Psychology, A Journey 3e Objectives Chapter 3
OBJECTIVE 3.1 – Define developmental psychology and explain the roles that heredity and environment play in a person’s development.
OBJECTIVE 3.2 – Explain the basic mechanisms of heredity, include a description of the following terms: a. chromosome; b. DNA; c. gene; d.polygenic; e. dominant trait (gene); f. recessive trait (gene); g. human growth sequence.
OBJECTIVE 3.3 – Define the term temperament and describe the characteristics of easy, difficult, and slow-to-warm-up children.
OBJECTIVE 3.4 – Define the terms nurture (environment) and sensitive period and briefly discuss the impact that environment has on development.
OBJECTIVE 3.5 – Distinguish between congenital and genetic problems and discuss the effects of environmental influences (including tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs) on an unborn child, including a definition of teratogen and the relationship between the blood supplies of the mother and her developing child.
OBJECTIVE 3.6 – Describe the effects of enrichment and deprivation on development; explain the concepts of reciprocal interactions and developmental level; and list the three factors that combine to determine one’s developmental level.
OBJECTIVE 3.7 – Describe the world of the neonate, including their adaptive reflexes and their sensory and intellectual capabilities.
OBJECTIVE 3.8 – Discuss motor development and the concepts of maturation, cephalocaudal pattern, proximodistal pattern, and readiness (include how readiness is related to toilet training).
OBJECTIVE 3.9 – Describe the course of emotional development, according to Bridges and Izard, and explain the importance of the social smile.
OBJECTIVE 3.10 – Explain how self-awareness and emotional attachment are related to early social development, define separation anxiety and separation anxiety disorder, differentiate between the three types of attachment identified by Mary Ainsworth, and describe how these attachments can influence how people relate to others as adults.
OBJECTIVE 3.11 – Explain how parents can promote secure attachments; describe the characteristics of fathers who have securely attached infants; discuss the effects of day care on the quality of attachment (including the criteria for evaluating child care); and explain the importance of attachment in meeting a child’s affectional needs.
OBJECTIVE 3.12 – Describe Baumrind’s three major styles of parenting, including characteristics of both parents and children in each style; compare maternal and paternal influences on a child; and describe ethnic differences in parenting.
OBJECTIVE 3.13 – Describe the five stages of language acquisition and discuss children’s increasing use of language in combination with their growing independence (including the time period known as the “terrible twos”).
OBJECTIVE 3.14 – Discuss the roots of language, including Chomsky’s theory and the research of other psycholinguists into the role of innate and environmental factors in language acquisition, and explain how parents communicate with infants before the infants can talk, including the concepts of signals, turn-taking, and parentese.
OBJECTIVE 3.15 – With regard to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development:
a. explain how a child’s intelligence and thinking differ from an adult’s (include
the concept of transformation).
b. explain the concepts of assimilation and accommodation.
c. list (in order) and describe the specific characteristics of each stage.
d. explain how parents can best guide their child’s intellectual development.
e. evaluate the usefulness of Piaget’s theory in light of the current research on
infant cognition.
OBJECTIVE 3.16 – Briefly discuss Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and define the terms zone of proximal development and scaffolding.
OBJECTIVE 3.17—Discuss the concept of moral development by describing each of Kohlberg’s three levels of moral development, the technique he used to study moral development, and the proportion of the population that appears to function at each level.
OBJECTIVE 3.18 – Define the terms developmental milestones, developmental tasks, and psychosocial dilemmas, describe the eight psychosocial dilemmas (life stages) in Erikson’s theory and their possible outcomes; give approximate age ranges for each of these eight life stages; explain how being a member of a minority ethnic group influences one’s identity search during adolescence; and describe the new concept of emerging adulthood.
OBJECTIVE 3.19 – Describe the challenges of mid-life to old age, including Ryff’s elements of well-being; Schaie’s suggestions for keeping “mentally sharp;” ageism; the fluid and crystallized abilities of older workers, and the keys to successful aging.
OBJECTIVE 3.20 – Regarding effective parenting techniques, briefly discuss
a. positive parent-child interactions.
b. characteristics of effective discipline.
c. characteristics and effects of the child rearing methods of power assertion,
withdrawal of love, and management techniques on children’s behavior and
their self-esteem.
d. the effects of consistent and inconsistent discipline.
e. the effects of punishment, including spanking, and guidelines for its use.
f. the elements of effective communication, according to Haim Ginott.
g. Thomas Gordon’s concepts of I-messages and you-messages.
h. the use of natural and logical consequences.