Psych 4220 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Lectures 1 14 January 7th Introduction Research and Theoretical Perspectives What are the two main processes that work together to bring around development 1 Maturation or the biological unfolding of an individual due to genes 2 Learning or relatively permanent changes in our feelings thoughts and behaviors due to experience What are the nine periods of a lifespan Include the names and the age range that each period occurs in 1 Prenatal period conception to birth 2 Infancy birth 18 months 3 Toddler 18 months 3 years 4 Early childhood preschool period 3 5 or 6 years 5 Middle childhood 6 12 years 6 Adolescence 12 or puberty until approximately 20 years 7 Young Adulthood 20 40 years 8 Middle adulthood 40 65 years 9 Late adulthood 65 and older What is the possible 10th life stage When does it occur Psychologists are considering one other possible life period emerging adulthood It occurs between the 6th and 7th periods adolescence and young adulthood and takes place between the ages of approximately 18 years to 25 years January 9th Age norms unspoken societal rules based on age which give a sense of appropriate timing for life transitions There are many individual differences in development Only large deviations are cause for concern What are the different topical approaches to development Physical development the development involving the body s physical makeup Cognitive development development involving growth and change in intellectual capabilities and thinking Social development the development involving and individual s interactions with others and social relationships Personality development development involving enduring characteristics that differentiate people What are the three goals of developmental research 1 Description 2 Explanation 3 Optimization helping people to reach their full potential What are the two different kinds of description 1 Normative development typical patterns 2 Idiographic development differences between development of individuals Which is the biggest goal of developmental research Optimization What are some of the issues behind baby biographies or the detailed descriptions of one s own child They are subjective based only on one child and it is difficult to compare between researchers because each was typically focuses on different aspects of development Who was the father of developmental psychology G Stanley Hall Describe the different ways in which researchers can collect data on development Name the pros and cons of each method 1 Survey self report the researchers ask participants about their thoughts attitudes feelings and behavior 1 Pros large amounts of information can be gathered quickly and cheaply 2 Cons Relies on the accuracy and honesty of participants and cannot be used with infants 2 Naturalistic observation observe behaviors in everyday life 1 Pros can be used with nonverbal people observes behavior in its natural context 2 Cons infrequent socially unacceptable behaviors are harder to catch people may act differently when being observed cannot determine causation 3 Structured laboratory observation observe participants in lab or elsewhere under carefully created conditions 1 Pros Easier to study infrequent behavior can compare between participants and better determine cause of behavior 2 Cons not as realistic so harder to generalize to real world 4 Psychophysiological methods examine relationship between physiological responses and behavior i e heart rate i Examples an EEG measures brain wave activity an fMRI uses a magnetic field to produce a 3D image of the brain 1 Pros useful for infants toddlers those who cannot verbally report experiences 2 Cons hard to interpret what changes mean What is the difference between a questionnaire and an interview A questionnaire is written and an interview is verbal January 12th Cohort a group of people born at the same time who are exposed to similar culture historical context when growing up What are the different types of research designs Name any major pros and cons 1 Cross sectional designs compare children in different age groups at the same time the most common type of research a Pro fast and inexpensive b Con cohort effect aka the effect of being born in on particular historical context may play a role 2 Longitudal design the same group of participants is measured at different ages a Pros can examine relationships between early and later behavior b Cons cross generational problem it is hard to generalize to groups that are not part of the same cohort Also time consuming expensive and the problem may not be timeless 3 Sequential design combines cross sectional and longitudal to follow 2 or more cohorts for a short longitudal period a Pros can separate effects due to development cohort effects and can reduce cross generational problem b Cons more costly and time consuming than cross sectional can get complicated January 21st What are some of risks that can affect a pregnancy due to the age of the mother 1 For mothers under 16 environmental effects such as poverty poor nutrition high stress or lack of prenatal care 2 For mothers over 40 biological effects such as fewer less healthy eggs increased risk of miscarriage increased risk of genetic conditions and an increased risk of complications during pregnancy delivery Doctors recommend that a pregnant mother gain between 25 35 pounds What are some of the effects of malnutrition Miscarriage low birth weight and decreased brain development Teratogens any disease drug or environmental agent that can harm the prenatal organism However not all embryos are equally affected Perinatal environment the social and medical environment surrounding birth What are the three stages of the birth process 1 First stage regular contractions begin until the cervix is dilated 2 Second stage delivery of the baby 3 3rd stage delivery of the placenta Cesarean section incision is made through the abdominal wall and into the uterus The infant and placenta are removed through the opening January 26th What is considered to be low birth weight Less than 5 pounds the average being 7 7 pounds Very low birth rate is less than 2 pounds Preterm when a baby is born before 37 weeks What are some complications caused by low birth weight Breathing difficulties underdeveloped sensory systems difficulty forming secure attachments to caregivers learning difficulties lower IQs higher risk for heart disease Type 2 diabetes asthma Postmature