Psychology And Human Development Chapter 1

Front 1

Be able to differentiate between the concepts of original sin, blank slate, and innate goodness.

Back 1

Augustine of Hippo: Original Sin; all humans are born with a selfish nature, and must seek spiritual rebirth to reduce the influence of this inborn tendency.
John Locke: Blank Slate; people are born a blank slate and their personal experiences shape them.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Innate Goodness, all humans are born innately good, and seek out experiences that help them grow. Children only need nurturing and protection to reach full potential.

Front 2

What is lifespan perspective?

Back 2

Important changes occur during every period of development and that these changes must be interpreted in terms of culture and context in which they occur.

Front 3

Age related changes are studied using what three broad categories of development known as domains of development?

Back 3

Physical domain: size, shape, and characteristics os the body.
Cognitive domain: thinking, memory, problem solving, and other intellectual skills.
Social domain: relationship of the individual to others.

Front 4

What is the nature/nurture debate?

Back 4

The debate about the relative contributions of biological processes and experiential factors.

Front 5

What is the continuity vs. discontinuity issue? (Qualitative change versus quantitative change)

Back 5

The question of whether age-related change is primarily a matter of amount or degree or of changes in type or kind.
Quantitative change: change in the amount.
Qualitative change: changes in characteristic, kind, or type.

Front 6

How does your text define atypical development?

Back 6

Development that deviates from the typical developmental pathway in a direction harmful to the individual.

Front 7

What are the goals of developmental science?

Back 7

Describe: to state what happens.
Explain: why a particular event occurred.
Theories: sets of statements that propose general principles of development.
Predictions/Hypothesis: theories that research can test.
Influence: to use their findings to influence developmental outcomes.

Front 8

Know the difference between descriptive methods, experimental methods, longitudinal designs, and sequential designs.

Back 8

Descriptive methods
Experimental methods: random assignment of participants to control, experimental groups, manipulation of independent variable.
Longitudinal designs: participants in one group studied several times.
Sequential designs: study that combines both longitudinal and cross-sectional components.

Front 9

What are the basic concepts to consider in regard to research ethics?

Back 9

Protection from harm: it is unethical to do research that may cause participants permanent physical or psychological harm.
Informed consent: researchers must inform participants of any possible harm and have them sign a consent form stating that they are aware of the risks of participating.
Confidentiality: participants have the right to confidentiality.
Knowledge of results: participants, their parents, and the administrators of institutions in which research takes place have a right to a written summary of a study’s results.
Deception: if deception has been a necessary part of a study, participants have the right to be informed about the deception as soon as the study is over.