Occurs when an infant stops breathing, usually at night

What are some of the findings for SIDS?

Less likely to occur in infants who use a pacifier while sleeping

Heavy birth weight infants are less likely to die of SIDS

Breastfeeding is linked to a low incidence of SIDS

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Babies are shaken which causes brain swelling and hemorrhaging

Who are the common perpetrators for SBS?

Men.

Findings of Chugani

By the age of 3 years, and until about 10 years old, the glucose metabolism, and therefore the activity and neuronal growth, is more than twice the level of that in adults. Chugani calls this a ‘window of opportunity’ for learning

Findings of Giedd

95% of brain structure is formed by 5-6 years

Perry Pollard

Showed how brains under extreme neglect have much smaller brains that those with a normal brain

When is the most rapid growth in the Prefrontal Cortex?

3-6

Nicolea Ceausescu

was the ruler of Romania who wanted to have population growth so be banned abortion and birth control. this led to many children getting sent to orphanages.

ERA (English Romanian Adoptees

Studied children’s behavior toward the parents. Discovered that there was a relationship between the length of deprivation (time in institution) and attachment disorders

Procedure of Chugani

Compared the normalized glucose metabolic rates to those of normal adults to children adopted from Romanian orphanages

Michael Rutter

The consequences of deprivation vary with the severity and durations of the depriving experience, the age of the child at which the depreciation occurs and the adequacy of recovery measures

Jean Piaget

we are always trying to maintain cognitive equilibrium in what we see and know. children struggle because they are always trying to learn new information.

Schemas (Piaget)

Child sort their knowledge through experiences and interactions into grouping

Assimilation

fitting new information into an existing schema

Accomodations

when children adjust their schemas to account for new information or experiences. Includes learning a new concept (animals become zebras and horses)

Object permanence

the ability to understand that an object still exists, even when it cannot be seen

Critique of Piaget

Researchers have found that even very young children understand objects and how they work long because they have experience with those objects.

Findings of Baillargeon

Child know solid objects cannot pass through each other, disproving Piaget

What are some signs of Early Language Development?

Babbling, Cooing, crying, showing, pointing,

When does the vocab spurt happen

Around 18 months

Telegraphic speech

Use of short and precise words. “Mommy give ice cream”

Language is not learned in a……..

vacuum

Interaction view

children learn language in specific context

Child-directed Speech

higher pitch than normal, with simple words and sentences

What are three strategies to enhancing a child’s acquisition of language?

Recasting/rephrasing, Expanding, and Labeling

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Noam Chomsky’s term that describes a biological endowment enabling the child to detect the features and rules of language including phonology, syntax and semantics

Temperament

Individual differences in behavioral styles, emotions, and characteristic ways of responding

What are the three types of children according to Chess and Thomas’ Classification

Easy Child, Difficult Child, Slow-to-warm-up child

How did an easy child act?

This child is generally in a positive mood, quickly establishes regular routines in infancy, and adapts easily to new experiences

How does a difficult child act?

This child reacts negatively and cries frequently, engages in irregular daily routines, and is slow to accept change

How does a slow to warm up child act?

This child has a low activity level, is somewhat negative, and displays a low-intensity of mood

Jerome Kagan

Believed that inhibited children would react with avoidance, distress, or subdued effect, risking them for social anxiety disorder. Parents usually grasp the importance of temperament after the birth of the 2nd child.

Goodness of Fit

The match between a child’s temperament and environment demands

What is an example of a good fit?

an adventurous child whose parents regularly take them outside

Who did the Strange Situation Technique?

Mary Ainsworth

What was the Strange Situation Technique?

The child’s caregiver would leave the room and the child would be observed when being alone or with a stranger present

What were the results of the Strange Situation Technique?

Showed that the child will engage with the stranger with the caregiver present, but will be upset when the caregiver departs and happy to see them again when they return —> secure attachment

if the child is still unhappy when the caregiver returns then they may have an unsecure attachment

What are factors that impact children’s trust with parents?

Caregiver/Parents Ability, psychological health of parents, life stress

What are Freudians stage in order?

Oral, Ananl, Phallic, Latency, Genital

What did Freud believe in regards to pent up sexual energy?

Those that fail to release or release too much of this energy, may become “fixated” upon it, causing impairment to their personality

When does oral stage happen

Birth to 18 months

What happens if the oral stage isnt satisfied

Smoking, aggression, etc

Anal-retentive personality

someone is obsessive over cleanliness, respect and timeliness; can often be stubborn. Freud believed that this came from harsh potty training

Anal-expulsive Personality

characterized by being messy and/or rebellious. There people often like sharing and giving things away. Freud believed this personality developed through more liberal methods of potty training

When does the issue of trust arise?

Throughout each stage

At what age do they ask “can i trust the people around me?”

birth to 18 months

What is an example of trust in a trust vs mistrust situation?

An infant who is fed regularly and comforted when upset will learn to trust their caregivers and the world around them. They develop a sense of security and confidence in their environment

What is Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt

Children are learning the power to make their own decisions and take risks.

When is Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt

1 to 3 years

What is an example of Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt

When young children learn to dress themselves, they often want to choose their own clothes, even if their choices are ideal for an adult. Allowing them to make these choices and dress will give them a sense of independence and control over their own lives

Henry Harlow

Believed that the research of “love” did not have enough attention and that the attention it did have was merely “guesswork” Studied “love” in controversial infant rhesus monkey experiments that highlighted the importance of a caregiver's love for healthy childhood development

What was the Monkey Mother Experiment

Harlow would remove a baby rhesus monkey from their natural mother at birth and were instead raised by two “mothers”, one that was made of cloth and resembled a monkey while the other was made of wire but, contained food for the baby monkey. His group found that the baby monkey spent more time with the cloth mother and would only go to the wire mother for sustenance disproving prior hypotheses on mother-child attachments.

What happened to the monkeys after the experiment ?

Due to the towel mother not being able to give enough love to the baby. Later in their life they became indifferent and abusive to other monkeys and had difficulty parenting. Showing that infants need a responsive care.

What was Bowlby’s Attachment Theory

children come into the world biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others

What is the definition of Attachment?

An enduring emotional tie to a special person, characterized by a tendency to seek and maintain closeness, especially during times of stress.

Safe Haven

When the child feels threatened or afraid, he or she can return to the caregiver for comfort and soothing.

Secure Base

The caregiver provides a secure and dependable base for the child to explore the world.

What are the different types of insecure attachment?

ambivalent (resistant) style, avoidant style, and disorganized/disoriented style

What is avoidant attachment style

afraid of intimacy and avoid it entirely

What is anxious attachment style?

view love in an obsessive ways, with strong need for constant validation

What is a secure attachment style

describe romantic relationships as friendly, trusting, and happy, accepting their partner regardless of their faults, tend to have long and fulfilling relationships