Overview of Psychological Development
Define heredity and environment as used in psychology.
Define the meaning of attachment
Explain the meaning of adaptation in relation to Piaget’s theory
Adaptation: taking in, processing, organising and using new information in ways that enable us to adjust to changes in our environment
Adaptive behaviour primarily involves _____ in everyday life.
a) excellence
b) obedience
c) independence
d) adjustment
d) adjustment
The term _____ is used to describe thoughts, feelings or behaviours that differ from what is considered normal, typical, usual or healthy.
Neurotypical, neurotypicality, normality, abnormality
Abnormality
Why psychologists interested in the role that heredity and environment play in shaping psychological development?
Differentiate between stranger and separation anxiety
Stranger anxiety: the distress and uneasiness experienced by young children when they are around people who are unfamiliar to them
Separation anxiety: indicated by the distress and uneasiness when away (or facing the prospect of being away) from the person or people to whom they are attached
Explain what Piaget meant by the term schema.
schema: a mental idea of what something is and how to act on it/ an organised mental representation of what something is and how to deal with it/‘a cohesive, repeatable action sequence possessing component actions that are tightly interconnected and governed by a core meaning’
Distinguish between atypical and maladaptive behaviour
A significant limitation of the use of the term normality is that:
a) No person can truly be considered to be normal from any perspective.no person can truly be considered to be normal from any perspective.
B) there is no universally accepted single definition of normality in psychology.there is no universally accepted single definition of normality in psychology.
C) its definition and meaning does not vary enough in different societies or cultures.its definition and meaning does not vary enough in different societies or cultures.
D) it is too narrow a concept to be used in relation to mental health and wellbeing.
D) it is too narrow a concept to be used in relation to mental health and wellbeing.
Name and describe the three domains in the biopsychosocial model with reference to relevant examples.
Suggest two other potential influences on the formation of the attachment relationship, besides contact comfort.
Potential influences may include genes, temperament, constrained environment, absence of privation
Explain with examples, the two vital adaptation processes identified by Piaget.
assimilation: taking in new information and fitting it into and making it part of a pre-existing mental idea about objects or experiences
accommodation: changing/adjusting a pre-existing mental idea in order to fit new information into this idea
Distinguish between typical and atypical behaviour
Describe autism along with examples of some key characteristics
autism as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by difficulties with social communication, social interaction and restricted/repetitive, routine type behaviours, interests and activities.
Distinguish between sensitive and critical periods in psychological development with reference to two key points.
List three behaviours that infants could show as an indicator of attachment
– crying when in a stranger’s arms
– crying when left alone
– clinging to the caregiver
– calling out for the caregiver
– lifting up arms for a cuddle when seeing the caregiver.
Explain the first and second stages of Piagets theory of cognitive development, including the age ranges and accomplishments of each stage
Sensorimotor (0-2y): object permanence: understanding that objects still exist even if they cannot be seen, heard or touched; goal-directed behaviour: perform and successfully complete a sequence of actions with a particular purpose in mind
Pre-operational (2-7y): symbolic thinking; egocentric — primarily from their perspective; animism — assuming all objects have some kind of consciousness; centration — focusing on only one feature at a time; transformation: understanding that something can change from one state to another; reversibility: the ability to mentally follow a sequence of events or line of reasoning back to its starting point
Explain when atypical psychological development would be of concern to a mental health professional
atypical development raises concerns when it is persistent, is evident across different situations in everyday life, and results in maladaptive behaviour i.e. interferes with the ability to successfully adjust to the environment.
Describe ADHD along with examples of some key characteristics
ADHD as a disorder characterised by a persistent pattern of inattention, and/or hyperactive-impulsive behaviour that adversely affects every day functioning
If a child has not acquired their native language by a certain age, is it possible that the child will never master the language? Explain your answer.
Name and describe four attachment types
Explain the third and fourth stages of Piagets theory of cognitive development, including the age ranges and accomplishments of each stage
Concrete operational (7-12y): conservation: understanding that certain properties of an object can remain the same even when its appearance changes e.g. volume, mass, number and length; classification: ability to organise objects or events into categories based on common features that set them apart from other categories; concrete thinking — through what they know and what they can experience through their senses;
Formal operational (12y+): more complex thought processes and thinking are apparent; thinking becomes increasingly sophisticated; abstract thinking; logical thinking; idealistic thinking; setting goals and making plans for the future
Identify and explain 5 perspective that can be considered to classify typical or atypical behaviour
Social norms: widely held standard that governs what people should and should not do in different situations, especially in relation to others
Cultural perspectives: each culture and ethnic group within that culture has its own set of norms about what is considered acceptable behaviour
Statistical rarity: typical and atypical behaviour can be determined by how often or how rarely they occur. Large majority of people, called the ‘statistical average’, behave in a certain way, it is considered to be typical behaviour
Personal distress: Generally, if the personal distress is a reasonable response to such events and is appropriate in their culture, then it is likely to be considered typical rather than atypical behaviour
Maladaptive behaviour: any behaviour that is detrimental, counterproductive or otherwise interferes with the individual’s ability to successfully adjust (‘adapt’) to the environment and fulfil their typical roles in society
Explain the 3 types of learning disabilities outlined in this unit
Dyslexia is a learning disability characterised by significant difficulties with accurate and fluent word reading, spelling and writing words.
Dyscalculia is a condition that affects the ability to acquire mathematical concepts and skills. It is a specific learning disability that impairs learning and understanding of number concepts and calculations
Dyspraxia is a condition that affects coordination of physical movements, which may include muscles for speaking. It is a specific learning disability that impairs acquisition and/or execution of skills required for motor coordination and possibly speech.