Studied by 12 people
Nature
has to do with genes and inherited traits
Nurture
has to do with culture, upbringing, and parents
Behavioral genetics
the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
Kety's study
used records of fostered people and their parents, both adoptive and biological, to study the influences of nature and nurture
Importance of Kety's study
found genetics had a higher impact on schizophrenia; set the standard for conducting nature v. nurture studies
Epigenetics
how environmental factors affect genes and genetic expression
Example of epigenetics
IQ is 57-80% heritable
Chromosomes
threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes
Genes
segments of chromosomes made up of strands of DNA
DNA
chemical compound with genetic info
Genome
the complete set of genes and genetic material present in cells and organisms
Why are twin studies considered 'nature's perfect experiment'?
they allow scientists to isolate nature and nurture's influences
Identical twins
twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms whose differences are due to environment
Fraternal twins
twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs and are genetically no closer than brothers and sisters; differences are due to nature AND nurture
Which type of twins are more similar in all aspects?
identical
Temperament
a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and behavioral style
Heritability
the extent to which genetics contribute to individual differences in an observed behavior
Heritability percentages change as. . .
environmental and genetic factors interact
As environments become more similar. . .
heritability increases
As environments become more diverse. . .
heritability decreases
Diathesis stress model
suggests that behaviors are a result of both biological factors (nature) AND life experiences (nurture)
Diathesis stress model example
some people are genetically predisposed to certain conditions, like schizophrenia or alcoholism, which are then triggered by external circumstances
Evolutionary psychology
the study of the evolution of (and its effects on) human behavior and the mind
Natural selection
a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment.
Natural selection argues that. . .
changes in traits over time are due to genetic mutations
Men's attraction to women's youthfulness and figure alludes to. . .
past generations of men looking for healthy women to increase offsprings' chances of survival
Women's attraction to men's mature, dominant, and commitment-oriented behavior alludes to. . .
past generations of women needing strong, healthy men to support and protect their offspring
Critics of the evolutionary perspective
say mental processes and behaviors are also influenced by culture and society
Example of how culture influences mental processes and behaviors
what people desire in partners differs by culture
Prenatal nurture
mother's placenta gives fetus nourishment, and can transfer toxic agents that can affect development and growth
Experience in babies reflects. . .
brain size, development, and complexity
Babies who are handled. . .
develop faster than non-handled babies
'Use it or lose it' principle
states that stimulation is essential for brain development and maintenance, like critical periods
Biological sex
the biological condition of being male and/or female, as determined by genetics
Gender
the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female; nuture-based
Testosterone
the male sex hormone produced in the testes that is directly related to aggression and competitiveness
Estrogen
the female sex hormone produced in the ovaries that allows for menstruation
Traits of biological males include. . .
higher levels of testosterone, testes producing sperm, lipids deposit around the abdomen, greater skeletal mass, narrow pelvic formation, and broader shoulders
Traits of biological females include. . .
higher levels of estrogen, ovaries producing eggs, lipids deposit around hips and thighs, lesser skeletal mass, wider pelvic formation, and narrow shoulders
Role
a set of norms and expectations about a social position
Gender roles
expectations about how males and females should behave; changes based on culture, time, and context
Social learning theory
states that behaviors are learned through observation, imitation, and consequence
Social learning theory and gender
children learn gender roles from parents and peers by observing and imitating behaviors, and then experiencing a reward or punishment ('big boys don't cry' or 'you're being such a good mom to your dolls')
Gender schema theory
the theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male or female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly
Schema
a mental category or concept through which someone interprets and organizes the world
Gender schema examples
female = cooking, long hair, pink; male = pilot, short hair, blue
Assimilation
making new info fit into existing understandings
Accommodation
adapting schemas to incorporate new info
Developmental psychology
studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan; "from womb to tomb"
Cross-sectional study
a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another
Longitudinal study
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period of time
Maturation
the natural sequenced process of development, like crawling before walking, rolling before sitting, etc.
Conception
when a sperm fertilizes an egg and they fuse to become a single cell
Stages of conception
zygote, embryo, fetus
Zygote
a fertilized egg at days one to twenty-four that has approximately one hundred cells
Embryo
the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month at which cells begin to specialize and grow organs
Fetus
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth at which organs develop and teratogens and toxins can enter the placenta and harm the baby
Teratogen
agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
Development in the womb
brain cells develop very quickly in the womb-neural networks first, then the frontal lobe, then association areas (thinking, memory, language)
Rooting reflex
a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple
Infants develop particular emotional expressions to. . .
signal their needs and establish their trust with caregivers
Examples of infants' emotional expressions
crying when hungry, smiling when amused or satisfied, and staring when confused
Babinski reflex
reflex in which a newborn fans out the toes when the sole of the foot is touched
Contact comfort
the instinctual need to touch and be touched
Harry Harlow
Studied attachment in monkeys with artificial mothers
Separation anxiety
the fear of separation from caregiver
Stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that develops by 8 months
Imprinting
the process by which some animals form immediate, instinctual attachments during a critical period; human babies don't "imprint" immediately
Konrad Lorenz
found baby geese could imprint on humans, dogs, etc.
Secure attachment percentage
70% of population
Ambivalent attachment percentage
15% of population
Avoidant attachment percentage
15% of population
Secure attachment
a relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver; mild distress when parent leaves and distrust of stranger
Secure attachment babies as adults have. . .
trusting relationships, high self-esteem, and are comfortable sharing emotions and seeking social support
Ambivalent attachment
a baby that shows intense distress when the parent leaves, avoidance or fear of stranger, and resistance when parent returns
Ambivalent attachment babies as adults are. . .
reluctant to develop relationships, insecure in relationships, and distraught when they end
Avoidant attachment
a baby that shows indifference when parent leaves, are as OK with strangers as they are with their parents, and indifferent when parent returns
Avoidant attachment babies as adults have. . .
intimacy problems, little emotional investment in relationships, and are unwilling or unable to share emotions
The four parenting styles
authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and neglecting
Authoritative parenting style
the best way to raise children using both high warmth and high control
Authoritarian parenting style
a way of raising children using low warmth and high control
Neglecting parenting style
a way of raising children using low warmth and low control
Permissive parenting style
a way of raising children using high warmth and low control
Dana Baumrind
found that being raised by authoritative parents correlates with higher self-esteem, self reliance, and social competence
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
an advocate of cognitive psychology that emphasized nature's influence on infants' development; created the schema theory as well as the four cognitive stages of childhood development
Cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
Sensorimotor Stage of Development overview
from birth to 2 years old, infants experience and interact with the world through senses like touching, looking, listening, etc.
Sensorimotor Stage of Development phenomena
babies develop stranger anxiety, the knowledge that they can cause things to happen, recognize that they are separate beings from those around them, but have no object permanence
Preoperational Stage of Development overview
from 2 to 6 or 7 years, children are starting to understand the world better, egocentrism develops, they tend to think in concrete terms but not abstractly, lots of pretend play
Egocentrism
in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view
Artificialism
In Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's belief that human beings make everything in nature happen (weatherman example)
Animism
the preoperation child's belief that objects are alive and concious
Symbolism
the preoperational child's ability to use symbols like words and images to represent objects
Preoperational children's language skills
much improvement, but they still interpret things literally; "go run and get a snack"
Theory of mind
people's ideas about their own and others' mental states - about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.
Autism
a disorder that appears in preoperational childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind
Principles of conservation
the concept that the quantity of a substance is not altered by reversible changes in its appearance; not understood in preoperational childhood
Concrete Operational Stage of Development
6 or 7 to 12 years, can't think abstractly yet but can reason and understand mathematical transformations and conservation, egocentrism begins to disappear
Formal Operational Stage of Development
12 years and older, people in this stage can think and reason abstractly, self-concept develops
Self-concept
a sense of one's identity and personal worth; positive ones can make a child grow up to be more confident, independent, assertive, and sociable
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