Child Development

Question 1

2 important processes of developmental psychology

Answer 1

• Maturation
• Learning

Question 2

What is plasticity?

Answer 2

Capacity for change in response to negative or positive life experiences

Question 3

4 basic learning processes in infancy

Answer 3

• Habituation
• Classical conditioning
• Operant conditioning
• Observational learning

Question 4

Which emotions are present from birth?

Answer 4

• Contentment
• Disgust
• Distress
• Interest

Question 5

Which emotions are present from 2-7 months?

Answer 5

• Anger
• Fear
• Joy
• Sadness
• Surprise

Question 6

Which emotions are present from 12-24 months?

Answer 6

• Embarrassment
• Envy
• Guilt
• Pride
• Shame

Question 7

What is temperament?

Answer 7

Individual difference in emotional, motor and attentional reactivity and self-regulation

Question 8

Types of influences on temperament

Answer 8

• Hereditary
• Home environmental
• Cultural

Question 9

Schaffer and Emerson’s 4 phases of attachment

Answer 9

• Pre-attachment phase
• Indiscriminate attachment
• Discriminate attachment
• Multiple attachment phase

Question 10

At what age is the pre-attachment phase of attachment, and what is it?

Answer 10

• Until 3 months of age
• Preference for contact with human beings, manifesting as nestling, gurgling and smiling

Question 11

At what age is the indiscriminate attachment phase of attachment, and what is it?

Answer 11

• Up to 7 months of age
• Allows strangers to look at them without noticeable distress, provided stranger gives adequate care
• Starts to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people

Question 12

At what age is the discriminate attachment phase of attachment, and what is it?

Answer 12

• From 7-8 months of age
• Actively tries to stay close to certain people and becomes distressed when separated from them
• Requires infant to be able to discriminate between main caregiver and others

Question 13

At what age is the multiple attachment phase of attachment, and what is it?

Answer 13

• 9 months onwards
• Strong additional ties are formed
• Fear of stranger weakens but strongest attachment remains

Question 14

What is synchrony?

Answer 14

Action between main caregiver and infant production produces an attachment (useless after 36 months)

Question 15

Ainsworth’s types of attachment

Answer 15

• Anxious avoidant type
• Secure attachment
• Anxious resistant
• Disorganised/disorientated

Question 16

What is the anxious avoidant type of attachment?

Answer 16

• Infant indifferent to main caregiver
• Play is little affected by whether main caregiver present
• Actively ignores/avoids main caregiver upon return
• Distress caused by being alone
• As easily comforted by main caregiver as stranger

Question 17

What is the secure attachment type of attachment?

Answer 17

• Infant plays happily with main caregiver present, whether stranger present or not
• Main caregiver largely ignored because they can be trusted
• Clearly distressed when main caregiver leaves (play reduced)
• Seeks immediate contact when main caregiver returns (quickly calmed + play resumed)
• Distress caused by main caregivers absence, not being alone
• Main caregiver treated differently from stranger

Question 18

What is the anxious resistant type of attachment?

Answer 18

• Infant is fussy and wary when caregiver present
• Cries lots more than other types
• Difficulty using main caregiver as secure base
• Very distressed when main caregiver leaves and seeks contact on return, but simultaneously shows anger and resists contact
• Actively resists strangers efforts to make contact

Question 19

What is the disorganised/disorientated type of attachment?

Answer 19

• Combination of resistant and avoidant patterns
• Reflect confusion about whether to approach or avoid caregiver
• When reunited with caregiver they may be dazed or freeze or move closer then quickly move away

Question 20

Factors that influence attachment security

Answer 20

• Sensitive response caregiving (secure attachment)
• Inconsistent, neglectful, over-intrusive and abuse caregiving (insecure attachment)
• Environmental factors (eg. poverty, stormy relationship between caregivers)

Question 21

3 moral components in moral development

Answer 21

• Affective
• Cognitive
• Behavioural

Question 22

4 patterns of parenting

Answer 22

• Authoritarian
• Authoritative
• Permissive
• Uninvolved

Question 23

GMC definition of “abuse or neglect”

Answer 23

Physical, emotional or sexual abuse, including fabricated or induced illness, and emotional or physical neglect, which has led, or may lead, to significant harm to a child or young person

Question 24

Possible signs of physical and emotional abuse

Answer 24

• Unexplained or repeated injuries (eg. bruising)
• Injuries in the shape of an object
• Injuries not likely to happen given the age or ability of the child
• Disagreement between child’s and parent’s explanation of injury
• Obvious neglect of child (eg. dirty)
• Fearful behaviour
• Aggressive or withdrawn behaviour
• Afraid to go home

Question 25

Possible signs of sexual abuse

Answer 25

- Difficulty walking or sitting - Stained or bloody underwear - Genital or rectal pain, itching, swelling, redness or discharge - Bruises or other injuries in the genital or rectal area - Soiling or wetting pants or bed after being potty trained - Withdrawing from activities and others - Talking about or acting out sexual acts beyond normal sex play for age

Question 26

How can children be prepared for hospital before admission?

Answer 26

- Children books about hospitals - Hospital visit - Videos

Question 27

How can children be prepared for hospital on admission?

Answer 27

- Show children instruments - Distraction strategies (no time to think)

Question 28

What might upset a child in hospital?

Answer 28

- Pain - Eating new, unfamiliar food - New smells - Strange sounds - Different routines - Lots of new, strange people - Illness itself

Question 29

How can children react to a hospital stay?

Answer 29

- Nightmares - Anxious - Cry a lot - Throw tantrums - Refuse to eat/speak - Become withdrawn - lost confidence and frightened - Afraid to be on own - Return to earlier stages of development (eg. bed wetting, thumb sucking)