unit 6 - development (infancy)

developmental psychology

examines our physical, cognitive, and social development across life span with focus on three major issues

nature and nurture

how our genetic inheritance interacts with our experiences to influence our development

continuity and stages

how development is gradual/continuous and changes abruptly in seperate stages

stability and change

how our traits persist through life and change as we age

zygote

the fertilized egg, it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through to the second month (2-9 weeks)

fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

teratogens

agents such as chemicals and viruses that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm (ex. drugs, alcohol, over-the-counter medications)

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

physical and/or cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking

rooting reflex

an infant's response in turning toward the source of rouching that occurs anywhere around their mouth

sucking reflex

allows for tonguing, swallowing, and breathing in a coordinated way to help a baby drink milk (associated with the rooting reflex)

grasping reflex

an infant's clinging response to a touch on the palm of their hand. believed to prepare the baby's hand muscles for developing voluntary grasping

moro (startle) reflex

when a baby is startled, they will fling their limbs out then quickly retract them, making themselves as small as possible

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation of a stimulus

maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behaviour, relatively uninfluenced by experience

infantile amnesia

the inability of adults to recall early episodic memories

pruning

use it or lose it process of shutting down unused links and strengthening others

intellectual development

based on our biological development amidst experiences with the environment (nature via nurture)

schema

concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

assimilation

interpreting new information within the framework of existing knowledge

accomodation

how we later adjust our schemas to better incorporate new experiences

sensorimotor stage

stage at which babies take in the world through their senses (i.e. looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping). no object permanence (i.e. objects that are out of sight are also out of mind) (Piaget's theory)

preoperational stage

the stage (2-6/7 y/o) during which a child learns to use language but doesn't yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic (Piaget's theory)

conservation

the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and numbers remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

egocentrism

the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view (Piaget's theory)

theory of mind

people's ideas about their own/other's mental states - about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts and behaviours these might predict

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by difficulties in communication/social interaction, rigidly fixated interests, and repetitive behaviours. typically have an impaired theory of mind

concrete operational stage

the stage of cognitive development (6/7-11 y/o) during which children gain mental operations that enable them to think logically about conrete events. they can grasp conservation (Piaget's theory)

formal operational stage

the stage of cognitive development (begins around 12 y/o) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts (ex. emotions, metaphors, and abstract actions (e.g., thinking)) (Piaget's theory)

hypothetical reasoning

the imagination of possibilities and the exploration of their consequences by a process of mental simulation

lev vygotsky

believed that children learn best by interacting with others

scaffolding

the process of enabling a child to do something with assistance that the child otherwise couldn’t do

zone of proximal development

the zone between what a child can do and can’t do –it’s what a child can do with help

stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers that develops at around 8 months. this is the age at which infants form schemas for familiar faces and cannot assimilate a new face

attachment

the emotional tie with another person. shown in young children by their seeking closeness to a caregiver and showing distress on separation

harry harlow

demonstrated that attachment is formed through bodily contact and not nourishment (fake cloth monkey mother)

imprinting

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early-life critical period

critical period

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

mary ainsworth

observed mother-infant pairs at home during their first 6 months and later observed the 1-year-old infants in a strange situation (laboratory playroom) to gauge their attachment styles

secure attachment

children are able to explore their environment happily in the presence of the caregiver. when the caregiver leaves, they show distress. when the caregiver returns, the child seeks contact with them. often results from a sensitive and responsive caregiver

insecure attachment

children cling to their mothers or caregivers and are less likely to explore the environment. when the caregiver leaves, they either cry loudly and remain upset, or seem indifferent to the caregiver's departure and return. often results from an insensitive/unresponsive caregiver

temperament

a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity. (as a baby, were you reactive, intense, and fussy? or easygoing, quiet, and calm?)

basic trust

securely attached children approach life with a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy (Erikson)

authoritarian parenting style

Parents impose rules and expect obedience. “Because I said so.”

permissive parenting style

parents submit to children’s desires; few demands and little punishment/consequence

authoritative parenting style

parents are demanding but responsive to their children. explaining reasons for rules

uninvolved parenting style

parents are neglectful, have no expectations, and few rules

self-concept

a collection of beliefs about oneself

object permanence

understanding that items and people still exist even when you can't see or hear them

baby physics

a criticism of Piaget’s sensorimotor stage, children understand the basic laws of physics, especially gravity

baby math

a criticism of Piaget’s sensorimotor stage, states that infants have some level of number sense

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development

suggests that intelligence changes as children grow; a child’s cognitive development is not just acquiring knowledge, the child has to develop/construct a mental model of the world

erik erikson’s theory

suggests that your ego identity develops throughout your entire life during eight specific stages

conception

the process whereby a female’s egg (released by the ovary) is fertilized by a male’s sperm

basic trust

a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy