psychology essay help

LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT

developmental psychology: the study of physical, mental, and social

development thru out the lifespan

the lifespan is from

GENETICS

genes: the biological blueprints that determine our hereditary traits

EX:

chromosomes contain all of our genes and are made of twisted strands of DNA

of chromosomes

autosomes: control physical and mental traits;

sex chromosomes (or gametes): these determine your sex;

XX- girl XY- boy

father determines the sex of the child (can give X or Y

chromosome and mothers can only give X)

We can be homozygous or heterozygous for a certain gene

if you are homozygous, both of your parents passed

on the same info for a trait

if you are heterozygous, your parents passed on different info

for a trait

Genes can be either dominant or recessive

dominant genes: are strongly expressed when paired with

another dominant gene or a recessive gene

recessive genes: those genes that will be expressed only if

paired with another recessive gene

if paired with a dominant gene, the dominant one shows

EX:

Father mother homo/hetero =

PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT

1) germinal or zygotic period: 1st 2 weeks

2) embryonic period: 3 – 8 wks

attaches to the uterine wall

this is the most critical time of pregnancy

the embryo is very vulnerable

when most miscarriages happen

a lot of women don’t realize they are pregnant until after

this time

all organs and other major systems are being developed

EX:

receives everything it needs, such as water, oxygen,

nutrients thru the

can hear heartbeat

protects the embryo from harmful agents that

may be present in the mother’s blood

teratogens: any harmful agent or substance that

can cause a problem (complication, miscarriage,

birth defect)

most susceptible to teratogens during this period because

drugs- miscarriage, low birth weight (5 ½ lbs or less at

birth), premature birth (born before 36 wks), physical deformities

alcohol- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, characterized by short

nose, large forehead, deep-set eyes, thin or no

upper lip, ears are lower set

smoking- low birth weight, premature birth, spontaneous

abortion, stillbirth, SIDS

by the end of 8 wks, the embryo is approximately

3) fetal period: 9 wks-birth

main thing happening here is

can move arms, legs, head, & mouth by end of

mother feels it b/t

can even suck their thumbs

fetus is viable at

is able to survive with help if born

gains most of its weight during the last

gain about a lb a wk during the last mo

need extra weight to

average weight when born is

avg. height is

the avg pregnancy lasts about

considered premature if born before the 36th wk

those most likely to experience premature birth

1. mothers exposed to teratogens

2. mothers who are young (teens)

3. lack of prenatal care

Neonate:

hearing, visual, smell, and touch are fully functioning

used to think that newborns could not see, now we know

that they can see, vision is not finely tuned, is blurry

can see about 6-12 in away from their face, should be

fully functioning by 1 year

rooting reflex: if touch their cheek, will turn toward your hand and open mouth

sucking reflex: touch their lips and start sucking

grasping reflex: if touch palm, will grab finger

ATTACHMENT

attachment: an emotional bond b/t an infant and his caregivers

(use the term caregivers because it is not always parents who care for the child)

attachment is formed around

3 types of attachment

1) secure: caregiver is consistent; caregiver is warm and sensitive when responding to the infant’s physical and emotional needs

the infant displays safe-base behavior, can comfortably put physical distance b/t themselves and their caregiver

2) insecure-avoidant: caregiver is neglectful or abusive; infant avoids them altogether

3) insecure-resistant: caregiver is inconsistent; infant may display behavior where they want comfort or attention from caregiver but then resists the attention or comfort

PARENTING STYLES

Diana Baumrind

1) authoritarian: parents have very strict rules, expect children to be

obedient at all times

have very strict punishment, but doesn’t go into abuse

have low level of

children are

Ex:

2) permissive: have very few rules or no rules

sometimes warm and indulging, letting the child do

whatever they want

low or no control and rare or no punishment

Ex:

children have

3) authoritative: have limits and rules

set high yet realistic standards for children

have high level of

children are allowed to make some of their own decisions

talk with their children about the rules and explain them

children have more input because parents listen to them,

children encouraged to talk about their feelings and

problems

children are

Ex:

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Jean Piaget

1) Sensorimotor

from

use to understand the world

pick up an object, it goes to their mouth, taste, feel, how

the object looks

main gain during this stage is object permanence: the under-

standing that an object still exists even if not seen

is gained around

2) Preoperational

from

uses symbolic thinking to understand the world, use words,

symbols, and images, mainly b/c of language dvlpmnt

egocentric: understand things from their own perspective

Ex:

conservation: when something is the same even if its form is rearranged

Ex:

3) Concrete Operational

from

begin to think more logically and more rationally

can learn nonfiction and fiction, real and fake

understand that certain cartoons are not real

no more egocentrism, can understand from other points of view

thinking and logic is limited to what they can see, feel, or have

experienced

4) Formal Operational

From

can think in abstract way and hypothetically

can view and think of other aspects of situations

why you are given application problems on test

can answer “if…then” questions that require more thought

ADOLESCENCE

Starts at puberty (about 12) to independence

their bodies are developing and maturing sexually

sex organs develop more, girls get breasts, etc.

boys:

girls:

menarche : the beginning of the menstrual cycle usually about

imaginary audience: think everyone is looking at them and judging them.

EX:

personal fable: think they are unique and invincible

Ex:

during this time, they depend on their peers for support, opinions, etc.

but also still rely on parents more than most people think

most people think that the relationship b/t adolescent and parent may be strained but the average teen gets along with their parents

the level of conflict is highest

ADULT DEVELOPMENT

Relationships

As we get older, our circle of friends gets smaller

adults have to squeeze it into their schedule around work, their family, or any other obligations

relationships b/t men and women are different

women:

EX:

men:

EX:

most people marry someone that has the same

research has shown that people are becoming involved in committed relationships and getting married later than before

early 1800s, women were expected to marry by 16 or 17, if not they were called a spinster if they were not married by 19

considered old by then and parents worried if they would ever find someone who would marry someone so old

the men who married these girls were usually 25 and up

as time has gone, the age men and women are getting married has gone up

1960s- women were 20 and men were 23

by 1997- women were 25 and men 27

now the age is around 30 for each

now the focus is on finishing college, having a career before marriage

Parenthood

tends to go down with the birth of the first child

you have to adjust to your new role as a parent

the time you have for yourself and for your partner goes down drastically

creates a strain on the marital relationship

Careers

one population that has possible difficulties with careers are

Late Adulthood and Aging

when most think of older people, this picture comes to mind of someone who is very wrinkly, hunched over, poor health, living in a nursing home etc.

the average older person is

most elderly live

during late adulthood, adults tend to focus much of their attention to looking back on their lives and compare it with how they actually lived

Death and Dying

people think about dying more during and seem to come to terms with dying by

5 stages of dying

1. denial: deny that they are going to die

2. anger: about dying

3. bargain: try to make a deal with God, their doctors

4. depressed: about their diagnosis

5. acceptance: accept the fact that they are going to die