Psych 206 Exam 1 Chapter Review

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1.1
What characteristics and processes do child development researchers study?

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Child development is a multidisciplinary field that studies PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, & SOCIOEMOTIONAL development in children and adolescents.

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What are several main themes that run across child dev research today?

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Today, researchers study how NATURE & NURTURE interact to influence child dev, & more emphasis is being placed on NEUROSCIENCE (study of the brain & nervous system), DIVERSITY, MULTICULTURALISM, POSITIVE dev, & RESILIENCE. All of these are key features in understanding how children grow & dev

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1.3
What is a theory, & why are theories useful?

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A theory is an EXPLANATION of how the FACTS FIT TOGETHER. Theories provide FRAMEWORKS that SUMMARIZE the FACTS as currently known, allow PREDICTION of future behavior & events, provide GUIDANCE, STIMULATE new RESEARCH & discoveries, & give researchers FILTERS for IDENTIFYING relevant information & relationships.

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1.4 How have the psychoanalytic, behavioral, & social learning theories contributed to the field of child dev?

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The psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud & Erik Erikson focused, respectively, on unconscious processes & the dev of ego identity. Freud described five stages of personality dev that involved the id, ego, & superego. Erikson described eight stages of identity dev. Behavioral theories focused on observable behaviors & environmental conditions. Classical conditioning theories (Ivan Pavlov & John Watson) described how organisms learn reflexive responses, & the theory of operant conditioning (B. F. Skinner RATS MAZE) described how reinforcement & punishment affect behavior. Albert Bandura’s social learning theory emphasizes imitation & modeling of behavior.

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1.5 How have the cognitive, biological, & contextual & systems theories contributed to the field of child dev?

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Jean Piaget’s cognitive dev theory proposed that children actively construct & adapt their own structures of thought & logic through four stages of cognitive growth. Lev Vygotsky described how the internalization of language brings the culture’s psychological tools to the developing minds of children. Neuroscientists use modern technology to study the structure & function of the brain & nervous system, & ethologists study the adaptive & survival values of behaviors. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory identifies layers of systems that influence the child, from the child’s interaction with immediate family members to the larger context of culture & society. Dynamic systems theories use math & physics models to understand the complex systems that affect child dev. Each theory gives you a different perspective on how children develop.

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1.6 What are some examples of descriptive research methods, & how are they useful in studying dev?

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Descriptive research methods include observation, self reports, & case studies. The goal of descriptive methods is to provide information & describe some aspect of development. These methods help researchers gather information & develop hypotheses, but they do not answer questions about relationships among variables.

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1.7 What is the proper way to interpret a correlation, & what are the advantages & disadvantages of correlational research?

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With the correlational method, researchers measure the degree to which two or more variables are related or associated. Correlation is especially useful in situations in which it would be unethical to manipulate an independent variable experimentally. This method also can be used to describe the complex array of interactions among many variables. Its main weakness is that correlation alone does not prove causation.

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1.8 How do researchers determine cause & effect?

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With the EXPERIMENTAL METHOD, researchers MANIPULATE AN INDEPENDENT variable to test its effect on a dependent variable. The main strength of experimentation is that, if conducted properly, experiments can determine cause-&-effect relationships. The main weakness is that it would be UNETHICAL TO MANIPULATE many of the VARIABLES that are of INTEREST in child dev.

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1.9 How do cross-sectional, longitudinal, & hybrid research designs differ in how they assess dev effects?

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The cross-sectional method compares groups of children of different ages against one another at the same point in time. With the longitudinal method, researchers follow the same children across time & retest or evaluate them as they age. The longitudinal method provides a more direct test of dev, but it can be very time-consuming & is compromised when participants drop out of the study. The cross-sectional method is more efficient, & participants are less likely to drop out, but cohort effects can be a problem when the groups differ substantially in age. Hybrid designs try to use the strengths of both types of methods.

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1.10 What steps do researchers take to protect the rights & privacy of children who participate in their studies?

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All researchers must get approval for their studies from an INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD. The IRB evaluates proposals to determine if the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Researchers must use nonharmful procedures, obtain informed consent from participants (& from parents or guardians of minor participants), report unforeseen consequences, protect the privacy of information, & consider the implications of their research.

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1.11 How can child dev research be used to help parents, government agencies, teachers, psychologists, counselors, & other people who work with children?

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The knowledge provided by child dev research can help people deal with family & parenting concerns. It also has important implications for all social policy involving children. It also improves the services offered to children in therapeutic, educational, & medical settings.

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1.12 What career opportunities are available for people who want to work with or for children?

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A wide variety of careers involve work with children. EDUCATION, THERAPY, SOCIAL SERVICE, & DAY CARE are examples of settings that involve direct work with children & families. Corporations & government agencies hire people to develop products or programs that affect children. Scientists & researchers investigate child dev & evaluate the impact that social policies have on children & families.