Developmental Psychology & Social Behavior: Piaget, Attachment, and Social Influence

Sensorimotor Stage

0-2 yrs; learn through senses and actions; object permanence develops.

Object Permanence

Understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight.

Preoperational Stage

2-7 yrs; symbolic thinking; cannot perform mental operations; egocentrism & lack of conservation.

Centration

Focusing on one aspect of a problem while ignoring others.

Irreversibility

Inability to mentally undo an action or sequence.

Concrete Operational Stage

7-12 yrs; understand conservation; logical thinking applied to concrete objects.

Formal Operational Stage

12+ yrs; abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking.

Cross-Sectional Research

Compares different age groups at one time; may appear "stage-like."

Longitudinal Research

Studies same people over time; shows continuous development.

Evidence Against Piaget

Kids show abilities earlier than Piaget claimed (e.g., object permanence, perspective-taking).

Cultural Cognitive Differences

Skills develop earlier depending on cultural practices (e.g., hunting vs. farming).

Temperament

Characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

Easy Child

Positive mood; adapts easily to change.

Difficult Child

Fussy, cries often, irregular routines.

Slow-to-Warm-Up Child

Cautious; low activity; adjusts slowly.

Attachment

Emotional bond between infant and caregiver.

Harlow's Monkeys

Contact comfort is more important than food in forming attachments.

Secure Attachment

Uses caregiver as base; distressed when they leave; comforted at return.

Avoidant Attachment

Little distress on separation; avoids caregiver upon return.

Resistant Attachment

Clingy; angry and difficult to soothe upon caregiver's return.

Disorganized Attachment

Confused, inconsistent behavior; reflects abuse or disorientation.

Attachment Influences

Caregiving quality, temperament, family environment, internal models.

Authoritarian Parenting

Strict; punitive; low warmth; children lack social skills and initiative.

Authoritative Parenting

Warm but firm; encourages independence; socially competent children.

Permissive Parenting

Very few limits; children struggle with self-control.

Neglectful Parenting

Uninvolved; children lack self-regulation and social competence.

Person Perception

Using social cues to form impressions; attractiveness bias.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overestimating internal causes; underestimating situational factors for others.

False Consensus Effect

Overestimating how many people share your beliefs or behaviors.

Self-Serving Bias

Success = internal causes; failure = external causes.

Stereotype

Generalization about a group; ignores individual differences.

Stereotype Threat

Fear of confirming a stereotype hurts performance.

Explicit Attitudes

Conscious, reportable beliefs.

Implicit Attitudes

Unconscious attitudes that influence behavior.

Cognitive Dissonance

Discomfort from inconsistency between behavior and beliefs.

Self-Perception Theory

We infer our attitudes from observing our own behavior.

Central Route Persuasion

Logical, fact-based persuasion; requires attention.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Superficial cues like attractiveness or tone persuade.

Foot-in-the-Door

Small request first increases likelihood of agreeing to larger one.

Door-in-the-Face

Large request first makes a smaller request more acceptable.

Conformity

Changing behavior to match group norms.

Informational Social Influence

Conformity because you want to be correct.

Normative Social Influence

Conformity to gain approval or avoid rejection.

Deindividuation

Loss of identity and responsibility in groups.

Social Facilitation

Performance improves on well-learned tasks around others.

Social Loafing

Reduced effort in group tasks.

Groupthink

Group harmony > realistic decision-making.

Milgram's Obedience Study

2/3 delivered maximum shock; obedience shaped by situation.

DSM-5

Manual for classifying psychological disorders.

Abnormal Behavior Criteria

Deviant, maladaptive, personally distressful behavior.

Biopsychosocial Model

Disorders result from biological, psychological, and social factors.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

6+ months of uncontrollable worry; fatigue, tension; GABA issues.

Panic Disorder

Sudden intense fear; heart racing; linked to lactate changes.

Phobia

Irrational fear causing avoidance; person recognizes it's excessive.

Agoraphobia

Fear of situations where escape is difficult.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Fear of embarrassment in social settings.

Specific Phobia

Fear of specific object or situation.

OCD

Obsessions (thoughts) and compulsions (ritual behaviors).

PTSD

Trauma; re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal; 1+ month.

Major Depressive Disorder

5 symptoms for 2 weeks: low mood, sleep/appetite change, hopelessness.

Learned Helplessness

Belief that one has no control → depression.

Rumination

Repetitive negative thinking; higher in women.

Bipolar Disorder

Mood swings between depression and mania.

Lithium

Mood stabilizer; prevents mania; requires blood monitoring.

Schizophrenia

Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking.

Positive Symptoms

Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thought.

Negative Symptoms

Flat affect, withdrawal, reduced speech.

Cognitive Symptoms

Problems with attention, memory, planning.

Schizophrenia Causes

Genetics, dopamine, brain abnormalities, stress.

Antipsychotics

Drugs that reduce dopamine; atypicals target serotonin too.

Behavior Therapy

Uses conditioning; includes exposure, desensitization.

Cognitive Therapy

Changes maladaptive thoughts (Beck).

CBT

Combines cognitive and behavioral techniques.

ECT

Induces seizure; treats severe treatment-resistant depression.