development

developmental psychology

-universal aspects of lifespan development.

-explores physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development

-study of continuity and change over time

germinal phase

conception-2 weeks

zygote-fertilized egg, implant to wall of uterus

ectoderm- skin and nervous system

endoderm-digestive and respiratory system

mesoderm-muscle and skeletal system

placenta-structure that allows oxygen and nutrients to travel from mother’s bloodstream to fetus. And waste leaves from fetus

embryonic stage

2-8 weeks

neural tubes form after 4 weeks, will later develop into CNS

head, face, neck develop

buds for limbs form and grow

major organ developing

fetal stage

9th week to birth

add in cheat sheet a sample of development

Weeks 9-16:

-Liver begins development, kidneys begin to make urine, and pancreas begins to make insulin

- Genitals develop

-Neck is defined and lower limbs develop

-Fingernails and then toenails form appear

 Weeks 17-20

- Part of brain that controls muscle movement is formed

- Digestive system is working

-Lanugo: fine, wooly hair over body

-Vernix: waxy coating collects

 Weeks 25-32

- Loud sounds can lead to startle

- Eyes can sense change in light

 Age (threshold) of viability has changed and now considered to be 23-26 weeks (used to be 27-28)

 Weeks 33-40

-Fingernails to end of fingers

-Bones harden, skull remains soft/flexible

-Lungs, brain, nervous system finish development

-Circulatory system done developing

-Fat continues to be distributed Myelination of brain begins to take place in the fetal stage and continues through adulthood

teratogens

harmful exposure to situations/substances that affect development resulting in defect, damage, or anomaly

-dose, genetics. age of organism at exposure, environmental stress and influences

thalidomide

helps us identify how certain drugs could alter development and increase understanding of the role of prenatal exposure to drugs and other agents

add impact of smoking, marijuana, opioids, comorbidity

describe FASD

cephalocaudal

“top to bottom” motor skills emerge from head to feet

proximodistal

“inside-to-outside rule” motor skills emerge in a sequence of center moving outward

reflexes and sensory abilities of newborns and infants

vision→ prefer human faces, limited ability to discriminate color, poor fixation ability

hearing→ can hear sound at 6 months in utero, recognize mother’s voice

taste and smell→ present at birth, preference for sweet

touch→ heat, cold, pressure, pain all present at birth

reflexes

inborn, automatic responses to a particular form of stimulation

rooting reflex

survival value, stroke cheek and baby will turn head toward stimulation

stepping reflex

basis for complex motor skills

with bare feet touching floor infant will mimic a stepping response (disappears around 2 months)

moro reflex

if simulate falling or dropping the head the baby shows a startle or alarm reflex; arches back, extends arms, fingers and leg

sucking reflex

place a finger in mouth and baby will suck; permits feeding

eye blink reflex

shine a bright light or clap, they will close eyelids. Protects from strong stimulation

babinski reflex

stroke the heel to see reactions of the toes which flex/fan out; normal in infants, if persists can indicate neurological problems

gross and fine motor development

-Individual differences exist, normative expectations for these skills and abilities often called milestones.

-There is some data supporting environmental influences either accelerating or impeding the acquisition of developmental milestones.

sex differences

boys ahead of girls in force and power; girls ahead in fine motor and gross motor skills which involve good balance

Cognitive Differences:

see some effects in verbal and mathematical abilities, as well as visual-spatial ability. Research continues to explore the relationship between genetic and environmental influences on these differences (toys, play patterns, how they are held)

temperament

relatively constant basic disposition which is inherent in a person that underlies and modulates behavior

Thomas and Chess

identified three basic temperaments for infants; difficult, slow to warm and easy

difficult

-10%

-often wail, cry and are negative in new situations, eat, and sleep irregularly

slow-to-warm

-15%

-Often inactive, adapt slowly and can be withdrawn and show a negative mood

easy

-40%

-Cheerful, adpatable, easily establish routines

mixture

-35%

goodness of fit

the match between the characteristics of the infant and his/her family is critical to development. Some are better matches than others!

attachment

-the affectional bond between an infant and its caretaker

-Studied by Ainsworth in her attachment paradigm still being used today

-The “strange situation” allows researchers to assess attachment relationships.

stranger anxiety

develops when infants are around 6-7 months ending around 18 months. If a stranger approaches, the infant becomes afraid and reaches for the caregiver for comfort and reassurance

securely attached

child uses the parent as a safe base to explore, when separated the child may not cry during absence, seek contact when parent returns, decrease crying if present (~60% of U.S. infants)

insecure avoidant attachment

unresponsive to parent when present, no distress when she leaves, react to stranger similar as to parent, slow to greet parent when she returns, ~20% show this pattern in the U.S.

insecure ambivalent/resistant attachment

Seek closeness with their parents, fail to explore, upon return display angry, resistant behavior, cannot be comforted, -15% U.S.

insecure disorganized/disoriented attachment

greatest amount of insecurity, In reunion show disorganized, confused behaviors. Seem confused, glazed and spacey. Mothers are more avoidant and inconsistent with a lack of sensitivity to infant’s needs. ~ 5% of infants in the U.S

attachment deprivation (Harlow monkey studies)

attachment and contact comfort→ hypothesized that animals/humans need warmth, comfort as primary need

authoritarian parenting style

restrictive parenting; insist on obedience, rigid rules, no explanations and insensitivity.

resulted in moody, easily annoyed, unfriendly, and less motivated preschoolers

authoritative parenting style

assume control with flexibility; reasonable demands, provide reasons for rules/decisions

resulted in cheerful, socially responsible, achievement oriented and cooperative preschoolers

permissive parenting style

accepting and lax with few demands; little monitoring, few controls.

resulted in impulsive, aggressive, bossy, self-centered, low independence, and low achievement.

uninvolved parenting style (maccoby)

removed or hostile parenting; overwhelmed with own stressors; have little time or energy to parent.

result in children high in aggression, temper tantrums, perform poorly in classroom

schemas

models about how the world works

assimilation

how to fit new information into the present system of knowledge

accommodation

existing structures don’t fit new information so a child must develop new schemas

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

sensorimotor(birth-2 years)

preoperational(2-7 years)

concrete operation(7-11 years)

formal operations(12-up)

adolescence

puberty

elkind

sensorimotor

-birth to 2 years

-infants learn through concrete motor actions by touch, tastes, and smelling

-object permanance at 6 months

-develop capacity for mental imagery

-organize information into categories

-increasingly able to use purposeful activity

pre operational

-2 to 7 years

-gradually improve in mental images

-can pretend

-action oriented

-develop representational thought

-have not mastered conservation→ basic properties of an object remain stable even if superficial properties change

flaws of preoperational thinking

centration→ focus on one aspect of a problem and neglect other aspects

irreversibility→ inability to envision reversing an action

egocentrism→ thinking characterized by a limited ability to share another person’s point of view

concrete operations

-7 to 11 years

-child performs operations on tangible objects and events

-show increased flexibility in thinking

-can begin to see cause and effect

-have mastered reversibility and decentration

-can retrace thoughts

-understand hierarchies

formal operations

-12 and up

-begin to see abstract reasoning

-understand metaphor and deductive reasoning

-become more systematic in thinking

adolescence

-adolescent growth spurt

-asynchrony

-prefrontal cortex

-puberty

adolescent growth spurt

rapid growth in height and weight as body is preparing for hormonal shifts/maturation

asynchrony

certain body parts grow at different speeds leading to a lack of proportion

prefrontal cortex

final maturation of the prefrontal cortex takes place in late adolescence and young adulthood. This area is responsible for organization, planning, emotional regulation and impulse control

puberty

sexual functions reach maturity; impacts social and emotional development

menarche: first occurrence of menstruation

spermarche: first occurrence of ejaculation

impact of early puberty

early maturing males have positive self concepts

early maturing females have greater chance of depression, anxiety, eating disorders

adolescent egocentrism

way of thinking the world is focused on themselves

imaginary audience

belief that everyone in the environment is concerned with the behavior/appearance of themself

personal fable

view of themself as somehow unique or heroic

invincibility fable

false sense that they can’t be harmed

Erik Erikson’s theory of lifespan development

believes each state involves a psychological crisis: transition which is organized around social relationships

personality is determined by these stages and how they are “resolved” in progression. Build on previous experiences

trust vs mistrust

-child develops a belief that the environment can be counted on to meet their basic physiological and social needs

-from birth to 12-18 months

autonomy vs shame/doubt

-child learns what they can control and develops a sense of free will and corresponding sense of regret and sorry for inappropriate use of self control

-18 months to 3 years

initiative vs guilt

-child learns to begin action, to explore, to imagine, and to feel remorse for actions

industry vs inferiority

child learns to do thing. well or correctly in comparison to a standard or to others

identity vs role confusion

adolescent develops a sense of self in relationship to others and to own internal thoughts and desires

intimacy vs isolation

person develops the ability to give and receive love; begins to make long-term commitment to relationships

generativity vs stagnation

person develops interest in guiding development of the next generation

ego integrity vs despair

person develops a sense of acceptance of life as it was lived and the importance of the people and relationships that the individual developed over the life span

Kohlberg’s stages of moral development

inequity aversion

a preference to avoid unfairness when making decisions about the distribution of resources

socioemotional selectivity theory

as people grow older, they view time as limited and therefore shift their focus to meaningful events, experiences, and goals