Human Growth and Development
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Nature versus nurture controversy Ans: experiences (nurture)
or genetics (nature) influences development
Nurture blank slate Ans: tabula rasa
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Nature versus nurture differences Ans: nature preprogrammed
and nurture experiences
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View of most theorists on nature versus nurture Ans:
combination, interact from conception forward
Stage theories (discontinuity theories) Ans: Development
through a series of stages
Continuity theories Ans: Steady growth process
Discontinuity (stage) vs Continuity Ans: Stage is qualitative
Child development vs. Life Span Perspective Ans: Freud and
Piaget = child development
Erikson = life span
Child Development theory Ans: complete once reach
adolescence
Life Span theory Ans: continues throughout life span
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Universality vs. context-specific development Ans:
Universality (Piaget) = same order and same age
Context-specific (Bronfenbrenner) = takes place in various
contexts
Context-specific development Ans: Collectivist cultures vs.
individualistic cultures changes development
Cognitive development theory Ans: Based on the notion that
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cognitive abilities are developed as individuals mature
physiologically and have opportunity to interact with
environment (Piaget)
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Equilibration of accommodation and assimilation Ans: Piaget
argues that normally we are in this state, when a new stimulus
presents we enter state of disequilibrium
Accommodation Ans: Adjusting prior knowledge gained
through former experiences and interactions
Assimilation Ans: Fitting together the new information with
what has been previously known or understood
Constructivism Ans: Piaget position on learning. Children
construct schema, organized patterns of thought or action,
Based on the experiences that they have actively exploring the
environment
Piaget Constructivism Ans: considered a stage theory
Piaget Constructivism Four Stages Ans: 1. Sensorimotor (birth -
2)
2. Preoperational (2-7)
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3. Concrete Operations (7-11)
4. Formal Operaitons (11-15)
Preoperational stage Ans: egocentrism, rigidity of thought,
semi logical reasoning, limited social cognition
Concrete Operations Ans: Beginning of operational thinking,
can perform transformations, understand reversibility,
inversion, reciprocity, and conservation, group into categories,
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make inferences, inductive reasoning
Formal Operations Ans: higher ordered critical thinking, adult
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thinking, ultimate stage of cognitive development, scientific
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method, logical, abstract and hypothetical thought, deductive
and inductive reasoning
Kohlberg Ans: extended Piaget model to study of moral
reasoning
Information processing approach Ans: newer approach to
studying cognitive development, uses computer as metaphor
for human mind
Learning theory (or behaviorist theory) Ans: Developmental
change as the product of learning
Learning Ans: To find as changes in observable behavior
Watson Ans: Found in school psychology called behaviorism or
behavioral psychology
Behavioral psychology important figures Ans: Pavlov, Watson,
Skinner, Bandura
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Learning theory Ans: behavior is controlled by stimuli in the
environment
Pavlov Classical Conditioning Ans: Learning takes place when
reflexive behavior comes under the control of a novel stimulus
in the environment
Reflex Ans: unlearned behavior present at birth, unconscious
Components of Reflex Ans: Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) -
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automatically elicits response without training or conditioning
Unconditioned Response (UCR) - untrained motor response
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Inborn reflex Ans: result of UCS-UCR connection
Conditioned Stimulus (CS) Ans: Consistently paired with the
UCS
Conditioned Response (CR) Ans: after several pairings of UCS
with CS, CR happens
Generalization Ans: Observed when a conditioned response
solicited by stimuli similar to the original CS
Discrimination Ans: Opposite of generalization. Process of
conditioning a response to occur only after specific stimulus is
presented
Extinction Ans: Unlearning of a CR
John Watson Ans: Extended work of Pavlov by studying
classical conditioning of emotional responses and children