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PSY 324 Childhood and Adolescence Exam 1 Study Guide 9

ed. 1

Chapter 1 – Theoretical and Social Issues

A note about tests

Tests are in a multiple-choice test format. For each concept covered in the study guide,

you should be prepared to

• recognize the definition of the concept

• recognize an example of the concept

Because the incorrect answers are drawn from the textbook, you need to be prepared to

discriminate among closely-related concepts. You will be better prepared to do this if you

• identify similarities and differences among the concepts as you study them

• identify how each example presented in the chapter illustrates the concept

My best advice on how to prepare for the exams is to follow the study tips in the

document titled “How to Study for the Exams” (in the Study Guides area).

Introduction to Chapter 1

Chapter 1 discusses theories and points out two ways that scientific theories are valuable.

What the book doesn't point out is that non-scientific "personal" theories do the same

things. They guide our observations and they suggest what we should do. Personal

theories are the "common sense" ideas we have about children. They can be dangerous,

because they are often only partly correct or only correct in very specific situations. If

we are guided by personal theories that aren’t completely correct or that don't apply to the

specific situation, we are in danger of misinterpreting the situation and making poor

decisions.

For example, lots of parents believe that children need to be punished in order to learn

respect for authority. (I'm talking about punishment, not discipline. We'll get into the

difference between punishment and discipline later in the course.) This personal theory is

limited because it doesn't take into account the relationships among the three parts:

punishment, learning, and respect for authority. Scientific theories explain that

punishment results in learning to fear and dislike the punisher and learning to use

punishment as a means of getting what you want and controlling others. It also explains

that respect is based on trust (confidence that the authority figure will not hurt you) and

on having important things in common with the authority figure (such as, interests,

attitudes, values, and goals). The scientific theory doesn't make a judgment about

whether punishment is right or wrong, but it does describe what the effects of punishment

are. It explains why punishment is not an effective way of teaching children respect for

authority.

Another example of a limitation of personal theories is that they provide different

explanations for our own behavior vs. other people's behavior. (The psychological

process is called attribution.) When I fail a test, it's because the test was unfair or too

hard. When someone else fails a test, it's because that person didn't study hard enough.

PSY 324 Childhood and Adolescence Exam 1 Study Guide 9

ed. 2

Scientific theories force us to find a way to use the same set of rules and ideas to explain

everyone's behavior.

The social policy part of chapter 1 shows that children's well-being has a lower priority in

the U.S. than in most other industrialized nations in spite of the U.S. being the wealthiest

of those nations. In addition, the U.S. is the only government in the world that has not

ratified the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. As a result,

privately-funded organizations have taken on the responsibility of attempting to increase

our government's attention to children's needs and rights.

Periods of Development

1. Learn the age ranges associated with the various periods of development from infancy

through adolescence. (pp. 5-6)

• Note that early childhood is often referred to as the preschool years.

• Either middle childhood or late childhood can be used to refer to the entire range

of about 6 to 11 years (roughly corresponding to the grade school years). Many

times, it is helpful to use the term middle childhood to refer to the range of about

6-8 years (roughly Kindergarten through 2

grade) and late childhood to refer to

the range of about 9-11 years (roughly 3

through 6

grades).

• In societies with a long transition period from adolescence to adulthood, that

transition period (roughly ages 18-25) is called emerging adulthood.

Theoretical Issues

2. Define theory. (p. 6)

3. Identify the two basic uses of theories. (pp. 6-7)

4. Note these characteristics of theories: they are influenced by cultural values, they are

subjected to scientific verification, no single theory covers the whole range of issues in

human development. (pp. 6-7)

5. Identify the three basic theoretical issues about development. (p. 7)

6. Describe the issue of continuous vs. discontinuous development. Define continuity,

discontinuity, and stage. How does discontinuity relate to the concept of stages? (pp. 7-

7. Describe the issue regarding whether there is one course of development or many.

Define contexts. (p. 8)

8. Describe the nature-nurture controversy. Define nature and nurture. (pp. 8-9)

9. Describe the stability vs. plasticity issue in development. (p. 9)

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Chapter 1 - Theoretical and Social Issues A note about tests Tests are in a multiple-choice test format. For each concept covered in the study guide, you should be prepared to recognize the definition of the concept recognize an example of the concept Because the incorrect answers are drawn from the textbook, you need to be prepared to discriminate among closely-related concepts. You will be better prepared to do this if you identify similarities and differences among the concepts as you study them identify how each example presented in the chapter illustrates the concept My best advice on how to prepare for the exams is to follow the study tips in the document titled "How to Study for the Exams" (in the Study Guides area). Introduction to Chapter 1 Chapter 1 discusses theories and points out two ways that scientific theories are valuable. What the book doesn't point out is that non-scientific "personal" theories do the same things. They guide our observations and they suggest what we should do. Personal theories are the "common sense" ideas we have about children. They can be dangerous, because they are often only partly correct or only correct in very specific situations. If we are guided by personal theories that aren't completely correct or that don't apply to the specific situation, we are in danger of misinterpreting the situation and making poor decisions. For example, lots of parents believe that children need to be punished in order to learn resp ...
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