Dev. Psych Exam 1 Flashcards (Review Session)

1. Nature vs. Nurture 2. Continuity vs. Discontinuity 3. Universal vs. Context-Specific

Heavily sided with the "Discontinuity" Side: His Theory had 8 stages of development

1. Biological forces 2. Psychological forces 3. Sociocultural forces 4. Life-Cycle forces

Neuroscientists study the human brain and how it interacts with the world around the person. The brain does develop more as the human develops.

To explain/describe development. Don't yet have an answer.

All about the internal, cognitive processes aspect of development. Psychodynamic Theories propose that development is primarily determined by the way people deal with conflicts they face at different ages. ERIKSON proposed a theory of psychosocial development, consisting of 8 universal stages, each characterized by a particular challenge!

Learning theory focuses on the development of observable behavior. Behaviorism - Emphasizes the influences of reinforcement & punishment. Social Learning theory - proposes that people learn by observing others (ex: Bandura's Bobo Doll study)

Cognition, Behavior, & Environment all interact. Example: Being a teenager and thinking that you want to be different than your parents, wanting to stay out late with friends (thinking: cognition influences behaviors).

Cognitive-Developmental theory focuses on thought processes. PIAGET proposed that people create their own theories to explain how the world works & that these theories change qualitatively with development. Information-Processing Theory - proposed that people deal with information like a computer does. VYGOTSKY emphasized the influence of culture on development.

More externally focused. BRONFENBRENNER proposed that development occurs in the context of several interconnected systems of increasing complexity. The Competence-Environmental Press Theory - postulates that there is a "best fit" between a person's abilities & the demands placed on that person by the enivironment (your abilities vs. the needs that you environment has).

Start from the individual at the center of the system. 1. Microsystem 2. Mesosystem 3. Exosystem 4. Macrosystem

Life-Span theory - characterized but multidirectionality, plasticity, historical context, & multiple causation. All 4 developmental forces are critical. Life-Course Perspective - refers to understanding human development within the context of the historical period in which a generation develops, which creates unique sets of experiences.

1. Correlational vs. Experimental. 2. Longitudinal. 3. Cross-Sectional. 4. Sequential.

Each "chromosome" is one molecule of DNA that provides specific biochemical instructions is called a "gene". Chromosome - threadlike structures that contain genetic material. Gene - Each group of compunds that provides a set of biochemical instructions

Genotype - The complete set of genes that makes up a person's heredity. Phenotype - Genetic instructions w/ environmental infleunces - Physcial, behavioral, & psychological features that result from the interaction between an individual's genes & the environment.

In polygenic inheritance - Phenotype reflects teh combined activity of many distinct genes. The impact of heredity on a child's development depends on the environment in which the genetic instructions are carried out, & these heredity-environment interactions occur throughout a child's life.

1. Germinal/Zygote - Begins with the formation of the zygote & ends after about 2 weeks, when the outer portion of the zygote's developing cluster of cells has attatched itself to the uterine wall. 2. Embryo - From 2 weeks to about 2 months, the major structures & organs of the body begin to develop, & the embryo starts ti resemble a human being. 3. Fetal - From about 2 months to birth, the developing organism is called a fetus, & throughout very rapid growth, the body structures & organs complete their growth.

1. Contractions & enlargement of cervix to approx. 10 cm. 2. Birth of the baby. 3. Afterbirth, Expelling of the placenta.

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Experience-Expectant: "Growth of visual cortex from light waves enthering the eyes at birth" & "Growth of auditory cortex from sound waves prior to birth". Experience-Dependent: "Growth of motor cortex from beginning piano lessons at 4 years of age" & "Growth of hippocampus in cab drivers from learnin to navigate complicated"

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