Exam 1: Themes and Theories

One of Freud's greatest contributions to psychology was his emphasis on the importance of biology in shaping human development.

According to a learning theory approach,we might experience anxiety when we walk into a doctor's or dentist's office because

The ________ key theme in development is not readily addressed by Piaget's theory because his goal was to identify the characteristics of development that normal children have in common.

Adaptation theory emphasizes the active construction of psychological structures to interpret experience.

Lewis studies the influence of mass media on child development,whereas Dr.Murphy studies the influence of cultural attitudes upon the media.Therefore,Dr.Lewis studies the ________ and Dr.Murphy studies the ________.

Briefly explain three events that significantly influenced the attitudinal shifts toward children that began in the sixteenth century.

Since Piaget believed that children develop much in the same way in all cultures around the world,the key theme of ________ does not play a major role in his theory.

From an information-processing perspective,how could Mrs.McCoy determine if Bob was solving a math problem in his head or simply retrieving the answer from memory?

________ is the discipline concerned with the scientific study of changes in human behaviors and mental activities over time.

In Piagetian theory,a scheme is the mental structure underlying a coordinated and systematic pattern of behaviors or thinking applied across similar objects or situations.

A theory that explains and predicts behavior is useful for

What views do behaviorists and social learning theorists have on the role of sociocultural influence on development?

An ecological systems theorist interested in the major historical events and the broad values,practices,and customs promoted by a culture would focus her research on the

According to Piaget,intelligence is a form of ________ that becomes ________ as the individual interacts with the external world.

________ is a theoretical orientation that explains development as the emerging organization arising from the interaction of many different processes.

A new emphasis emerged in developmental research in the twentieth century.Summarize this emphasis,including a discussion of its contributors and an analysis of how this stage of growth in the field fits into the greater picture of developmental psychology.

Social learning theory is now commonly referred to as social cognitive theory because

Explain how the nature-nurture controversy has shifted away from a two-sided issue.

Development can be viewed as a ________ process in which new attainments in thinking,language,and social behavior are characterized by gradual,steady,and small quantitative advances.

When presented with a list of twenty words to remember,older children will remember more than younger children will.Explain this developmental change from the perspective of learning theory,information-processing theory,and Vygotsky's sociohistorical theory.