Study Guide for PSY 1000 - Chapter 9

PSY 1000 – Introduction to Psychology Study Questions – Chapter 9

Lifespan Development

• Lifespan Development Age Period: Refers to the entire human life from conception to death, including all the developmental stages across a lifespan.

Normative Development

• Definition of Normative Development: Normative development pertains to the typical patterns of growth and change experienced by individuals at specific ages.

Developmental Milestones

• Developmental Milestones: Key skills or behaviors that are expected to be achieved at certain ages, reflecting normative patterns of development.

• Universality: While many milestones are universal, the age at which they are achieved can vary depending on individual circumstances.

Experimental Designs in Developmental Psychology

• Types of Experimental Design:

  • Cross-Sectional Design: Examines different age groups at one point in time to assess age-related differences.

  • Longitudinal Design: Follows the same individuals over time to observe changes and development.

  • Sequential Design: Combines cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches by studying multiple cohorts over time.

Prenatal Development Stages

• Germinal Stage:

  • Start/End: Begins at conception and lasts for about two weeks.

  • Major Developmental Milestones: Formation of a zygote, initial cell division.

• Embryonic Stage:

  • Start/End: From the second week to the eighth week after conception.

  • Major Developmental Milestones: Major organs and systems develop, and the embryo's body structure begins to form.

• Fetal Stage:

  • Start/End: From the ninth week until birth.

  • Major Developmental Milestones: Rapid growth, development of functional organs, and sensory capabilities.

Teratogens

• Definition of Teratogens: Substances or agents that can cause malformation or abnormalities in a developing fetus.

• Greatest Impact Timing: Most harmful during the embryonic stage when crucial systems and structures are being formed.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

• Definition of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A serious condition resulting from alcohol consumption during pregnancy causing physical and mental disabilities.

• Recognition of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): A broader category encompassing the range of effects from prenatal alcohol exposure.

• Characteristics of FAS Babies: Often include distinct facial features, growth deficiencies, and developmental delays.

• Brain Appearance: The brain of an FAS child typically shows reduced size and abnormal morphology.

Maternal Factors Impacting Development

• Impact of Other Maternal Factors: Factors such as nutrition, environmental toxins, stress, and infections can significantly affect fetal development.

Newborn Senses and Functionality

• Vision:

  • Characteristics: Limited initially due to underdeveloped optics and visual pathways.

  • Functional Timing: Partially functional at birth but not adult-like until around 1 year.

  • Micropreemie/Preemie Vision: Vision is even less developed in micropreemies.

• Audition (Hearing):

  • Characteristics: Newborns can hear sounds but may not distinguish them as well as older children.

  • Functional Timing: Hearing capabilities approaching adult levels by about 6 months.

• Taste, Smell, and Touch:

  • Taste: Taste buds are functional; newborns prefer sweet flavors.

  • Smell: Newborns have a keen sense of smell and can recognize their mother's scent.

  • Touch: Touch is important for bonding and can be felt throughout the body.

Infant Growth and Reflexes

• Growth Rate: Infants typically double their birth weight by 5 months and triple it by 12 months.

• Newborn Reflexes:

  • Definition: Automatic responses to certain stimuli, such as rooting and grasping.

  • Lifespan: While some reflexes disappear, others persist throughout life.

Motor Skills

• Fine Motor Skills: Involve small muscle movements, such as grasping.

• Gross Motor Skills: Involve larger muscle groups, such as crawling and walking.

Brain Development

• Blooming and Pruning:

  • Blooming: Overproduction of neural connections in early infancy.

  • Pruning: Elimination of unused synapses, refining neural pathways; myelination is not complete by the end of infancy.

• Visual Capacity:

  • Newborns can see best at a distance of 8-12 inches; completion of vision maturity occurs by age 3-5.

Hearing Development

• Newborns can hear a range of sounds and pinpoint the direction of sounds; adult hearing levels are reached around early childhood.

Infant Assessment Techniques

• Preferential Looking: A research method to determine an infant's recognition capabilities and preferences by observing their gaze direction towards different stimuli.

Temperament

• Definition: An individual’s characteristic pattern of emotional and behavioral responses.

• Lifespan Relation: While some aspects of temperament may change, core traits often remain stable.

Attachment

• Definition: Emotional bond between a child and caregiver, crucial for psychological development.

• Necessity for Development: Attachment is generally considered essential for healthy social and emotional growth.

Harlow’s Study Observations

• Findings: Demonstrated the importance of comfort and bond over nourishment in attachment formation.

Strange Situation Test

• Purpose: Evaluates attachment styles by observing children's reactions to separation and reunion with their caregiver.

• Criticism: Considered somewhat limited due to its artificial setting and the complexity of attachment behavior.

Attachment Types

• Secure Attachment Characteristics: Strong emotional bond, comfort seeking, and caregiver responsiveness.

• Avoidant Attachment: Avoid proximity to caregiver, show little preference between stranger and caregiver.

• Resistant Attachment: Inconsistently seeks and resists comforting from the caregiver.

• Disorganized-Disoriented Attachment: Confused behaviors in the presence of the caregiver, often seen in cases of neglect or abuse.

Childhood Growth Rate

• Comparison to Infancy: Growth during childhood is slower than during infancy, though significant developmental changes occur.

Frontal Lobes Growth Consequences

• Description: Enhanced executive function, including planning, decision-making, and impulse control, during childhood development.

Self-Concept

• Definition: Awareness of oneself as an individual.

• Mirror Test Observations: Indicates self-recognition; majority of children pass this around 18-24 months.

Significant Social Development Milestones

• Between PreK and Kindergarten: Increased social skills, cooperative play, and communication abilities.

Gender Roles vs. Gender Identity

• Definitions: Gender roles refer to behaviors and activities society considers appropriate for men and women, while gender identity is a personal conception of oneself as male, female, or another gender.

• Development Timing: Children begin to form a gender identity as early as 3 years old.

Theory of Mind

• Definition: Understanding that others have thoughts, beliefs, and desires that may differ from one's own.

• Development Timing: Typically recognized around age 4-5.

Parenting Styles

• Authoritative: Warmth with high expectations; children are typically responsible and self-reliant.

• Authoritarian: High demands with low responsiveness; children may be obedient but lack social competence.

• Permissive: Lenient and indulgent; children may struggle with authority.

• Uninvolved: Little involvement; children may experience neglect and lack emotional support.

Language Development

• Critical Periods: Specific times when language acquisition occurs most easily, emphasizing the importance of early exposure to language.

Adolescence

• Definition: While aspects of adolescence are culturally influenced, the concept exists universally, reflecting biological, emotional, and social changes.

• Period of Change: Marked by significant changes in identity, autonomy, and social relationships.

Sexual Characteristics

• Definitions:

  • Primary Sexual Characteristics: Biological differences (e.g., reproductive organs).

  • Secondary Sexual Characteristics: Physical traits that develop at puberty (e.g., breast development in females, facial hair in males).

  • Menarche: The first occurrence of menstruation.

  • Spermarche: The first occurrence of ejaculation.

Brain Development in Adolescence

• Consequences of Maturity: Disconnection between developed regions for logical reasoning and underdeveloped areas responsible for impulse control can create behavioral challenges.

Adolescent Egocentrism

• Definition: A state in which adolescents believe that their thoughts and feelings are unique and not understood by others.

• Related Concepts:

  • Personal Fable: Belief that their experiences are unique and exceptional.

  • Imaginary Audience: The belief that they are the focus of everyone’s attention.

Adolescent Conflicts with Parents

• Nature of Conflicts: Conflicts do not occur universally; common reasons include autonomy, values, and peer influence.

Emerging Adulthood

• Definition: A transitional period between adolescence and adulthood characterized by continued identity exploration and instability in life choices.

Adulthood Characteristics

• Early Adulthood: Focus on career, relationships, and personal stability.

• Mid Adulthood: Reevaluation of life, often facing issues of generativity versus stagnation.

• Late Adulthood: Reflecting on life, coping with changes in status and health.

Cognitive Challenges in Elderly Individuals

• Types of Challenges: Memory loss, processing speed decline, and struggle with complex reasoning tasks.

Hospice Care

• Definition: A type of care focused on providing relief from symptoms and stress of serious illness, facilitating a dignified end-of-life experience.

• Benefits: Offers emotional and psychological support to patients and their families during terminal stages.

Stages of Grief

• Five Stages of Grief:

  • Denial: Difficulty accepting the loss.

  • Anger: Frustration and questioning.

  • Bargaining: Seeking relief through negotiation.

  • Depression: Deep feelings of sadness.

  • Acceptance: Coming to terms and finding peace with the loss.

Erikson’s Developmental Tasks

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• Overview: Stages outline psychosocial challenges faced throughout life.

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• Completed Table:
  

  Developmental Task	Age	Resolved Conflict	Unresolved Conflict
  Trust vs. Mistrust	Infancy (0-1)	Security	Fear
  Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt	Early Childhood (1-3)	Independence	Dependence
  Initiative vs. Guilt	Preschool (3-6)	Initiative	Guilt
  Industry vs. Inferiority	School Age (6-12)	Competence	Inferiority
  Identity vs. Role Confusion	Adolescence (12-18)	Strong Identity	Role Confusion
  Intimacy vs. Isolation	Young Adulthood (18-40)	Relationships	Isolation
  Generativity vs. Stagnation	Middle Adulthood (40-65)	Productivity	Stagnation
  Integrity vs. Despair	Late Adulthood (65+)	Fulfillment	Despair
  Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

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  • Definitions:

    • Assimilation: Incorporating new experiences into existing frameworks.

    • Accommodation: Changing existing frameworks to incorporate new experiences.

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  • Stages of Cognitive Development Table:
    

    Stage	Age	Description	Developmental Issues
    Sensorimotor	Birth to 2 years	Exploration through senses and actions	Object permanence demonstration
    Preoperational	2 to 7 years	Development of language and symbolic thinking	Egocentrism, conservation issues
    Concrete Operational	7 to 11 years	Logical thinking for concrete objects	Difficulty with abstract concepts
    Formal Operational	12 years and up	Abstract reasoning and problem-solving	Variable attainment in adults
    Conservation and Object Permanence

    • Object Permanence: The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, typically developed by 8-12 months.

    • Conservation: The understanding that properties such as volume, mass, and number remain the same despite changes in the form or arrangement.

    Formal Operational Stage and Beyond

    • Completion of Stages: Not all adults reach the formal operational stage; some may develop advanced reasoning capabilities in their later years.

    Morality

    • Definition of Morality: Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.

    Moral Thinking Types

    • Preconventional Level: Morality is based on consequences for the individual.

    • Conventional Level: Morality is based on societal standards and rules.

    • Postconventional Level: Morality is based on personal principles that transcend societal rules.