PSYCH test!!

Topical areas of study in lifespan development (physical, cognitive, personality, social)

Physical, cognitive, personality, and social

Physical

body and biological changes- height, brain development, and puberty.

Cognitive

thinking and mental processes- memory, language, and problem-solving

Personality

characteristics that make someone unique- self-concept, emotions, and personality traits

Social

relationships and interactions- friendships, family and attachment

Nature

influence of genes that people inherit

Examples of nature

Genes and hormones

Nurture

environmental influences

Examples of nurture

Parenting, life experiences.

Multidirectional

people can experience gains and losses simultaneously.

Multicontextual:

happens within multiple contexts. Ex. Family, school, community, etc.

Multicultural

people develop within different cultures. Ex. Values, education, relationships, etc

Multidisciplinary

developmental psychology draws information from many fields like biology, sociology, education, etc.

Cohort

Group of people born around the same time in the same place

Age-graded influences

events that are strongly associated with a particular age.

History-graded influences

events that affect people because they lived through a particular historical period.

Sociocultural-graded influences

influences resulting from cultural or societal expectations.

Continuous development

development happens gradually and smoothly.

Discontinuous development

development occurs in distinct stages, with relatively dramatic changes between stages

Critical period

Babies can only grow arms and legs, hands and feet between 28-54 days after conception.

What happened in 1957 and 1961 in the critical period?

Thousands of newly pregnant women took Thalidomide and disformed newborns arms and legs.

Sensitive Period

learning language- if children do not communicate in their first language between ages 1-3, they might do so later, but grammar is impaired.

Plasticity

Abilities, personalities, and other human characteristics can change over time. Human traits can be molded but people maintain a certain durability of identity.

Locke

English philosopher and physician, nurture, Mind was a blank slate- children are blank slates shaped by experience, parents are the most important influence- believed that children should not be physically punished, parents should be empathetic and compassionate to shape children’s characters

Rousseau

Genevan philosopher, nature, Children were born naturally healthy and moral, Parents should interfere little in children’s development, They should be able to explore without limits- no moral education until age 12 when they know their own opinions.

Importance of Darwin for developmental research

It encouraged scientists to study development as something influenced by adaptation and survival.

what did he introduce?

He introduced the idea that development and behavior can be understood in terms of adaptation and evolution.

Psychodynamic Theory:

focuses on unconscious processes, emotions, internal conflicts, early experiences. Unconscious processes + emotional conflicts + early experiences

Behaviorism:

focuses on observable behavior and how the environment shapes behavior through learning.

Cognitive Theory:

Focuses on how people think, remember, understand and solve problems.

Sociocultural Theory:

development is influenced by culture, social interactions and language

Evolutionary Theory:

uses principles of evolution to explain behavior and development.

Classical Conditioning

learning through association. A neutral stimulus becomes associated with something that naturally produces a response.

Operant Conditioning

behavior changes because of its consequences. Reinforcement- increases a behavior. Punishment- decreases a behavior. Positive= adding negative+ removing.

Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory

Development occurs within multiple environmental systems.

Microsystem

the persons immediate environment

Mesosystem

The connections between microsystems. Connections between settings

Exosystem

a setting that the person doesn’t directly participate in but still affects them

Macrosystem

the larger culture and society

Correlation research

measures the relationship between variables. Children who sleep more do better in school

Experimental research:

researchers manipulate an independent variable and measure its effect on a dependent variable

Field Study:

research conducted in a natural environment. Like children on a playground

Lab Study

research conducted in a controlled environment. Bringing them into a lab room

Longitudinal studies

behavior of participants is measured as they age (same group of people)

Cross-sectional studies

compare people of different ages at the same point in time

Sequential Studies

examine a number of different age groups at several points in time.

Genes:

segments of DNA that contain the code for a specific protein

Chromosomes

23 pairs of rod-shaped portions, contain hundreds to thousands of genes

Traits:

Gene-determined characteristic, often determined by more than one gene

Additive Model

nature and nurture each contribute separately and independently to development.

Interactive Model

Nature and nurture work together and influence each other.

Hereditability

The amount of variability in a trait that is attributable to hereditary influences.

Monozygotic:

genetically identical zygotes, come from same original zygote.

Dizygotic

two separate ova fertilized by two separate sperm.

Twin Studies

comparing identical twins with fraternal twins. If identical twins are more similar on a trait than fraternal twins, this suggests a genetic influence.

Adoption studies

compare adopted children with their biological parents and adoptive parents. This suggests environmental influence

Passive genotype/environment correlation

Parents and children are similar because they share genes.

Evocative genotype/environment correlation

behavior is genetically determined and the world responds to us

Active correlation

people seek environments that fit their genotypes

Epigenetic framework

Epigenetics examines how environmental experiences can influence gene expression. Stress and nutrition can affect genes

Meaney Rat studies

Studied how maternal caregiving affected rat pups. Rat mothers who gave more caregiving had offspring that showed lower stress response. This shows how early environmental experiences can influence gene expression and behavior.

Germinal:

fertilization- 2 weeks, the zygote rapidly divides and implants in the uterus.

Embryonic:

2 weeks- 8 weeks. Major organs and body systems begin to develop.

Fetal:

8 weeks – birth. The fetus grows rapidly, and organs and body systems mature.

Teratogens

Environmental agent that procedures a birth defect.

Smoking

Smoking during pregnancy exposes the fetus to substances including nicotine and carbon monoxide. Risks like low birth weight, restricted fetal growth and premature birth

Cat in the Hat study

33 healthy women, 7.5 months pregnant watched cat in the hat twice a day. When the babies were born they were given special pacifiers. One played their mother reading cat in the hat and one played their mother reading another book. They spent more time sucking on the pacifier that had cat in the hat.

Carrot Juice study

Pregnant women consumed either carrot juice or water during pregnancy. After birth, researchers observed infants’ reactions to carrot flavor. Infants whose mothers consumed carrot juice showed greater acceptance of carrot-flavored cereal. This shows that prenatal exposure can influence later taste preferences.

Labor process

dilation, delivery, placental stage

Dilation:

The cervix dilates, and contractions become stronger and more frequent

Delivery:

The baby moves through the birth canal and is delivered

Placental Stage

after the baby is born the placenta is delivered

Placenta

The placenta is an organ that develops during pregnancy and connects the mother and fetus. Allows oxygen and nutrients to pass from the mother to the fetus and carries waste products away from the fetus

Gross motor skills

Large body movements that use major muscle groups, such as walking, running, jumping and climbing

Fine motor skills:

small, precise movements using smaller muscles, especially in the hands and fingers, such as writing, drawing, buttoning clothes, and using utensils.

Importance of experiences for brain development

Experiences and interactions with the environment help strengthen and create connections between neurons, shaping how the brain develops.

Synaptogenesis:

Timing of synaptogenesis is genetically programmed

Synaptic Pruning

Decay of synapses due to lack of stimulation. Remove unnecessary connections and enhanced efficiency

Myelination

coating of neuron axons with insulating fatty sheath. Increase efficiency and contributes to brain growth

Neural migration

the process during prenatal development in which newly formed neurons move from where they are created to their proper locations

Anatomy of a neuron and how neurons send messages

Neurons receive messages through their dendrites, send electrical signals down the axon, and release neurotransmitters to pass the message to the next neuron.