YEAR 11 PSYCH UNIT 1 AOS1

Development

refers to changes that occur over time, usually over the lifespan (birth to death)

Physical Development

clearly observable (eg physical growth or voice getting deeper) however psychological  changes are much less obvious

Main psychological development domains

Cognitive development 

Emotional development 

Social development

Cognitive Development

The changes in thought processes that occur as we age. This includes a more sophisticated production of thought as well as the ability to comprehend and organise information

e.g •Learning a second language.

•Learning your times tables.

•Understanding that others have a different perspective to your own.

Emotional Development

The continuous, lifelong changes in skills that allow individuals to control, express, and recognise emotions in an appropriate way.

e.g

•Learning how to appropriately express emotions, such as anger.

•Recognising your own emotions.

• Understanding how others around you feel.

social development

The lifelong changes in skills that allow individuals to effectively and appropriately interact with others

e.g •Learning how to have conversations with others.

•Learning how to appropriately communicate with your work colleagues.

Nature

hereditary factors Factors that influence development and are genetically passed down from biological parents to their offspring

e.g hair/eye colour or predisposition to a mental or physical condition

Nurture

environmental factors Factors that influence development and arise from an individual’s physical and social surroundings

e.g education, childhood experiences and cultural/ religious beliefs

Nature and nurture interacting

the nature sets the foundation of the traits and nurture is how those traits are developed or expressed,

e.g predisposition to stress, in supportive environment it doesn’t show in hard environements it can be worse

e.g inheriting height then playing basketball

Biopsychosocial

The biopsychosocial model is a holistic, dynamic (always changing)  framework for understanding the human experience in terms of the influence of biological, psychological, and social factors

Biological

Internal genetic and physiologically based factors. These factors can be inherited, such as genetic predispositions

Psychological

Internal factors pertaining to an individual’s mental processes, including their cognition, affect, thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes

e.g emotion, self esteem, attitudes/beliefs

social

External factors relating to an individual’s interactions with others and their external environment, including their relationships and community involvement

e.g education, relationships

Biopsychosocial on psychological development

Often in development, the effect (either positive or negative) of one aspect of the biopsychosocial model, during infancy or early childhood, can influence a series of outcomes that contribute to the individual’s positive or negative experiences throughout childhood and adulthood.

Biopsychosocial on mental wellbeing

An individual may be considered to have high or low levels of mental wellbeing depending on their ability to function day-to-day, have stable patterns of mood, and their ability to cope with and overcome the pressures of life.

Psychological development

changes involved are in 3 main areas

Emotional, social and cognitive development

emotional development

changes in how a person experiences, interprets and expresses the full range of emotions, and their ability to cope with them appropriately.

e.g •Toddlers learning to self-regulate their emotions (this means less tantrums!)

•Preschoolers learning to identify emotions in themselves and others

•Adolescents becoming less dependent on their parents

• Adults developing sense of identify and more empathy

Attachment theories

Mary ainsworth

secure attachment

insecure - avoidant attachment

insecure - anxious (resistant) attachment

secure attachment - strong healthy bond between infant and caregiver, consistently meeting infants needs

insecure - avoidant attachment - infant avoids or is reluctant to receive contact from their primary caregiver because they don’t respond to infants needs

insecure - anxious attachment - infant fluctuates between clinging to and rejecting caregiver due to inconsistent needs met

social development

changes in a person’s ability to interact with other people and function as a member of society

•Infants learn that they can trust others to care for them

•Children learn to share toys and take turns

•Adolescents peer groups become more important than families

•In adulthood long term relationships are formed

Eriksons Theory

•His theory is that at each of the 8 stages of development, an individual is faced with a psychological crisis

•Individuals need to work through these crises to help alleviate the tension that they have (psychological) and what is expected of them/what they want from their relationships (social)

Eriksons theory - the 8 stages

cognitive development

changes in an individual’s mental abilities.

e.g •Infants begin using their senses to explore the world, then they start to recognise faces, words, actions

•Children can understand 100-150 words by the age of 2

•Adolescents have increased independence in thinking through problems and situations

•Adults, cognition has stablised and reached its peak around 35, thinking has developed so they can understand a questions can have more than one right or wrong answer

Jean Piaget - cognitive development

Piaget believed that cognitive development was dependent on their ability to adapt to their constantly changing world, using 2 processes: assimilation and accommodation

Jean piaget cognitive processes + schema

Assimilation – a cognitive process that involves taking a new concept and fitting it into or making it part of a pre-existing mental idea or structure

Accommodation – a cognitive process that involves changing or adjusting existing ideas to deal with new situations.

Schema – our pre-existing mental ideas relating to a given concept that help us organise and interpret new information

sensory motor stage birth - 2yrs

During this stage, infants explore and learn about the world primarily through their senses and motor (movement) activities.

key cognitive in sensory motor stage

Object permanence - The understanding that objects still exist even if they cannot be seen, heard or touched - still there in a peekaboo

Goal directed behaviour - The ability to perform and complete a sequence of actions with a particular purpose in mind - crawling towards a toy

preoperational stage 2-7yrs

This stage marked the end of infancy and is also a time by which a significant amount of language acquisition has occurred.

key cognitive accomplishments in preoperational stage

symbolic thinking - ability to use symbols (pictures and words) to represent objects that are not physically present

egocentrism - tendency to view the world solely from one’s own point of view. Unable to see things from other peoples perspective

animism - the belief that everything that exists has a consciousness. Linked to egocentrism (think everyone/everything is like themselves)

centration - ability to focus on only one quality of feature of an object or even at one time

transformation - the understanding that something can change from one state to another

reversibility - ability to mentally follow a sequence of events or line of reasoning back to its starting point

concreate operational stage 7-12 yrs

Once in this stage, the child is now capable of true logical thought and can perform mental ‘operations’ (can imagine consequences of an event without it needing to happen).

Key cognitive accomplishments concreate operational

Conservation -understanding that certain properties of an object can remain the same even when its appearance changes (not centration)

classification - ability to organise or events into categories based on common features (and sub categories)

formal operational stage 12+ yrs

Once in this stage, individuals (age 12 and up) have more complex thought processes and their thinking becomes increasingly sophisticated (from combined effects of brain maturation and life experience).

key cognitive accomplishments for formal operational

Abstract thinking - a way of thinking that doesn’t rely on being able to see, experience or manipulate to understand something. Eg the concept of empathy or love

Logical thinking - ability to see alternatives to current issues and using logic to process a concept and to reach a sensible and valid conclusion. E.g. I can see dark clouds, I will pack an umbrella

Sensitive periods

A SENSITIVE PERIOD is a period of time during development when an individual is more responsive/sensitive to certain types of environmental experiences or learning.

The reason learning is easiest and most efficient is that these periods are associated with heightened neuroplasticity

if certain skills are not acquired during the sensitive period, the individual could still acquire later but it will usually take more time, be more difficult and the learning might not be successful.

critical periods

A CRITICAL PERIOD is a specific period in development during which an organism is most vulnerable to the deprivation or absence of certain environmental stimuli or experiences.

They have identifiable start and end times, which are more sudden than sensitive periods

Typical Behaviour

patterns of behaviour that are expected of an individual or that conform to standards of what is acceptable for a given situation

Atypical behaviour

patterns of behaviour that are not expected for an individual or that deviate from the norm and can be harmful or distressing for the individual and those around them.

Criteria used to categorise typical and atypical behaviour

·cultural perspectives

·social norms

·statistical rarity

·personal distress

·maladaptive behaviour.

MUST BE CONSIDERED BY THE PSYCHOLOGIST

Cultural perspectives + limitation

Cultural perspectives involves using cultural norms to determine whether behaviours are acceptable or typical.

limitations - ·What is viewed as normal (typical) behaviour in one culture may be considered atypical in another.

Social norms + limitations

Social norms are shared standards or social beliefs about what is normal, acceptable or typical behaviour.

Limitation - ·Social norms can change over time, with society or the context.

Statistical Rarity + limitations

Statistical rarity refers to behaviours that are considered uncommon and deviate significantly from the norm. In other words, they are statistically rare. Behaviours that are common or that most people ‘do’ are considered normal or typical.

Limitation - Many rare behaviours or characteristics are more common than realised.

Personal Distress

Does the typical or atypical behaviour cause personal distress to the individual concerned. This could involve unpleasant emotions – sadness, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, physiological pain or suffering.

limitation - ·Personal distress on its own is not sufficient to to describe behaviour as atypical. Eg. mourning the loss of a loved one.

Maladaptive behaviour + limitation

Behaviours that are unhelpful, dysfunctional and non-productive, interfering with a person’s ability to adjust appropriately and effectively to their environment.

limitation - hard to measure or define the extent to which behaviours are either beneficial (adaptive) or harmful (maladaptive) in a clear, objective way.

Adaptive behaviour

the ability to meet everyday demands and social expectations

·any behaviours, emotional responses or cognitive processes that enable individuals to cope and adjust effectively to the environment.

Maladaptive behaviour

·emotions, behaviours and cognitions that interfere with an individual's ability to cope and adjust to the environment.

Normality

·patterns of behaviour that are typical, expected, or conform to standards of what is acceptable.

Abnormality

·behaviours that are unusual, bizarre, atypical or out of the ordinary

Neurotypicality

refers to individuals who have standard or typical brain functioning, processing and behaviours.

a two-year old progressing normally for their age, walking and using basic words to express what they want can be said to be neurotypical.

Neurodiversity

the idea that every human has a unique nervous system with its own combination of abilities and needs.

. a two-year old rarely making eye contact, gesturing and using minimal language may be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. They would be considered neurodiverse due to their brain functioning differently to what is standard.

Neurodiversity promotes the acceptance and inclusion of neurodivergent individuals in society

Maladaptive behaviours

vary from minor and minimally impairing behaviours (e.g. nail biting or avoidance when anxious) to severely impairing behaviours that seriously interfere with our ability to function (e.g. self-harming to cope with anxiety).

Maladaptive cognitions

usually involve cognitive distortions or irrationally amplified thoughts or beliefs that distort a person’s perception of reality, usually in a negative way.

Maladaptive emotions

involve very intense or overwhelming emotions that occur frequently and persist for prolonged periods of time without interruption or are inappropriate for the situation

Cognitive behavioural therapy

targets the relationship between maladaptive thoughts, feelings and behaviours by helping people to identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts (cognitions), which can improve mood (emotions) and result in changes in a person’s daily actions (behaviour).

Types of neurodivergences

•Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

•Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

•Dyslexia

•Dyspraxia

•Dyscalculia

•Tourette's syndrome

•Synaesthesia

Common characteristics of neurodiveregent individuals

• thinking creatively

• being detail-focused

• being very honest

• having high energy

• being very observant

• being good at problem- solving.

Challenges Faced by Neurodivergent Individuals

•Difficulties with social interactions

•Communication difficulties

•Trouble with transitions and changes

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

•ASD is characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, as well as restricted interests and repetitive behaviours.

•Challenges include sensory sensitivities, difficulty with social cues and communication, and rigid behaviours.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

•ADHD characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

•Challenges include difficulty focusing, organizing tasks, managing time, and controlling impulses.

Dyslexia

•Learning disorder characterized by difficulties with reading, spelling, and decoding words.

Mental Health workers

assist with provision of services for clients with psychological and social challenges.

Eg. Social workers, youth workers, occupational therapists

Psychologists

professionally trained in one or more of the branches of psychology. Psychologists can diagnose conditions and provide support in managing these conditions, but cannot prescribe medications

Clinical, organisational, sports, education

Psychiatrists

specialist doctors who focus on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of psychological disorders.

Psychiatrists are able to diagnose psychological and psychiatric disorders, prescribe medication and then monitor dosages/side effects with patients.

Mental Health Organisations

groups or companies that work address or advocate for mental health and wellbeing by providing support services

E.g. Beyond Blue, Headspace, Lifeline, Amaze

culturally responsive practices

 relate to acting in ways that respond to the needs of the individual/community in a way that is respectful and inclusive of the different traditions, views and attitudes held by these stakeholders

E.g. females cannot be examined/touched by males that are unrelated to them