Untitled Flashcards Set

Here’s a simplified guide with definitions and examples for each term:

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### Developmental Psychology

The study of how people grow and change from birth to old age.

- Example: A psychologist studying how children learn language.

### Nature vs. Nurture Debate

- Nature: Traits we are born with (genetics).

- Nurture: Traits shaped by the environment.

- Example: Is intelligence mostly inherited (nature) or shaped by education and experiences (nurture)?

### Continuity vs. Discontinuity

- Continuity: Development is gradual and continuous.

- Discontinuity: Development happens in distinct stages.

- Example: Learning to walk (gradual) vs. puberty (sudden changes).

### Stability vs. Change

- Stability: Personality stays the same over time.

- Change: Personality can change due to experiences.

- Example: A shy child may remain shy (stability) or become more outgoing (change).

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## Research Designs

### Cross-Sectional

Compares different age groups at one time.

- Example: Studying memory in 10-year-olds, 30-year-olds, and 60-year-olds.

### Longitudinal

Follows the same group of people over a long time.

- Example: Studying a group of children’s social skills from age 5 to 25.

### Cohort-Sequential

A mix of both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.

- Example: Studying multiple age groups over several years.

### Cohort Effects

Differences caused by growing up in different time periods, not age itself.

- Example: Teenagers today use social media, but their grandparents didn’t at the same age.

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## Infant Development

### Temperament (Infant Types)

- Easy: Happy, adapts well to change.

- Difficult: Cries a lot, struggles with change.

- Slow-to-warm-up: Shy, takes time to adjust.

- Example: A baby who rarely cries (easy) vs. a baby who fusses at new people (slow-to-warm-up).

### Maturation

Natural growth and development over time.

- Example: A baby can’t walk until their muscles are strong enough.

### Cephalocaudal Trend

Growth from head to toe.

- Example: Babies control their head before they can walk.

### Proximodistal Trend

Growth from the center outward.

- Example: Babies can move their arms before they control their fingers.

### Gross vs. Fine Motor Coordination

- Gross Motor: Large movements (running, jumping).

- Fine Motor: Small movements (writing, buttoning a shirt).

- Example: A child learning to hold a crayon (fine motor) vs. learning to ride a bike (gross motor).

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## Prenatal Development

### Prenatal Stages

1. Zygote: Fertilized egg (first 2 weeks).

2. Embryo: Developing baby (weeks 3-8).

3. Fetus: Growth stage (week 9 to birth).

- Example: The heart starts beating in the embryo stage.

### Teratogens

Harmful substances affecting a baby in the womb.

- Example: Alcohol can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, leading to learning disabilities.

### Critical Period

A specific time when development must happen, or it won’t happen correctly.

- Example: If babies don’t hear language early on, they may never fully learn it.

### Age of Viability

The earliest a baby can survive outside the womb (around 22-25 weeks).

### Newborn Senses

- Sight: Blurry vision, prefers faces.

- Hearing: Recognizes mother’s voice.

- Taste/Smell: Prefers sweet things, recognizes mother’s scent.

### Visual Cliff

An experiment showing that babies develop depth perception around 6 months.

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## Newborn Reflexes

- Grasping: Closes hand around objects.

- Rooting: Turns head when cheek is touched.

- Sucking: Automatic sucking for feeding.

- Babinski: Toes fan out when foot is stroked.

- Moro: Startle response.

- Diving: Holds breath underwater.

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## Cognitive Development (Piaget)

### Schema

A mental framework for understanding things.

- Example: A child thinks all animals with four legs are dogs.

### Assimilation

Adding new information to an existing schema.

- Example: A child sees a cat and calls it a "dog."

### Accommodation

Changing a schema to fit new information.

- Example: The child learns that cats and dogs are different.

### Stages of Piaget’s Theory

1. Sensorimotor (0-2 years): Learning through senses and movement.

- Object Permanence: Knowing something exists even if it’s hidden.

- Example: Peek-a-boo no longer works.

2. Preoperational (2-7 years): Symbolic thinking, egocentrism.

- Animism: Thinking objects are alive ("The teddy bear is sad").

- Egocentrism: Can’t see other perspectives.

- Theory of Mind: Understanding that others think differently.

- Centration: Focuses on one aspect (e.g., thinking a taller glass has more liquid).

- Conservation: Understanding quantity stays the same despite changes in shape.

3. Concrete Operational (7-11 years): Logical thinking, understands conservation.

4. Formal Operational (12+ years): Abstract and hypothetical thinking.

### Criticism of Piaget

Underestimated children’s abilities and ignored cultural differences.

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## Other Developmental Theories

### Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development

The difference between what a child can do alone vs. with help.

### Imprinting (Konrad Lorenz)

Baby animals attach to the first thing they see.

- Example: Ducklings following a human instead of their mother.

### Attachment (Ainsworth’s Strange Situation)

1. Secure: Child is upset when the parent leaves but happy when they return.

2. Avoidant: Child ignores the parent.

3. Anxious (Resistant): Child is upset both when the parent leaves and returns.

4. Disorganized: Confused behavior.

### Contact Comfort (Harlow’s Monkeys)

Babies prefer comfort over food.

### Separation Anxiety

Distress when away from caregivers (peaks around 1 year old).

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## Parenting Styles (Baumrind)

1. Authoritarian: Strict, no warmth.

2. Authoritative: Rules but supportive.

3. Permissive: Few rules, indulgent.

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## Adolescence

### Gender Concepts

- Gender Identity: Knowing if you're male or female.

- Gender Stereotypes: Beliefs about gender traits.

- Gender Roles: Expected behaviors for males and females.

### Puberty

- Primary Sex Characteristics: Reproductive organs.

- Secondary Sex Characteristics: Body hair, deeper voice.

### Identity Crisis

Struggling to figure out who you are.

### Adolescent Egocentrism

- Imaginary Audience: Thinking everyone is watching you.

- Personal Fable: Feeling unique and invincible.

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## Moral & Language Development

### Kohlberg’s Moral Stages

1. Pre-conventional: Avoids punishment, seeks rewards.

2. Conventional: Follows rules for approval.

3. Post-conventional: Follows own moral code.

### Language Development Theories

- Chomsky: We are born with a Language Acquisition Device.

- Behavioral: We learn language through reinforcement.

- Interactionist: A mix of nature and nurture.

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