Psych: Weeks 5-8

cognitive development

how we progress to make sense of, and make decisions based on, info from our environment

schemas

mental frameworks for understanding the world

assimilation

fitting new information into your existing schema

accommodation

updating schemas to explain new experiences/information when it no longer fits/explains

Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years)

Understanding through action and senses Toward the end of this stage, "symbolic thought” emerges (i.e. until then, they only know what they can directly see, feel, touch) achieving “object permanence”

Preoperational Stage (2-7)

schema

concrete operational (7-11)

Schema

psychosocial development

how we progressively navigate who we are as an individual in the context of society

Erikson's trust vs. mistrust

infancy (0-1)

Erikson's autonomy vs. doubt

toddlerhood (1-3)

Erikson's initiative vs. guilt (preschool 3-6)

Is it okay for me to take the lead? make plans, pursue goals

Erikson's industry vs. inferiority (school 6-puberty)

Can I become good at things?

Erikson's identity vs. confusion (12-18 years)

neg. end is role/identity confusion Who am I? values, beliefs, social roles, where you fit

Erikson's intimacy vs. isolation (18-40 years)

Can I form meaningful relationships?

many researchers have obtained findings that cognitive development is more __ than Piaget thought

continuous

Diamond found that on the object permanence task

infants show earlier knowledge if the waiting period is shorter

is cognitive development fundamentally continuous or discontinuous?

it depends on how you look at it and how often

information processing theories

theories that focus on describing the cognitive processes that underlie thinking at any one age and cognitive growth over time

early in adolescence, changes in the brain’s dopaminergic system contribute to

increases in sensation-seeking and reward motivation

cognitive changes during adolescence include

a shift from concrete to more abstract thinking; fostered by improvements in attention, memory, processing speed, and metacognition (ability to think about thinking and make better use of strategies like mnemonic devices)

later in adolescence…

the prefrontal cortex develops, increasing self-regulation and future orientation

psychological control

involves manipulation and intrusion into adolescents’ emotional and cognitive world through invalidating feelings and pressuring them to think in particular ways, becomes salient during adolescence and is related to more problematic adolescent adjustment

adolescents within a peer group tend to be

similar to one another in behavior and attitudes, which has been explained as a function of homophily (“birds of a feather flock together”) and influence (adolescents who spend time together shape each other’s behaviors and attitudes

deviant peer contagion

peers reinforce problem behavior by laughing or showing other signs of approval that increase the likelihood of future problem behavior

in contrast to friendships (reciprocal dyadic relationships) and cliques, crowds

are characterized more by shared reputations and images than actual interactions (i.e. jocks, brains) often linked to social status and peers’ perceptions of their values and behaviors

adolescence’s pos. and neg. emotions are most tied to

romantic relationships more than friendships, family, or school

in Erikson’s theory, __ was highlighted as the primary indicator of successful development during adolescence

identity formation

foreclosure

an individual commits to an identity without exploring options

identity diffusion

adolescents neither explore nor commit to any identities

moratorium

a state in which adolescents are actively exploring options but haven’t made commitments

identity achievement

individuals have explored diff. options and made identity commitments

Patterson’s early vs. late starter model of the development of aggressive and antisocial behavior

distinguishes youths whose antisocial behavior begins during childhood (early starters) vs. adolescence (late starters) states early starters are at greater risk for long-term antisocial behavior that extends into adulthood later starters who become antisocial during adolescence are theorized to experience poor parental monitoring and supervision late starters desist from antisocial behavior when changes in environment make other options more appealing

Moffitt’s life-course persistent vs. adolescent-limited model distinguishes between antisocial behavior that begins in childhood vs. adolescence

regards adolescent-limited antisocial behavior as resulting from a “maturity gap” between adolescents’ dependence on and control by adults and their desire to demonstrate their freedom as they develop and legitimate adult roles and privileges become available, there are fewer incentives to engage in antisocial behavior

adolescent academic achievement is predicted by

interpersonal (i.e. parental engagement), intrapersonal (i.e. intrinsic motivation), and institutional (i.e. school quality) factors

differential susceptibility

genetic factors that make individuals more or less responsive to environmental experiences

Sociocultural theory

_____________ emphasizes how other people and the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the surrounding culture, influence children’s development.

According to Piaget, the developmental processes that explain children’s cognitive development are measured by

Adam is upset that his twin brother Ryan has two pieces of pie while he only has one. His Mom rightly states that it’s the same amount of pie, it’s just that Ryan’s piece fell apart into two pieces as it was transferred onto the plate. Still not satisfied, Adam begins to throw a temper tantrum. In a moment of desperation, Adam’s Mom cuts his piece in half saying

“There, Adam, now you have two pieces”. This worked. Adam is now happy. What Piagetian Stage is Adam in?

During the preoperational stage, children struggle with ________ problems as they focus on one dimension and ignore changes in other dimensions. For example, laying out five candies close together versus spread out will likely lead a 2- to 7-year-old to state that the second layout has more candy (even though the actual number of candies is the same).

conservation

Davina attends school regularly and has made great strides in her understanding of material in her science classes. Being able to reason more like a mature adult, Davina is in which of Piaget’s developmental stages?

formal operational

Andy’s older brother had always hung out with members of the marching band when he was in high school. Therefore, Andy decided to insert himself in this group when he arrived at high school even though he had never tried out any other identities. Andy is experiencing ________.

identity foreclosure

Antisocial behavior that begins at age _____ is unlikely to continue into adulthood.

13

Of the two best friends, only Emily had genes that predisposed her toward alcoholism. Although both girls drank a lot of alcohol during their high school years, only Emily developed alcoholism as an adult. This phenomenon is known as what?

differential susceptibility

Precious has several friends who look, act, and think in ways similar to her. This similarity is known as ________.

homophily

Adolescents suffering from depression often seek friends who are ________.

depressed

A child is helping set the table. You say, "We need eight napkins total, and we already pull out five. How many more do we need?" The child says, "Three!"

Concrete operational - can do logical math

You hide a toy under a blanket while a baby is watching. At first, the baby behaves as if the toy has disappeared. Soon, if you repeat the trick, the baby will lift the blanket to find the toy.

Sensorimotor - initially has not mastered object permanence

A child sees 2 identical rows of coins. When you spread out the coins in one row so they are farther apart, the child insists that the row has more coins even though the number didn't change.

Preoperational - failing conservation

An older adult reflects on their life and feels proud of their experiences. even the imperfect parts.

Integrity vs. Despair

A preschooler decides to make a pretend grocery store. Adults support the idea instead of shutting it down.

Initiative vs. Guilt