LEARNING OBJECTIVES CHAPTER 9
1. Define developmental psychology. (see introductory section)
2. Describe the history of the nature-nurture debate. Discuss the different views of development held by Gesell, Watson, and Piaget. Define maturation. (see “Exploring Human Development”)
3. Define behavioral genetics. Describe how nature and nurture operate together to influence development. Explain the difficulty in applying the results of behavioral genetics research to a given individual. (see “Understanding Genetic Influence” and “Genes and the Environment”)
4. Define chromosomes, genes, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Describe the process of mitosis and meiosis. (see “Prenatal Development”)
5. Describe the changes that occur in the zygotic, embryonic, and fetal stages of prenatal development. (see “Stages of Prenatal Development” under “Prenatal Development”)
6. Define and give examples of teratogens. Define critical period and name the stage associated with it. Describe the types of birth defects that can be caused by teratogens, including the pattern of defects known as fetal alcohol syndrome. (see “Prenatal Risks” under “Prenatal Development”)
7. Describe the sensory capacities of a newborn. Define reflexes, and name and describe three reflexes exhibited by newborns. Discuss how motor development is influenced by experimentation. (see “The Newborn”)
8. Describe Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Define and give examples of schemas, assimilation, and accommodation. (see “The Development of Knowledge: Piaget’s Theory”)
9. Describe the development of mental abilities during the sensorimotor period. Define object permanence. (see “Sensorimotor Development” under “The Development of Knowledge: Piaget’s Theory”)
10. Explain how research has led psychologists to modify Piaget’s description of infants in the sensorimotor period. Discuss the experiments on object permanence and the role of experience in developing knowledge during infancy. (see “New Views of Infants’ Cognitive Development” under “The Development of Knowledge: Piaget’s Theory” and “Focus on Research: Exploring Developing Minds”)
11. Describe the cognitive changes that occur during the preoperational period. Discuss the ability to use symbols and the tendency to make intuitive guesses during this period. (see “Preoperational Development” under “The Development of Knowledge: Piaget’s Theory”)
12. Define conservation. Describe the cognitive changes that occur during Piaget’s stage of concrete operations. (see “Preoperational Development” and “Concrete and Formal Operational Thought” under “The Development of Knowledge: Piaget’s Theory”)
13. Describe the cognitive changes that occur during the formal operational period. (see “Concrete and Formal Operational Thought under “The Development of Knowledge: Piaget’s Theory”)
14. Discuss the criticisms of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and discuss the information-processing approach as an alternative to Piaget’s theory. (see “Modifying Piaget’s Theory” and “Information Processing During Childhood”)
15. Describe infantile amnesia and discuss possible explanations for the phenomenon. (see “Linkages: Development and Memory”)
16. Describe the impact of culture and early childhood experiences on cognitive development. (see “Culture and Cognitive Development” and “Individual Variations in Cognitive Development”)
17. Define temperament. Describe the different behaviors exhibited by easy, difficult, and slow-to-warm-up babies. (see “Individual Temperament”)
18. Define attachment. Describe Harlow’s studies of motherless monkeys. Discuss the development of attachment in humans. (see “The Infant Grows Attached”)
19. Explain how the Strange Situation Test is used to study attachment. Describe how secure attachment patterns differ from avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized attachment patterns. Discuss the question of whether day care damages the formation of a healthy mother-infant attachment. (see “Variations in Attachment” under “The Infant Grows Attached” and “Thinking Critically: Does Day Care Harm the Emotional Development of Infants?”)
20. Define socialization. Compare and contrast the parenting styles of authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parents. Describe the characteristics of children raised by each type of parent and discuss the limitations of the research in this area. (see “Relationships with Parents and Peers”)
21. Describe the development of social relationships and social skills in children. Describe the development of gender roles. (see “Social Skills” and “Gender Roles”)
22. Define puberty. Describe the physical and psychological changes that occur during adolescence, and discuss the problems adolescents face. Describe the relationships adolescents have with their parents and peers. (see “The Challenges of Change” under “Adolescence”)
23. Describe the development of both the personal and the ethnic identity. Define identity crisis. (see “Identity and Development of the Self” under “Adolescence”)
24. Describe the stages of moral reasoning suggested by Kohlberg. Define preconventional, conventional, and postconventional moral reasoning, and give examples of statements that illustrate reasoning at each of these stages. Discuss the cultural and gender-related limitations of Kohlberg’s theory. (see “Moral Reasoning” under “Adolescence”)
25. Describe the physical, cognitive, and social changes that occur during adulthood. (see “Physical Changes,” “Cognitive Changes,” and “Social Changes” under “Adulthood”)
26. Define midlife transition, generativity, and terminal drop. (see “Middle Adulthood” under “Social Changes” and “Death and Dying”)