Child Psychology Final Exam Study Guide DEP 3103 x4 Fall 2011 Chapter 1 1 1 List the age periods researchers use to study child development and cite the three domains into which development is often divided p 4 What are the three domains into which development is often divided How are these domains related Child development is often divided into 3 broad domains 1 physical 2 cognitive 3 emotional and social These domains are not really distinct they form an integrated whole They combine in an integrated holistic fashion to yield the living growing child Each domain influences and is influenced by others Ex you will see that new motor capacities such as reaching sitting crawling and walking physical contribute greatly to infants understanding of their surroundings cognitive 1 2 Explain the role of theories in understanding child development and describe three basic issues on which major theories take a stand pp 4 6 What are the three basic issues on which most major theories take a stand Identify how a person would feel about certain issues depending on whether they believe development is largely influenced by nature or nurture Almost all child development theories take a stand on 3 controversial issues 1 is development a continuous process or is it discontinuous taking place in discrete qualitatively distinct stages 2 Does one general course of development characterize all children or do many possible courses exist depending on the contexts in which children grown up 3 Does development depend more on genetic or environmental factors the nature nurture controversy and is it stable or open to change Contemporary theorists take a balanced stand on these issues recognizing that answers may vary across domains of development and even as research on resilience illustrates across individuals Although all theories grant at least some role to both nature and nurture they vary in emphasis Consider the following question is the older child s ability to think in more complex ways largely the result of an inborn timetable or growth or is it primarily influenced by stimulation form parents and teacher If you believe that development is largely due to nature then providing experiences aimed at promoting change would seem to be of little value If on the other hand you are convinced of the supreme importance of early experience then you would intervene as soon as possible offering high quality stimulation and support to ensure that children develop at their best Chapter 2 2 1 Explain the differences among theories hypotheses and research questions and discuss why it is important to be knowledgeable about research strategies p 42 What is a theory What is a research question What is a hypothesis When do we use each Why is it important to know about research strategies Theory theories structure the research process by identifying important research concerns and occasionally preferred methods for collecting data We also discussed how theories guide the application of findings to real life circumstances and practices with children research usually begins with a prediction drawn from a theory called a hypothesis Research question occasionally little or no theory exists on a topic of interest In these instances the investigator may start with a research question such as have recent world events US war in Iraq and a global rise in terrorism heightened children s fears and anxieties Hypothesis and research questions offer investigators vital guidance as they settle on research methods and research designs Hypothesis research usually begins with a hypothesis a prediction about behavior drawn from a theory When little or no theory exists on a topic of interest investigators begin with a research question On the basis of the hypothesis or question the investigator selects research methods specific activities of participants and a research design overall plan for study It is important to learn about research strategies for 2 reasons First each of us must be a wise and critical consumer of knowledge Knowing the strengths and limitations of various research strategies is important in separating dependable information from misleading results Second individuals who work directly with children may be in a unique position to build bridges between research and practice by conducting studies either on their own or in partnership with experienced investigators Community agencies such as schools mental health facilities and parks and recreation programs sometimes collaborate with researchers in designing implementing and evaluating interventions aimed at enhancing children s development To broaden these efforts a basic understanding of the research process is essential Chapter 3 3 2 Describe the process of meiosis and explain how it leads to genetic variability p 73 What happens during meiosis Why does it lead to genetic variability the 1 in 700 trillion chance that two non twin siblings will have the same genetic make up Meiosis gametes or sex cells are formed through a cell division process called meiosis which halves the number of chromosomes normally present in body cells Steps of meiosis 1st chromosomes pair up and each one copies itself Then a special event called crossing over occurs in which chromosomes next to each other break at one or more points along their length and exchange segments so that genes from one are replaced by genes from another This shuffling of genes creates new hereditary combinations Next the chromosome pairs separate into different cells but chance determines which member of each pair will gather with others and end up in the same gamete Finally each chromosome leaves its partner and becomes part of a gamete containing only 23 chromosomes instead of the usual 46 These events make the likelihood extremely low about 1 in 700 trillion that nontwin offspring of the same two parents will be genetically identical 3 3 Describe the genetic events that determine the sex of the new organism p 74 What determines whether a zygote is a boy or girl All but one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes are matching pairs called autosomes The remaining pair the sex chromosomes XX in females and XY in males determines a child s sex 3 5 Describe basic patterns of genetic inheritance and give examples of each pp 75 78 Given an example of parents with certain traits you will be told which is dominant and which is recessive and a child with a certain trait you should be able to determine whether each of the individuals
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