Dev psych lecture #2 info: sensitive/critical periods

Teratogens + example

• External agents that cause abnormal development before birth

• Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) → facial + brain abnormalities, poor attention + perception, social difficulties

Habituation + perceptual attunement explanation + consequence if dysfunction

• Infants initially sensitive to all speech sounds but tune into native language sounds ~6-12 months

• Failure to ‘filter out’ irrelevant sounds/reduced attunement ~9-12 months = dyslexia risk

Note on gene-environment interaction for development (1)

• Genes set potential + environment shapes expression

Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development

• Learning is optimised when children are given the right scaffolding to push just beyond their current abilities

Critical period for language: Case of Genie (1970) description, outcome + inference

• Isolated from infancy-13; deprived of social + linguistic input

• Was able to learn vocab but never grammar → evidence of missed critical period

• Suggests brain needs early stimulation for language and that certain content cannot be learnt after certain period

SES + language

• Higher SES households = more parental interaction, more books → greater vocab + faster speed + processing in word recognition (18-24 months)

Language learning across lifespan

• Always have capacity to learn, but capacity declines after ~13-14 years, especially without immersion

Best method for language learning

• Immersive learning > classroom learning

Critical period for attachment: Harlow’s monkeys description (1) + outcomes (2)

• Infant monkeys separated from mothers

  • Poor parent skills in monkeys that didn’t parent early on

  • Mothering not worthwhile to infant if delayed

Bowlby’s 3 phases of attachment w/ description

• Indiscriminate attachment: newborns seek attention from anyone

• Discriminate attachment: ~3 months → preference for familiar caregivers

• Specific attachment ~7-8 months: meaningful attachment to caregivers → base for exploration + fear of strangers develops

Ainsworth’s strange situation experiment description (1)

• Mother + baby enter room, infant plays with toys, stranger enters room, mother leaves, stranger interacts with child, mother returns

Attachment types from strange situation

• Secure (~52-65%): distressed upon separation, soothed upon return

• Insecure (35-48%)

  • Anxious-resistant (21%-17%): clingy, angry on return

  • Anxious-avoidant (14-11%): indifferent to departure/return

• Disorganised: inconsistent responses

Other phenomenons related to attachment

• Bounce back phenomenon after deprivation: Romanian orphanages

• Also linked with future parenting style

Correlations of secure attachment (3)

• Empathy

• Prosocial behaviour

• Better cognition

Correlations of insecure attachment (2)

• Anxiety

• Social + psychological difficulties

Screen time + ADHD (1) + important note

• High-frequency device use in early years linked to ADHD

• Correlation not causation: culd be that children with attention issues are drawn to screens

“Phone-based childhood” possible impacts

• Post-2000s generation: phone-based vs play-based childhood linked to decline in mental health (perhaps due to reduced real-world socialisation + identity dev)