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Introduction to Psychology > Lifespan Development > Flashcards

Flashcards in Lifespan Development Deck (85)
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1
Q

Physical Development

A

•Involves growth and changes in the body and brain, the senses, motor skills, and health and wellness

2
Q

Cognitive Development

A

•Involves learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity

3
Q

Psychosocial Development

A

•Involves emotions, personality, and social relationships

4
Q

Normative Approach

A

•A value based approach to building communities, based on the assumption that all people have a need to belong, want to have a sense of purpose, and want to experience success

5
Q

Developmental Milestones

A

•A set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children can do at a certain age range

6
Q

Biological Milestones

A

•Changes observed in body (varies in gender) such as puberty

7
Q

Social and Emotional Milestones

A
  • Centered on children gaining a better understanding of their own emotions and the emotions of others
  • Involve learning how to interact and play with other people
8
Q

Communication Milestones

A

•Involve both language and nonverbal communication

9
Q

Cognitive Milestones

A

•Centered on a child’s ability to think, learn, and solve problems

10
Q

Continuous Development

A

•Views development as a cumulative process, gradually improving on existing skills

11
Q

Discontinuous Development

A
  • Believe that development takes place in unique stages; occurs at specific times or ages
  • Change is more sudden
12
Q

Developmental Stage Theories

A

•Theories that divide child development into distinct stages which are characterized by qualitative differences in behaviour

13
Q

Nature VS Nurture

A

•Seeks to understand how our personalities and traits are the product of our genetic makeup and biological factors, and how they are shaped by our environments

14
Q

Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development

A

•According to Freud, children’s pleasure-seeking urges are focused on a different area of the body, called erogenous zone

Five Stages:
–Oral
–Anal
–Phallic 
–Latency
–Genital
15
Q

Psychosocial Development

A

•Occurs as children from relationships, interact with others, understand, and manage their feelings

16
Q

Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory

A
  • Emphasizes the social nature of our development rather than its sexual nature
  • Proposed that personality development takes place throughout the lifespan
17
Q

8 Stages of Development according to Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

A

•Stage 1 – 0-1 years old;
Trust vs Mistrust
Trust (or mistrust) that basic needs, such as nourishment and affection, will be met

•Stage 2 – 1-3 years old;
Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt
Develop a sense of independence in many tasks

•Stage 3 – 3-6 years old;
Initiative vs Guilt
Take initiative on some activities; may develop guilt when unsuccessful or boundaries overstepped

•Stage 4 – 7-11 years old;
Industry vs Inferiority
Develop self-confidence in abilities when competent or sense of inferiority when not

•Stage 5 – 12-18 years old;
Identity vs Confusion
Experiment with an develop identity and roles

•Stage 6 – 19-29 years old;
Intimacy vs Isolation
Establish intimacy and relationships with others

•Stage 7 – 30-64 years old;
Generativity vs Stagnation
Contribute to society and be part of a family

•Stage 8 – 65- years old;
Integrity vs Despair
Assess and make sense of life and meaning of contributions

18
Q

Piaget and Cognitive Theory of Development

A
  • Piaget focused on children’s cognitive growth
  • Believed that thinking is a central aspect of development and that children are naturally inquisitive
  • His theory holds that our cognitive abilities develop through specific stages, which exemplifies the discontinuity approach to development
19
Q

Schemata

Assimilation

Accommodation

A
  • Schemata – concepts (mental models) that are used to help us categorize and interpret information
  • When children learn new information, they adjust their schemata through two processes: assimilation and accommodation
  • Assimilation – when they take in information that is comparable to what they already know
  • Accommodation – when they change their schemata based on new information
20
Q

Piaget’s 4 stages of Cognitive Development

A

•Sensorimotor (0-2 years old) – world experienced through senses and actions
Developmental issues – object permanence, stranger anxiety

•Preoperational (2-6 years old) – use words and images to represent things, but lack logical reasoning
Developmental issues – pretend play, egocentrism, language development

•Concrete Operational (7-11 years old) – understand concrete events and analogies logically, perform arithmetical operations
Developmental issues – conservation, mathematical transformations

•Formal Operational (12- years old) – formal operations and utilize abstract reasoning
Developmental issues – abstract logic, moral reasoning

21
Q

Postformal Thinking

A
  • Refers to decisions that are made based on situations and circumstances
  • Logic is integrated with emotion as adults develop principles that depend on contexts
  • Able to draw on past experiences to help them solve new problems
22
Q

Lawrence Kohlberg

A

•Believed that moral development, like cognitive development, follows a series of stages

23
Q

Kohlberg’s Different Stages of Moral Reasoning

A

•Level 1: Pre-conventional Morality
Stage 1 – obedience and punishment; behavior driven by avoiding punishment
Stage 2 – individual interest; behavior driven by self-interest and rewards

•Level 2: Conventional Morality
Stage 3 –interpersonal; behavior driven by social approval
Stage 4 – authority; behavior driven by obeying authority and conforming to social order

•Level 3: Post-conventional Morality
Stage 5 – social contract; behavior driven by balance of social order and individual rights
Stage 6 – universal ethics; behavior driven by internal moral principles

24
Q

Germinal Stage (week 1-2)

A

•During this stage, the mass of cells has yet to attach itself to the lining of the mother’s uterus

25
Q

Conception

A

•Occurs when sperm fertilize an egg and forms a zygote

26
Q

Zygote

A
  • Begins as one-cell structure that is created when a sperm and egg merge
  • Genetic makeup and gender of the baby are set at this point
27
Q

Mitosis

A
  • A fragile process, and fewer than one-half of all zygotes survive beyond the first two weeks
  • After 5 days of mitosis, there are 100 cells
  • After 9 months, there will be billions of cells. As the cells divide, they become more specialized, forming different organs and body parts
28
Q

Embryonic Stage (week 3-8)

A
  • During this stage, the heart begins to beat, organs form and begin to function
  • The neural tube forms along the back of the embryo, developing into the spinal cord and brain
29
Q

Embryo

A
  • After the zygote divides for about 7-10 days and has 150 cells, it travels down the fallopian tubes and implants itself in the lining of the uterus
  • Upon implantation, this multi-cellular organism is called embryo
30
Q

Placenta

A

•A structure that is connected to the uterus that provides nourishment and oxygen from the mother to the developing embryo via the umbilical cord

31
Q

Fetal Stage (week 9-40)

A
  • 9 weeks old – when an organism is about 9 weeks old, the embryo is called a fetus
  • 9-12 weeks – sex organs begin to differentiate
  • 16 weeks – fetus is approximately 4.5 inches long; fingers and toes are fully developed; fingerprints are visible
  • 24 weeks – weighs up to 1.4 pounds; hearing has developed;internal organs have formed; fetus born prematurely at this point has a chance of survival outside of the mother’s womb
  • 36 weeks – weighs about 6 pounds and about 18.5 inches long; almost ready for birth
  • 37 weeks – fetus’s organ systems are developed enough; continues to gain weight and grow in length
  • 40 weeks – fetus have very little room to move around and birth becomes imminent
32
Q

Prenatal Care

A

•A medical care during pregnancy that monitors the health of both the mother and the fetus

33
Q

Why is Prenatal Care Important?

A

•It can reduce the risk of complications to the mother and the fetus during pregnancy

34
Q

Teratogen

A

•Refers to any environmental agent – biological, chemical, or physical – that causes damage to the developing embryo or fetus

35
Q

What happens when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol?

A

•Excessive maternal drinking while pregnant can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) with life-long consequences for the child ranging in severity from minor to major

36
Q

Physical Symptoms of FASD

A
  • Head size – below-average head circumference
  • Eyes –smaller than average eye opening, skin folds at the corner of the eyes
  • Nose – low nasal bridge, short nose
  • Mid-face –smaller than average mid-face size
  • Lip and Philtrum – thin upper lip, indistinct philtrum
37
Q

Cognitive Symptoms of FASD

A
  • Poor judgement
  • Poor impulse control
  • Higher rates of ADHD
  • Learning issues
  • Lower IQ scores
38
Q

What happens when a pregnant woman smokes?

A
  • Nicotine travels through the placenta to the fetus. When the mother smokes, the developing baby experiences a reduction in blood oxygen levels
  • May result in premature birth, low-birth-weight-infants, stillbirth, and SIDS
39
Q

Critical or Sensitive Period

A

•Refers to when each organ of the fetus develops during a specific period in the pregnancy

40
Q

Newborn Reflexes

A
  • Refers to inborn automatic responses to particular forms of stimulation
  • Reflexes help the newborn survive until it is capable of more complex behaviors
41
Q

Moro Reflex

A

•A reflex reaction of infants upon being startled (as by a loud noise or a bright light) that is characterized by extension of the arms and legs away from the body and to the side and then by drawing them together as if in an embrace

42
Q

Blooming

A

•Refers to rapid neural growth

43
Q

Pruning

A
  • Neural connections are reduced

* Allows the brain to function more efficiently

44
Q

Motor Development

A

•Occurs in an orderly sequence as infants move from reflexive reactions to more advanced motor functioning

45
Q

Motor Skills

A

•Refer to our ability to move our bodies and manipulate objects

46
Q

Fine Motor Skills

A

•Focus on the muscles in our fingers, toes, and eyes, and enable coordination of small actions

47
Q

Gross Motor Skills

A

•Focus on large muscle groups that control our arms and legs; involve larger movements (e.g., balancing, running, and jumping)

48
Q

Developmental Milestones (age 2-5 years)

A

•Age 2
Physical – kicks a ball; walks up and down stairs
Personal/Social – plays alongside other children; copies adults
Language – points to objects when named; puts 2-4 words together in a sentence
Cognitive – sorts shapes and colors; follows 2-step instructions

•Age 3
Physical – climbs and runs; pedals tricycle
Personal/Social – takes turns; expresses many emotions; dresses self
Language – names familiar things; uses pronouns
Cognitive – plays make believe; works toys with parts (levers, handles)

•Age 4
Physical – catches balls; uses scissors
Personal/Social – prefers social play; knows likes and interests
Language – knows songs and rhymes by memory
Cognitive – names colors and numbers; begins writing letters

•Age 5
Physical – hops and swings; uses fork and spoon
Personal/Social –distinguishes real from pretend; likes to please friends
Language – speaks clearly; uses full sentences
Cognitive – counts to 10 or higher; prints some letters and copies basic shapes

49
Q

Cognitive Development in Children

A
  • Refers to how children think, explore and figure things out.
  • Development of knowledge, skills, problem solving and dispositions, which help children to think about and understand the world around them
50
Q

Cognitive Milestones (infant to children)

A
  • From birth to 3 months – centered on exploring the basic senses and learning more about the body and the environment
  • 3 to 6 months – begin to develop a stronger sense of perception. At this age, most babies begin to:
  • 6 to 9 months – begin to understand the differences between animate and inanimate objects; gaze longer at “impossible” things such as an object suspended in midair
  • 9 to 12 months – able to explore the world around them in greater depth; understand the concept of object permanence, the idea that an object continues to exist even though it cannot be seen
  • 1 to 2 years – physical, social, and cognitive development seems to grow by leaps and bounds; children at this age spend a tremendous amount of time observing the actions of adults
  • 2 to 3 years – become increasingly independent; since they are now able to better explore the world, a great deal of learning during this stage is the result of their own experiences
  • 3 to 4 years – capable of analyzing the world around them in more complex ways; as they observe things, they begin to sort and categorize them into different categories, often referred to as schemata
  • 4 to 5 years – better at using words, imitating adult actions, counting and other basic activities that are important for school preparedness
  • 6 to 11 years – thought processes become more logical and organized when dealing with concrete information; able to understand concepts
51
Q

Social and Emotional Development

A

•Refers to a gradual, integrative process through which children acquire the capacity to understand, experience, express, and manage emotions and to develop meaningful relationships with others

52
Q

Attachment

A

•A long- standing connection or bond with others

53
Q

Harlow’s Theory of Attachment

A

•He defined attachment as the affectional bond or tie that an infant forms with the mother

54
Q

John Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment

A
  • Used the concept of secure base to define a healthy attachment between parent and child
  • Secure base – a parental presence that gives the child a sense of safety as he explores his surroundings

•Mentioned that two things are needed for a healthy attachment:
– caregiver must be responsive to the child’s physical, social, and emotional needs
– caregiver and child must engage in mutually enjoyable interactions

55
Q

Mary Ainsworth’s Theory of Attachment

A

•She identified four types of parent-child attachments:

Secure Attachments – toddler prefers his parent over a stranger; distressed when their caregivers left the room, but were happy to see them when they returned – caregiver are sensitive to and responsive to their needs

Avoidant Attachment – child is unresponsive to the parent; does not use the parent as secure base; does not care when the parent leaves; toddler reacts the same way as she reacts to a stranger – caregiver is most likely insensitive an inattentive to their needs

Resistant Attachment – tend to show clingy behavior, however, they reject the attachment figure’s to interact with them; during separation, they became extremely disturbed and angry with the parent; difficult to comfort when parent returns – result of caregiver’s inconsistent level of response

Disorganized Attachment – child freeze, run around the room in an erratic manner; try to run away when caregiver returns – seen most in kids who have been abused; abuse disrupts a child’s ability to regulate their emotions

56
Q

Self-concept

A

•Refers to how someone thinks about, evaluates or perceives themselves. To be aware of oneself is to have a concept of oneself.

57
Q

Why is Development of a Positive Self-Concept Important?

A

•With a positive self-concept, children will tend to be more confident, achieve better in school, and behave more independently; more will to try new activities

58
Q

When does the Formation of a Positive Self-concept begin?

A
  • It begins in Erikson’s toddler-hood stage, when children are able to establish autonomy and become more confident in their abilities
  • Development of self-concept continues in elementary school, when children compare themselves to others
  • Favorable comparison – feel a sense of competence; motivated to work harder and accomplish more
59
Q

Authoritative Style

A
  • Parent gives reasonable demands and consistent limits; express warmth and affection; listens to the child’s point of view
  • Parent sets rules and explain the reasons behind them; flexible and willing to make exceptions to the rules in certain cases
  • Children raised tend to have high self-esteem and social skills
60
Q

Authoritarian Style

A
  • Parent places high value on conformity and obedience; often strict, tightly monitor their children; express little warmth
  • Children raised tend to be anxious, withdrawn, and unhappy
61
Q

Permissive Style

A
  • Parent makes few demands and rarely use punishment; tend to be very nurturing and loving
  • Parent may play the role of a friend rather than parent
  • Negative outcome – children tend to lack self-discipline; and negatively associated with grades
  • Positive outcome – children have higher self-esteem; better social skills, and report lower levels of depression
62
Q

Uninvolved Style

A
  • Parent is indifferent, uninvolved, and sometimes referred to as neglectful; doesn’t respond to child’s needs and make relatively few demands
  • Children raised tend to be emotionally withdrawn, fearful, anxious, perform poorly in school and are at an increased risk of substance abuse
63
Q

Temperament

A

•Refers to innate traits that influence how one thinks, behaves, and reacts with the environment

64
Q

Easy Temperament

A
  • Demonstrates positive emotions, adapt well to change and are capable of regulating their emotions
  • Tend to elicit warm and responsive parenting
65
Q

Difficult Temperament

A
  • Demonstrates negative emotions, difficulty adapting to change and regulating their emotions
  • More likely to challenge parents, teachers, and other caregivers
  • Tend to evoke irritation in their parents or cause their parents to withdraw
66
Q

Adolescence

A
  • The period of development that begins at puberty and ends at emerging childhood
  • Develop independence from parents while remaining connected to them
67
Q

Puberty (physical development)

A
  • Maturing of adrenal glands (adrenarche), and sex glands (gonadarche)
  • Both sexes experience a rapid increase in height
68
Q

Primary Sexual Characteristics

A
  • Refers to organs that are specifically needed for reproduction
  • Females – uterus and ovaries
  • Males – testes
69
Q

Secondary Sexual Characteristics

A
  • Refers to the physical signs of sexual maturation that do not directly involve sex organs
  • Females – development of breasts and hips; experience menarche (around 12-13 years old)
  • Males – development of facial hair and deepened voice; experience spermarche (around 13-14 years old)
70
Q

The adolescent brain remains under development. Up until puberty, brain cells continue to bloom in the ______ region. They engage in increased ______ and ______.

A

Frontal;

Risk-taking behaviors; Emotional outbursts

71
Q

Cognitive Development in Adolescents

A
  • More complex thinking abilities emerge during adolescence
  • Move beyond concrete thinking and become capable of abstract thought
  • Ability to consider multiple points of view, imagine hypothetical situations, debate ideas and opinions
72
Q

Cognitive Empathy

A
  • Relates the ability to take the perspective of others and feel concern for others
  • An important component of social problem solving and conflict avoidance
73
Q

Psychosocial Development in Adolescents

A

•As adolescents work to form their identities, they pull away from their parents, and the peer group becomes very important

74
Q

Adolescent Storm and Stress

A

•Refers to the period of adolescence in which teenagers are in conflict with their parents, are moody, and engage in risky behaviors

75
Q

Emerging Adulthood

A
  • Age between 18 years to the mid-20s

* Characterized as an in-between time where identity exploration is focused on work and love

76
Q

What is the factor that results in the delay of entering adult roles?

A

•Cultural expectations – people in developed countries are living longer, allowing the freedom to take an extra decade to start a career and family

77
Q

Adulthood

A

•Begins around 20 years old

•3 distinct stages: early, middle, and late
*Each stage brings its own set of rewards and challenges

78
Q

General Physical Development in Adulthood

A

•Physical maturation is complete, although height and weight may increase slightly

79
Q

Physical Development in Young Adulthood (20s to 40s)

A
  • Physical abilities are at their peak, including muscle strength, reaction time, sensory abilities, and cardiac functioning
  • Women in the young adulthood years have children – additional weight gain and breast changes
80
Q

Physical Development in Middle Adulthood (40s-60s)

A
  • Physical decline is gradual
  • Skin loses some elasticity, and wrinkles are among the first signs of ageing
  • Visual acuity decreases during this time
  • Women – experience gradual decline in fertility as they approach the onset menopause (around 50 years old); gain weight in thighs
  • Men – gain weight in the abdominal area
81
Q

Physical Development in Late Adulthood (60s-)

A
  • Skins continues to lose elasticity
  • Slower reaction time, and muscle strength diminish
  • Sensations decline significantly
82
Q

Cognitive Development in Young and Middle Adulthood

A
  • Cognitive abilities remain steady
  • Crystallized intelligences (information, skills, and strategies we have gathered through a lifetime of experience) tends to hold steady as we age
83
Q

Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood

A

•Begin to experience a decline in cognitive abilities – fluid intelligence (information processing abilities, reasoning, and memory)

84
Q

Psychosocial Development in Adulthood

A

•Healthy ageing include activities, social connectedness, and the role of a person’s culture

•Positive relationships with significant others in our adult years have been found to contribute to a state
of well-being

85
Q

Socio-emotional Selectivity Theory

A

•It suggests that our social support and friendships dwindle in number, but remain as close, if not, closer than in our earlier years