Strength / Weakness - research that is in the form of naturally occurring phenomena (Roberts and Lamb) has good ecological validity but is not scientific or replicable as variables were not highly controlled and because it is not artificial. It would also be unethical to test eye witness testimony when a real sensitive subject is being discussed. Strength / Weakness - the results could be due to a number of factors such as: young people may be more used to memory tests or older adults have poorer health leading to memory impairment. Weakness - the research findings are inconclusive. Weakness - the factors given by researchers, such as the ones stated, are only assumptions with no scientific evidence.
Cross-cultural psychologists are interested in the similarities and differences in all cultures. The study of cultures in thinking, feeling, and behavior is compared by research in cross-cultural psychology (Shiraev & Levy, 2010). Relationship Cross cultural psychology and cultural psychology are both dealing with individuals living in a culture. Cross-cultural psychology goes a little further and compares the behavior of individuals in cultures around the world. In cultural psychology the mental processes are compared with the society and the individual who has grown up in that society.
• The amygdala is an almond-shaped structure in the brain What it does? • amygdalae are essential to your ability to feel certain emotions and to perceive them in other people. • The amygdala is our internal guardian angel • Physical respond associated with fear is often called the "fight or flight" reaction • amygdala is the source of all emotions both pleasant and unpleasant, • The amygdala is designed to help us to make efficient decisions in keeping with our purpose. • The way our brains are wired makes it virtually impossible to reach decisions without emotions. What happens if it gets damage?
(Kathleen Stassen Berger, 2011 p. 57). The biological development of a young child’s brain directly assists the cognitive development of the brain and vice versus. According to Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural idea, all children have the ability to learn despite of all mental disabilities (p.49). The knowledge and capabilities that are acquired depends on what is deemed important by their culture. To further understand a how a crime can be committed by a young child, Albert Bandura’s theory that humans can learn without reinforcement called “modeling” is a good explanation.
They are referred to as Grand Theories because they offer explanations of child development as a whole, rather than in specific areas. While they are not the only theories that exist on the subject, these four have been, and continue to be, extremely influential. This essay will look at each of these theories in turn discussing the role social experience is believed to play. The first theory, Behaviourism describes child development as arising from specific forms of learning based on the ideas that children are passive recipients of environmental influences that shape their behaviour. It demonstrates the effect that discipline and parenting styles can have on a child.
Society doesn’t lend itself to be studied in a laboratory and this is because it is so complex and cannot be artificially created. It is also difficult to control and identify all factors that could effect behaviour and this is because society id an ‘open system’, not a ‘closed system’. In addition it is hard to match people into control and experimental groups because there will be individual differences
Each area supports another rather than just one at a time. It is important to look at a child’s growth and development holistically as there are many factors that will affect the way the child’s brain develops from birth. This is known as brain wiring. The stages of development as a child grows are examples of the ‘normal’ milestones that children reach at a certain age. It is important to understand and remember that although children usually develop in the same sequence, the rate of their development can vary from child to child and will vary with regards to each child’s abilities, gender, race and needs.
This side of the nature-nurture debate suggests that we are a certain way because of the way we were bought up and our life experiences. Biological programming - this comes down to your genes. Biological programming suggests that you will have similar medical conditions to your parents supporting the idea of natural selection and genetics. Maturation theory - this theory sees child development as being controlled by evolution and that genetically there is a series of events that will occur automatically. It is believed the development has a biological process and this can be predicted over time.
Most social intellectual and emotional change across the lifespan are described as development. At each life stage there are changes that take place in the human body. Infants and children in particular go through what are known as development norms or milestones. Developmental norms A norm is something that is expected, there are certain sequences and developments that are expected with respect to the physical and intellectual development. Although there are norms, it is important to remember that every child will develop in their own way.
The main principle of lifespan psychology is that human development is influenced by external (historical and cultural) and internal (psychological and physiological) factors. It finds it's reflection in internal working models which seem to be influenced by fixity and change. Developmental psychology aims to understand connections between experiences and behaviours in childhood and adulthood, as well as identify continuities between those points; it therefore implies that although internal working models become fixed with time, they can