Developmental Psychology

Question 1

Define nature and nurture.

Answer 1

Nature – sets out their course via gender, genetics, temperament and maturational stages
Nurture – shapes this predetermined course via the environment, parenting, stimulation and nutrition

Question 2

Define temperament.

Answer 2

Innate aspects of an individual’s personality, such as introversion/extroversion

Question 3

What is reciprocal socialisation?

Answer 3

Socialisation is bidirectional, children socialise parents as much as parents socialise children

Question 4

Outline the stages of the development of attachment.

Answer 4

0-3 months = infants prefer people to inanimate objects –indiscriminate proximity seeking e.g. clinging
3-8 months = smile discriminantly at main caregivers
8-12 months = selectively approaches main caregivers – use social referencing/familiar faces as a secure base to explore new situations –shows fear of strangers and separation anxiety
12+ months = attachment behaviour is measured reliably

Question 5

What are the two types of attachment?

Answer 5

Secure attachment – the baby freely explores the room and shows happiness on mother’s return
Insecure attachment – little exploration and little emotional response to mother

Question 6

How is attachment assessed?

Answer 6

Ainsworth’s strange situation test - it tests how babies and young children respond to the temporary absence of their mother
It is interested in two things:
 How much the child explores the room on their own
 How the child responds to the return of the mothe

Question 7

Describe Piaget’s model of cognitive development.

Answer 7

Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years)
 Infants understand the world primarily through sensory experiences and physical (motor) interactions with objects
Preoperational stage (2-7 years)
 World is represented symbolically through words and mental images
 There is no understanding of basic mental operations or rules
Concrete operational stage (7-12 years)
 Children can perform basic mental operations concerning problems that involve tangible (concrete) objects and situations