Front Back
nature
refers to our biology (genes)
nurture
refers to the environments, both physical and social
the active child
children contribute to their own development, and their contributions increase as they grow older
continuous development
age-related changes occur GRADUALLY (e.g. a tree gradually grows bigger)
discontinuous development
age-related changes include occasional large shifts (caterpillar-cocoon-butterfly)
mechanisms of developmental change
the interaction of genes and environment determines both what changes occur and when those changes occur
Sociocultural context
refers to the physical, social, cultural, economic, and historical circumstances that make up any child's environment development is affected by ethnicity, race and economic status
Research & Children's Welfare
improved understanding allows for education & practical application *Early diagnosis > early treatment/prevention
choosing a question-formulating hypothesis-testing hypothesis-drawing a conclusion
What are the steps of the scientific method?
structured interview
a research procedure in which all participants are asked to answer the same questions
clinical interview
a procedure in which questions are adjusted in accord with the answers the interviewee provides
rating scale
completion of a survey
L-less control. many behaviors only occur occasionally in everyday environments. limited value for studying infrequent behaviors. A-everyday settings helps illuminate social interactions processes
What are some limitations/advantages of naturalistic observation?
structured observation
involves presenting an identical situation to a number of children and recording each child's behavior, enabling direct comparisons of different children's behavior.
L-Does not provide as much information about children’s subjective experiences. Is not in the natural environment A- ensures that all children's behaviors are observed in the same context. allows controlled comparison in different situations
What are some limitations/advantages of structured observation?
L-reports may be biased in favor of interviewer memory of interviewee may be inaccurate or incomplete prediction of future may be inaccurate A-can reveal subjective experience structured interviews are inexpensive/in-depth clinical interviews allow flexibility for following up unexpe…
What are some limitation/advantages of interviews?
correlational design
the primary goal is to determine how variables are related to one another
experimental designs
allow inferences about causes and effects
A-Only way to compare many groups of interest (boys-girls, rich-poor, etc.) Only way to establish relations among many variables of interest (IQ and achievement; popularity and happiness, etc.) L-Third-variable problem Direction-of-causation problem
What are the limitations/advantages of correlational designs?
A-Allows causal inferences because design rules out direction-of-causation and third-variable problems Naturalistic experiments can demonstrate cause-effect connections in natural settings L-Need for experimental control often leads to artificial experimental situations Cannot be u…
What are the limitations/advantages of experimental design?
single case design
in depth observation of one or a few children over a period of time
cross-sectional design
Children of different ages are compared on a behavior/characteristic over a short period of time
longitudinal designs
Used when the same children are studied twice or more over a substantial period of time
age-history confound
In longitudinal research, the co-occurrence of historical factors with changes in age. (e.g. smoking, 911)
cohort effects
Characteristics shared by children growing up in a specific social and historical context. (e.g. daycare)
A-Yields useful data about differences among age groups Quick and easy to administer L-Uninformative about stability of individual differences over time Uninformative about similarities and differences in individual children’s patterns of change
What are the advantages and limitations of cross-sectional?
A-Indicates the degree of stability of individual differences over long periods Reveals individual children’s patterns of change over long periods L-Difficult to keep all participants in study Repeatedly testing children can threaten external validity of study
What are the advantages/limitations of longitudinal?
germinal
From conception until the zygote becomes implanted in the uterine wall.
Embryonic
Major development occurs in all the organs and systems of the body
Fetal
Continued development of physical structures and rapid growth of the body
Teratogens
environmental agents that have the potential to cause harm during prenatal development
Susceptibility
Individuals and species differ in susceptibility to different teratogens
Critical or Sensitive Periods
Teratogen effects depend on the stage of development during which exposure occurs
Access
Accessibility of a teratogen to fetus or embryo influences extent of its damage
Dose-Response Relationships
Amount of exposure to teratogen influences its effects
Teratogenic Response
Teratogens do not show the same effects uniformly on prenatal development
Interference with Specific Mechanisms
Teratogens interfere with differentiation, migration, and other basic functions of cells.
Developmental Delay and Sleeper Effects
Some teratogens delay development temporarily, others may have “sleeper effects” and not show up until later
Prepared Childbirth
Practicing procedures during pregnancy and childbirth that are designed to minimize pain and reduce need for medication.
Early
Until contractions are regular and cervix begins to dilate (12-14 hours)
Active
regular contractions, continue dilating (1-6 hours)
Transition
strong contractions, dilate 8-10 cm. (0-3 hours)
Second phase
delivery of baby (0-3 hours)
Third phase
delivery of placenta (0-30 min.)
infant mortality
death during the first year of birth. U.S. 20th, a.a. x2, poverty
low birth weight
infants weighing less than 5.5 pounds at or before 35 weeks small for gestation age-when their birth weight is substantially less than the norm for their gestational age
Developmental resilience
refers to successful development in the face of multiple and seemingly overwhelming developmental hazards.
Genotype
the genetic material an individual inherits
Phenotype
the observable expression of the genotype, including body characteristics and behavior
Environment
includes every aspect of the individual, and his or her surroundings, other than genes
Genes
are sections of chromosomes that are the basic units of heredity for all living things
chromosomes
long, threadlike molecules made up of DNA (carry biochemical functions)
dominant allele
is the form of the gene that is expressed if present.
recessive allele
is not expressed if a dominant allele is present
Norm of Reaction
Refers to all the phenotypes that could theoretically result from a given genotype, in relation to all the environments in which it could survive and develop
Passive links
parents transmit traits through genes, the environments they provide, or both.
Evocative links
people react to the characteristics of the child’s genotype.
Active links (niche-selection)
children seek out environments compatible with their genotypes.
Heritability
A statistical estimate of the proportion of the measured variance on a given trait among individuals in a given population that is attributable to genetic differences among those individuals
Secular trends
are marked changes in physical development that have occurred over generations, resulting from environmental changes such as improvement in health and nutrition (e.g. puberty, especially among American girls)
Failure-to-thrive (FTT)
A condition in which infants become malnourished and fail to grow for no apparent medical reason.
Adaptation
The tendency to respond to the demands of the environment to meet one’s goals
Organization
The tendency to integrate particular observations into coherent knowledge
Assimilation
Interpreting information in terms of current ways of understanding things (schemes)
Accommodation
Modification in thinking (schemes) when old ways of thinking do not fit
Organization
Tendency for structures and processes to become systematic and coherent
Equilibration
Innate self-regulatory process that results in more organized schemes.
Sensorimotor
Infants know the world through their senses and through their actions. For example, they learn what dogs look like and what petting them feels like. (birth to 2 years)
Preoperational
Toddlers and young children acquire the ability to internally represent the world through language and mental imagery. They also begin to be able to see the world from other people’s perspectives, not just from their own. (2-7)
Concrete Operational
Children become able to think logically, not just intuitively. They now can classify objects into coherent categories and understand that events are often influenced by multiple factors, not just one. (7-12)
Formal Operational
Adolescents can think systematically and reason about what might be as well as what is. This allows them to understand politics, ethics, and science fiction, as well as to engage in scientific reasoning. (12+)
deferred imitation
the repetition of other people’s behavior a substantial time after it occurred
tertiary circular reactions
avidly explore the potential uses to which objects can be put

Access the best Study Guides, Lecture Notes and Practice Exams

Login

Join to view and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or
We will never post anything without your permission.
Don't have an account?
Sign Up

Join to view 2 2 and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or

By creating an account you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use

Already a member?