Rest of Psych Unit 3

Harry Harlow’s experiment findings

Monkeys preferred contact with the comfortable cloth mother, even while feeding from the wire mother.

Jean Piaget’s contribution to psychology

Piaget introduced a stage theory of cognitive development, emphasizing that children think differently than adults.

Assimilation

Interpreting new information in terms of existing schemas (e.g., calling a vitamin pill "candy" because it fits an existing schema).

Accommodation

Adapting current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information (e.g., learning that a vitamin pill is not candy).

Sensorimotor stage (birth-2 years)

Experiencing the world through senses and actions; includes object permanence and stranger anxiety.

Preoperational stage (2-6 years)

Representing things with words/images but lacking logical reasoning; includes pretend play, egocentrism, and language development.

Concrete operational stage (7-11 years)

Thinking logically about concrete events; includes conservation and mathematical transformations.

Formal operational stage (12-adulthood)

Abstract reasoning, including abstract logic and potential for moral reasoning.

Autism

A disorder marked by difficulties in communication, social interaction, and understanding others' mental states.

Three elements of attachment

Body contact, familiarity (critical period & imprinting), and responsiveness.

Erik Erikson’s contribution

Erikson developed the psychosocial development theory and coined the term "identity crisis."

Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy)

If needs are met, infants develop basic trust; if not, they may feel insecure.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (toddlerhood)

Toddlers learn to do things independently or feel doubt in their abilities.

Initiative vs. Guilt (preschool)

Children initiate tasks and plans, or they feel guilty about efforts to be independent.

Competence vs. Inferiority (elementary school)

Children gain a sense of accomplishment or feel inferior in their abilities.

Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescence)

Teens test roles to form an identity or remain confused about who they are.

Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood)

Young adults form close relationships or struggle with loneliness.

Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood)

Adults contribute to the world through work and family or feel a lack of purpose.

Integrity vs. Despair (late adulthood)

Reflecting on life, older adults feel either satisfaction or regret.

Lev Vygotsky’s view on development

Vygotsky believed development occurs through internalization—absorbing knowledge from social and environmental contexts.

Zone of Proximal Development

The range between a child's actual development level and their potential development level.

Scaffolding

Support given during learning, tailored to help learners reach their potential within the Zone of Proximal Development.

Self-Concept

A sense of one’s identity and personal worth.

Authoritative Parenting

Parents set rules but explain reasoning and encourage discussion.

Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

An experiment studying infant attachment patterns.

Secure Attachment

A child uses the parent for support and feels comfortable exploring.

Insecure Attachment

A child is unsure if the parent will be supportive and shows distress.

Avoidant Attachment

A child does not use the parent for support and avoids closeness.

Disorganized Attachment

A child shows inconsistent behaviors and is often associated with abuse.

Imprinting

A process in which certain animals form attachments early in life.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

A psychologist who studied the five stages of grief and death.

Five Stages of Grief

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.

Bargaining

Trying to negotiate or take extreme measures to change the situation.

Who discovered classical conditioning?

Ivan Pavlov.

Classical conditioning definition

A learning process in which a neutral stimulus, when paired with a meaningful stimulus, eventually takes on meaning itself.

Example of classical conditioning

Fish in a tank learn to associate a light with food and swim to the top when the light is shown.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

The initially neutral stimulus that, after conditioning, elicits a response (e.g., light in the fish example).

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

The stimulus that naturally triggers a response (e.g., food in the fish example).

Unconditioned Response (UR)

The naturally occurring reaction to the unconditioned stimulus (e.g., fish swimming to the top).

Conditioned Response (CR)

The learned response to the conditioned stimulus (e.g., fish swimming to the top when seeing the light).

Forward Conditioning

When the CS is presented before the US.

Delay Conditioning

The CS is present until the US begins.

Trace Conditioning

The CS is removed some time before the US is presented.

Why does forward conditioning work best?

If the US (food) is presented first, the subject is distracted and does not learn the CS (light) association.

Little Albert Experiment

Watson and Rayner conditioned a child to fear a white rat by pairing it with a loud noise.

Generalization

Responding similarly to stimuli that resemble the CS (e.g., Albert feared all white fluffy objects).

Discrimination

The ability to distinguish between similar stimuli and respond differently.

Acquisition

The process of learning the association between the CS and the US.

Extinction

The elimination of the conditioned response by repeatedly presenting the CS without the US.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of a conditioned response after it has disappeared.

Second-Order Conditioning

Using a previously learned CS as the US to condition a new stimulus (e.g., a tone paired with the light makes fish swim up).

Higher-Order Conditioning

Linking multiple conditioned stimuli together, though effectiveness decreases beyond second-order conditioning.

Contiguity Approach (Pavlov & Watson)

Classical conditioning occurs because the CS and US are paired in time.

Contingency Approach (Rescorla)

Classical conditioning occurs because the CS predicts the US.

Blocking Effect

A previously learned CS prevents a second neutral stimulus from becoming conditioned.