Chapter 1 IQ's

Question 1

developmental psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of AGE-RELATED changes in our body, behaviour, thinking, emotions, social relationships, and personalities

Question 2

Original sin

Answer 2

• rooted in Christianity
• all humans are born with a selfish and stubborn nature
• humans must seek redemption for this inborn tendency to sin by being disciplined
• parents must restrain and correct their child’s immoral inborn tendencies

Question 3

The Blank Slate

Answer 3

• John Locke
• draws on empiricism (humans don’t possess innate tendencies; all differences among humans are due to experience)
• the mind of a child is a blank slate
• parents can mould their children into whatever they want them to be through their childhood environments

Question 4

Innate Goodness

Answer 4

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• proposed that all human being were naturally good and seek out experiences that help them grow
• good development happens when a child’s environment refrains from interfering with the child’s attempts to nurture their own development and express their innate goodness
• parents must nurture and protect their children to enable them to reach their full potential

Question 5

if you worked at an elementary school that decided to reduce teachers because students are naturally driven to learn and succeed, this would be based upon the principles of which philosophical parenting theory?

Answer 5

The Innate Goodness Theory (Rousseau)

Question 6

what concept did Darwin’s theory of evolution contribute to modern developmental psych?

Answer 6

The concept of developmental stages (baby biographies)

Question 7

What did Hall believe developmentalists should identify?

Answer 7

norms

Question 8

Norms

Answer 8

Average ages at which developmental milestones are reached

Question 9

What did Gesell suggest?

Answer 9

That some of human behaviour occurs as a result of maturation

Question 10

Maturation

Answer 10

• age solely determines outcomes and change
• this development occurs regardless of training, practice, or effort
• ex. infants don’t have to be taught how to walk - they begin to do so on their own
• discussed in Piaget’s theories as well

Question 11

3 ways that developmental psychology has changed since the early days

Answer 11

1. the term “development” now encompasses the whole human lifespan rather than just childhood and adolescence
2. developmentalists now understand that inborn characteristics interact with environmental factors (interactionist view - epigenetics)
3. change was once thought of solely in terms of norms, but now developmentalists view norms as only one way of measuring change (ie. group-specific differences like cultural and generational differences as well as individual differences)

Question 12

which disciplines does the lifespan perspective combine?

Answer 12

• psychology (focuses on the individual)
• anthropology (focuses on culture)
• sociology (focuses on social factors like race and socioeconomic status)

Question 13

what are the points of view held by the lifespan perspective?

Answer 13

• changes happen throughout the entire lifespan
• changes must be interpreted in light of the culture and context in which they occur
• interdisciplinary research is critical to understanding human development

Question 14

What did Paul Baltes propose about positive change or plasticity?

Answer 14

• the capacity for positive change/plasticity is possible throughout the entire lifespan
• ex. personal goals - older adults pursue their personal goals more intensely than younger adults

Question 15

3 domains of human development

Answer 15

1. physical domain
2. cognitive domain
3. social domain

Question 16

physical domain

Answer 16

• changes in size, shape, and characteristics of the body

- ex. during puberty

Question 17

cognitive domain

Answer 17

• changes in thinking, memory, problem-solving, and other intellectual skills
• ex. studying how children learn to read, or why memory functions deteriorate in old age

Question 18

social domain

Answer 18

• changes in the variables that are associated with the relationship of an individual to others
• ex. social skills, personality, and one’s beliefs about oneself

Question 19

nature-nurture controversy

Answer 19

the debate about whether changes result from forces outside the person (experiential factors) or from forces within the person (biological processes)

Question 20

nurture

Answer 20

• forces outside the individual

- experiential factors; external factors

Question 21

nature

Answer 21

• forces within the person

- biological processes

Question 22

interactionist model

Answer 22

theory that development results from complex reciprocal interactions between multiple personal factors (nature) and environmental factors (nurture)

Question 23

vulnerability

Answer 23

• each child is born with certain vulnerabilities

- ex. irritability, alcoholism, a personal abnormality, allergies, etc.

Question 24

resiliency

Answer 24

• each child is born with certain protective factors that make them more resilient in the face of stress
• ex. high intelligence, good physical coordination, easy temperament, lovely smile, etc.

Question 25

vulnerability and resiliency idea

Answer 25

each child’s vulnerabilities and resiliencies interact with the environment, so the same environment can affect each child quite differently depending on their vulnerabilities and resiliencies

Question 26

research finding found by using the vulnerability and resiliency theory

Answer 26

• the combo of a highly vulnerable child in a poor/unsupportive environment produce the most negative outcome
• either of those 2 negative conditions alone can be overcome (ex. a resilient child in a poor environment may do well; a vulnerable child in a supportive environment may do well)

Question 27

universal change

Answer 27

• common to every individual species and linked to specific change
• ex. babies learning to walk, older adult’s skin wrinkling

Question 28

group-specific change

Answer 28

• shared by all individuals who grew up together in a particular group
• ex. depending on your culture, retirement may mean that you stop working or that you simply do a different type of work than before

Question 29

individual differences

Answer 29

• changes resulting from unique, unshared events

- ex. the combo of genes each individual receives at conception

Question 30

social clock

Answer 30

• norms may be due to nurture, or a universally shared environment
• defines age norms, or sequences of normal life experiences, in specific cultures
• ex. the right time to start school, the appropriate age for marriage, etc.

Question 31

culture

Answer 31

• system of meanings and customs (like attitudes, values, goals, laws, beliefs, moral guidelines) and physical artifacts of various kinds (like tools, dwellings, etc.)
• shapes our development and our ideas about what normal development is

Question 32

cohort

Answer 32

a group of individuals born in approximately the same timeframe, and therefore share the same experiences at approximately the same times in their lives

Question 33

individual differences may be the result of…

Answer 33

• genetic differences
• characteristics influenced by heredity and environment
• differences in the timing of our development (ex. whether a milestone is reached in the sensitive period; whether our development is early or late)
• atypical development

Question 34

genetic differences

Answer 34

physical characteristics such as body type, hair colour, and genetic disorders

Question 35

characteristics influenced by heredity and environment

Answer 35

intelligence and personality

Question 36

differences in the timing of our development

Answer 36

• whether a milestone is reached in the sensitive period; whether development is early or late
• ex. the period from 6-12 months of age is a sensitive period for parent-infant attachment, and the absence of that can produce changes that last a lifetime
• ex. being widowed at 30 years old would be more likely to produce serious life disruption or forms of pathology, like depression, than would being widowed at 70.

Question 37

atypical development

Answer 37

exceptionalities, developmental delay, psychological disorders, and behavioural problems (ie. aggression, compulsive gambling, etc.)