Psychology SAC - Chapters 2-3

Our genetics. Heredity involves the transmission of characteristics from biological parents to their offspring via genes at the time of conception

The environment that we grow up in. Environment is used to refer to all the experiences, objects and events to which we are exposed throughout our entire lifetime

Sensitive periods are times during development when an individual is more responsive to certain types of environmental stimulation or learning. They are the best time to learn a developmental skill.

The Sensitive Period for learning a native language ends at about age 12, with the window gradually closing from age seven.

Critical periods are specific times during development where an individual is vulnerable to being deprived of an environmental stimulus.

Clearest example of critical periods, a newly hatched duckling will follow the first noisy moving object it sees. After 10 minutes of following this object, the duckling will assume that this object is its ‘mother.’

-Emotional development -Cognitive development -Social development -Physical development

Is a way of describing how biological, psychological and social factors combine to describe and explain a person’s development and wellbeing.

-Interpersonal relationships -Social media -Ethnicity -Access to healthcare -Educational background

-Learning and memory -Ways of thinking -Attitudes and beliefs -Emotions -Perceptions -Coping skills

-Genes -Age -Male/female -Race -Hormones -Disease

A developmental change is any relatively permanent or lasting change that occurs during the course of the lifespan. Eg: Learning to speak, walk, making friendships,

This means that factors from each area can affect each other, and influence how we develop as a whole person. Example: A person who is eating well and getting good sleep will think more clearly, which can improve how they interact with others at school or work, which will lead to less stress!

an emotion is a complex reaction pattern to a personally significant event.

Attachment describes the relationship between two people who feel strongly about each other. In infancy, it has been studied as the emotional bond. -Infants form attachment with their main caregivers -Some develop different levels of emotional bonds with different caregivers

An observational study Mary Ainsworth had devised for assessing attachment. It is a standardised test measuring emotional attachment between infants and caregivers.

-Proximity and contact seeking -Contact Maintenance -Avoidance of proximity and contact -Resistance to contact and comforting

-Secure attachment -Insecure resistant -Aviodant attachment -Disorganised attachment

-Show distress when separated from mother. -Avoidant of stranger, unless accompanied by mother. -Happy to see mother after separation.

-Show intense distress when separated from mother -Significant fear of stranger -Approach mother but reject contact after separation

-Show no interest when separated from mother -Play happily with stranger -Ignore mother after separation

Inconsistent attachment behaviours

Harry Harlow (1958) conducted research on rhesus monkeys to study factors influencing attachment. Created ‘surrogate’ mothers for infant monkeys and observed their preference for which mother the monkey clung to for support.

The infant’s need for physical closeness and touching is referred to as contact comfort. Contact comfort is believed to be the foundation for attachment.