Nature & Nurture Development - psych

nature

genes, maturation

→ set a range of possibilities

→ represent a “potential”

nurture

experience (everything with which an individual interacts)

→ affects development within the limits set by nature

→ determines how well potential is acheived

Nature - nurture interaction

nature provides the range, nurture determines where a trait will ultimately fall within that range

→ inherited, single gene defect

→ alterations in diet can obliterate PKUs deleterious effects

The Critical Period

a period of time during development during which certain types of experience have a greater impact on behavior and development

Adaptive reflexes present at birth

rooting, sucking, grasping, Moro startle reflex

Preferential Looking

showing a baby 2 different pictures and seeing what they prefer to look at

Habituation Paradigm

can address issues of infant “concept information”

ex) what age can infant distinguish between male & female faces

The Visual Cliff

the deep side provides monocular, pictorial depth cues

Schemas

concepts

assimilation

old schema expands

accomodation

new schema created

Stage 1 → Sensori-motor

Birth - 2 years

simple, concrete schemas'

sensation and movement

lacking object permanence

Stage 2 → Pre-Operational

2-7 years old

schemas are very sensory based and concrete, but some representational thought

object permanence

don’t see = doesn’t exist

Stage 3 → concrete operations

7-12 years

can perform conservation but explanation is concrete

can’t perform “what if” problems cognitively, must physically perform them

operations

ability to mentally manipulate thoughts

concrete operational child

conservation but concrete

Stage 4 → Formal Operations

12 years +

“Adult” stage

possess abstract principles

can do “what if”

criticism of Piaget’s theory

used observational methods

used a limited sample