PSYC1030 : PSYC1030 Developmental Psych notes
Document Summary
Cross-sectional studies: compare groups of participants of different ages at a single time to see whether differences exist among them. Useful for providing a snapshot of age differences, or variations among people. Longitudinal studies: assess the same individuals over time, providing the opportunity to assess age changes rather than age differences. Reveal differences in an individual"s character over time due to experiences or changes. People born at different times might show different trajectories or developmental paths. Allows researchers to distinguish between age effects and cohort effects. The extent to which individual development occurs according to genetically programmed maturation (nature) or learning and experience (nurture) Plasticity: brain doubles in size in first two years of life. Gene-environment interactions: impact of genes on behavior depends on environment in which individual develops. Nature via nurture: genetic predispositions drive us to select and create particular environments. Vision: 20cm fixed focus at birth, adult vision by 8 months of age.
