Questions and Answers
What is developmental psychology?
Lifespan, typical development, moral development, emotional development, predetermined stages, maturation, systematic changes.
Describe the developmental area.
Developmental psychologists study changes over time, focusing on both children and adulthood.
What are the key concepts of developmental psychology?
Focus on lifespan changes, human development through nature and nurture, primarily during childhood and adolescence.
Which of the following are applications of developmental psychology? (Select all that apply)
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What are the strengths of the developmental area?
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What are the weaknesses of the developmental area?
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What is a key theme in developmental psychology?
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What is the basis of Bandura et al.'s study (1961) on aggression?
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What was the aim of Bandura et al.'s study?
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How many children participated in the Bandura et al. study?
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What was the design of Bandura et al.'s study?
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Study Notes
Developmental Psychology Overview
- Field studies lifespan changes, including biological, emotional, and moral development.
- Involves both typical and atypical development across all life stages.
Characteristics of Development
- Development is a continuous process with systematic changes influenced by genetics (nature) and environment (nurture).
- Significant changes occur during childhood and adolescence, but adult development and aging are also studied.
Applications of Developmental Psychology
- Concepts applied in education, childcare practices, and media consumption (e.g., computer games, child-rated films).
Strengths of Developmental Area
- Practical applications enhance childcare and educational approaches.
- Contributes to understanding the nature vs. nurture debate.
- Employs varied methodologies for data collection, enabling longitudinal studies to track changes over time.
Weaknesses of Developmental Area
- Ethical concerns arise when conducting research with children, particularly regarding consent and protection.
- Challenges in inferring behavior from children since they cannot articulate thoughts.
- Research may be limited by cultural and temporal factors affecting early developmental environments.
- Samples can be small, leading to potential unrepresentativeness.
Key Theme
- Focuses on external influences shaping children's behavior and development.
Classical Study: Bandura et al. (1961) - Transmission of Aggression
- Grounded in Social Learning Theory, emphasizing the role of models in learning behaviors.
- Aggression can be learned through observation and reinforcement, impacting children's own behavior.
Background of Bandura's Study
- Investigated children's propensity to imitate adult behavior and the influence of gender on aggression.
- Emphasized observational learning and the necessity to understand gender-specific behavior in aggression.
Aim of the Study
- To explore the degree to which children imitate aggressive behavior modeled by adults and assess the role of gender in this imitation.
Hypotheses of the Study
- Children exposed to aggressive models will exhibit more imitative aggressive behavior than those with non-aggressive or no models.
- Non-aggressive model exposure will lead to reduced aggressive behavior.
- Boys are anticipated to display higher levels of imitative aggression than girls.
- Preference for same-sex models will result in greater imitation compared to opposite-sex models.
Participants in the Study
- Sample included 72 children (36 boys and 36 girls) aged 37-69 months (average age: 52 months) from Stanford University Nursery School.
Design of the Study
- Lab experiment utilizing independent measures, assessing effects of model behavior, model sex, and child sex.
- Eight conditions were tested, with participants matched on initial aggression levels to control for confounding variables.
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Description
Explore the key concepts of developmental psychology with these OCR flashcards. Learn about lifespan development, moral and emotional changes, and the stages of maturation that define our growth. Ideal for students preparing for their psychology exams.