Psychology Final (Part 3)

developmental psychology

study of human physical, cognitive, social, and behavioural characteristics across the lifespan

cross-sectional design

used to measure and compare samples of people at different ages at a given point in time

risk of cohort effects

differences between people resulting from being born in a different time

longitudinal design

follows same individuals throughout phases of development

risk of attrition

when participants drop out of a study

what is the earliest stage of development

conception

zygote

the nuclei of egg and sperm fuse forming the zygote

germinal stage

first phase of prenatal development which spans from conception to age of two weeks (begins when zygote is formed)

embryonic stage

spans weeks 2-8 during which time the embryo begins development major structures like heart, nervous system, beginning of arms, hands and feet form

fetal stage

week 8 until birth, systems become specialized, sleep-wake cycles begin

when does the neural tube develop (becomes brain and spine)

2 weeks old

when do the major regions of the brain develop

4 weeks old

when is the spinal cord developed enough so that the fetus can move

7 weeks old

when are brain structures developed

11 weeks old

when do cerebral cortex folds and myelin start to form?

2nd trimester

what is the most important non-genetic factor affecting fetal development

nutrition (specifically the mother’s)

what acid is critical to preventing birth defects like spina bifida

folic acid

teratogens

substances such as drugs or environmental toxins that impair the process of development

Thalimodide

sedative for morning sickness in the 1950s-1960s that caused miscarriages, blindness and deafness in children, and phocomelia

phocomelia

hands or feet emerge from shoulders or hips

fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

abnormalities in mental functioning, growth and physical development in the offspring of women who drink during pregnancy

when are infants able to listen and remember sounds from the outside

before the 8th month of prenatal development

what type of stimuli do newborns prefer

stimuli that look like faces

Gibson and Walk experiment

babies with experience crawling can understand depth perception

when do reflexes in babies form

during the last month of gestation

when do baby’s reflexes fade away and motor skills develop

at 6-7 months old

synaptogenesis

the forming of new synaptic connections

synaptic pruning

loss of weak nerve cell connections

what do synaptogenesis and synaptic pruning have in common

both processes increase neural efficiency by strengthening connections and detecting unneccesary ones

Piaget Cognitive Development

learning involves assimilation and accommodation

assimilation

fitting in new info into your pre-existing belief system

accomodation

creative process whereby people modify their belief structures based on experience

what are the 4 stages of Piaget Cognitive Development

sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational

object permanence

ability to understand that objects exist even when they cannot directly be perceived

scaffolding

attentive approach to teaching where teacher matches guidance to learner’s needs

Mary Ainsworth Strange Situation Test (MASST)

way of measuring infant attachment by observing how infants behave when exposed to stressful or comfortable situations

secure attachment in MASST

infant experiences some distress, some comfort when parent returns

anxious attachment in MASST

infant is clingy, very upset, pushes away stranger

avoidant attachment in MASST

infant doesn’t care, does not seek comfort

what are the four types of adult attachment

secure, preoccupied, dismissive, fearful

attachment behavioural system

focused on meeting our own needs

caregiving behavioural system

focused on meeting needs of others

introjection

internalization of conditional regard of others

what age do toddlers gain self-awareness

age 18-24 months

theory of mind

ability to understand that others have thoughts and perspectives that are different from our own

Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development

overlapping stages that extends from infancy to old age

what is Erikson’s Infancy conflict

Trust vs Mistrust

what is Erikson’s Toddlerhood conflict

Autonomy vs Shame

what is Erikson’s Early Childhood conflict

Initiative vs Guilt

what is Erikson’s Childhood conflict

Industry vs Inferiority

motivation

physiological and psychological processes underlying the initiation of behaviours that direct organisms to specific goals

incentives

the stimuli we seek out to reduce drives

allostasis

motivation is not only influenced by current needs but anticipation of future needs due to stress

unit bias

tendency to assume that the unit of sale or portioning is an appropriate amount to consume

what percent of Canadian females have an eating disorder (ED)

1\.5%

anorexia nervosa

ED that involves self-starvation, intense fear of weight gain and disatisfaction with body

bulimia nervosa

ED characterized by periods of food deprivation and then binging and purging (self-induced vomiting)

reproduction suppression hypothesis

females who believe they have low levels of social support are more likely to engage in diet behaviour

what do females prefer in males physically

taller men, good posture, not a lot of bodily hair

what do males prefer in females physically

shorter women, full hips, high cheekbones, smaller chin

what do females value in males

strong financial prospects, status and good health

what do males value in females

physical beauty, youth and reproduction

what are the four primary physical stages of the sexual response cycle

excitement, plateau, orgasm and resolution

Sternberg’s 3 components of love

passion, intimacy and commitment

what are the 5 love languages

physical touch, acts of service, gift-giving, words of affirmation, quality time

what did Arthur Aron say about love

its a mammalian drive to pursue preferred mates

approach goal

enjoyable incentive that a person is drawn toward, such as praise, reward or satisfaction

avoidance goal

attempt to avoid an unpleasant outcome

what are the three universal needs in the Self Determination theory

relatedness (bonds with others), autonomy (being in control of your life), competence (ability to perform a task at a satisfying level)

self-determination theory

if an individual feels more in control with a task, they will be more motivated perform the actions to complete

extrinsic motivation

motivation that requires a person to give up autonomy as they rely on others to feel successful

instrinsic motivation / mastery motive

internally motivated to complete a task, genuinely motivated to reach a goal

amotivation

absence of motivation to perform a task

what is the order of the spectrum of motivation ranging from Non self-determined to Self-determined

amotivation, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation

are Western or Eastern cultures more intrinsically motivated

Western cultures

are Western or Eastern cultures more motivated by failure

Eastern cultures

what are the three components of the behaviour that occurs with emotions

subjective thought, pattern of neural activity, behaviour responding to the neural activity

sympathetic nervous system

recruit energy to prepare for a response

parasympathetic nervous system

preserves energy and calms you down

James-Lange theory

suggests that physiological reactions to stimuli come before the emotional experience of fear (your body responds quicker than your brain)

Cannon-Barde theory

body and brain work simultaneously, brain interprets situation and generates feelings, and then the body reacts

give an example of the evolutionary/biological purpose for facial muscle movements

smelling poop and wrinkling nose in disgust, which reduces airflow and the amount of substance particles that enter your body

emotional dialect

variations across cultures in how common emotions are expressed

display rules

unwritten social expectations about when it is appropriate to show a certain emotion

pseudobulbar affect (PBA)

cry excessively in sad situations or laugh excessively in mildly amusing situations

what is one difference between the expression of emotions in Western vs Eastern cultures

Western cultures focus more on the person expressing emotions whereas Eastern cultures pay more attention to how those around the person are reacting

personality

characteristic pattern of thinking and feeling

idiographic approach

focusing on creating detailed descriptions of a specific person’s personality characteristics

nomothetic approach

examine personality in large groups of people with the aim of making generalizations about people in general

factor analysis

used to group items/adjectives that people respond to similarly (etc. kind, friendly, warm)

five-factor model (FFM)

trait-based theory of personality that determines that personality can be described using 5 dimensions

what are the 5 factors in the 5 factor model

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism (anxiety, fear, worry)

Hexaco model of personality

uses the 5 factors in FFM but includes another factor - Honesty/Humility

what are the dark triad factors

machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism

what personality trait should be added to the dark triad factors

sadistic personality

how will someone who shows signs of the dark triad act

manipulative, dishonest, aggressive, emotionally shallow

temperament

biological foundation on which personality is built on, does not predict how a child will turn out

what are the three types of temperaments

well-adjusted, undercontrolled (restless, distracted, fighting, lying), inhibited (worrying, crying)

state vs trait

state- what someone is like in a particular set of circumstances

traits- general personality tendancies

what does BF skinner state

personality is a description of response tendancies that occur in different situations