Child and Adolescent Development Chapter 1-2

College Class

Developmental Psychology *

Study dedicated to understanding the growth and change that occur over a human’s lifespan. It focuses mainly on cognitive, physical, and emotional/social development.

Intersex *

People who have both female and male genitalia and 2% of births will be intersex.

Monozygotic Twin *

Identical Twins. They develop from the same ovum that eventually separates, but they start as one organism.

Dizygotic Twins *

Fraternal Twins. They do not share the same egg, their DNA is not identical, and any twins of different sexes will always be this.

Multidimensional

Growth ocurrs to factors such as biologcial, sociological, and psychological.

Multidirectional

Developmental psychologists study growth and decline.

Plasticity

Development adapts to the environment that the organism is in.

Theory

A testable, educated guess in the form of a statement that determines the relationship between two variables.

Continuous Development

We are always growing, and we are born with the skills we need; we simply improve on them. Crawling to walking to running.

Discontinuous Development

Pauses in development: we are not always growing, and there can be declines. There are skills associated with specific ages. Walking and running are separate skills.

Paths of Development

Sex, age, year of birth, health, family income…etc.

Nature

You are who you are because of your DNA.

Nurture

Where and how you grew up determines how you are.

Normative Approach

The first widespread scientific research on human development, and was created by G. Stanley Hall. Research recruited 100’s of participants to create an average developmental process.

Difference-Equals-Deficits Error

The fallacy that when people do not meet the Normative Approach, they are labelled as abnormal. Left-handed people, blue-eyed people, above-average height.

Piagetian Assumptions

Children are reactionary and thrive on stimulation, not order and control. Children develop at a cognitive rate much faster than previously believed. Growth is continuous yet in stages.

Information-Processing Theory

 Our brain functions just like a computer, and our memory is analogous to the parts of the computer. Cognition involves multiple steps, and the information we receive from the world is the input, while our behavior is the output.

Psychoanalysis

Freud is famous for being one of the first counselors to conduct therapy, and following Freud’s guidelines is called this. Freud argued that our unconscious psychological distress manifested as physical symptoms.

Psychoanalytic Perspective

During development, children will face physical and mental challenges, and how the child resolves the conflict shapes them.

Freud’s Personality Theory

All people have an ID, ego, and Superego. All humans are motivated by libido and Thanatos (The fear of death).

Id

Present at birth and the primitive part of our unconsciousness that is motivated by libido.

Ego

Develops during childhood and is focused on mortality and realism.

Superego

Consciousness that tries to balance the id and ego. Influenced by culture and social norms.

Psychosexual Theory of Development

Freud’s theory of how people develop sexually during infancy and early childhood.

Behaviorism

The first American school of psychology argues that we cannot study the mind through introspection; we must study it through behavior. Created by John Watson and B.F. Skinner. Classical and Operant conditioning fall under this.

Cognitive-Developmental Theory

Explains how children gain knowledge through sensory exploration and was created by Jean Piaget.

Ethology

Studying development with a focus on “Why is this behavior necessary for survival?” Focused on evolutionary research. Baby duck imprinting is an example of this.

Sex-Determining Regions, Y Chromosome (SRY)

Gene on the Y chromosome that causes testis-determining factor (TDF) to start making testes. Happens around week 7 of prenatal development.

Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH)

A genetic difference in which a female fetus will develop internal ovaries but external male genitalia. Research shows that girls born with CAH tend to prefer stereotypical male activities and toys

5-alphareductase deficiency syndrome

Genetic differences in island cultures where boys do not develop their penis until puberty, called Guevodoces.

Kinfelter's Syndrome

A person develops “XXY’ as their sex chromosome. Happens in 1/660 live-born males. These people tend to develop small testes; they do not produce semen, have low levels of testosterone, and will not have children. Do not report interest in sex, are likely to be tall, and display more feminine physical development. Testosterone treatments before puberty can stunt the development of feminine features and increase in sex

Turner Syndrome

A person develops with only one sex chromosome that is X. 1/2500 live female births have this. Tend to be shorter, with not much breast development, likely not to have ovaries.