AP psych unit 5 Development and learning part one

Developmental psychology

Is the psychology of growth, change, and consistency through the lifespan

longitudinal studies

where you look at person(s) over a period of time

cross-sequential studies

where you look at people of different ages at a particular time

The three big debates in Development psychology

Nature v. Nurture

Continuity vs. stages

Stability vs. change

Developmental stages

periods in life initiated by distinct transitions in physical or psychological functioning

Prenatal period

it is the developmental period before brith

Teratogens

agents like viruses and drugs can damage an embryo or fetus

Fetal alcohol syndrome

which is lifelong and physical and is when alcohol has an epigenetic effect on the baby leaving chemical marks on their DNA

Neonatal period

birth-1 month

Infancy

1 month - 18/24 months old

critical period

Early in development, there is a critical period where exposure to certain stimuli and experiences aids in normal development, and lacking exposure poses challenges

Maturation

Biological growth where an organism develops over time, both physically and mentally

Discontinuous stage model

Piaget’s theory that says that children will undergo a revolutionary change in thought at each stage of development

Sensorimotor stage

is one of piaget’s stages and it is birth to 2 years old. Children mostly give reflexive responses with very little thinking involved. Stranger anxiety is common during this period(around 8 months old). also mental representation and object permanence is also involved.

Mental representation

part fo the sensorimotor stage. By age 2 kids develop the ability to make mental images of objects

Object permanence

part of the sensorimotor stage. the knowledge that objects exist independently of one’s own actions or awareness.

preoperational stage

is one of piaget’s stages and it is from 6-7 years old. it is a stage of well-developed mental representation and the use of language, and They cannot problem-solve yet. Other features of this stage include: egocentrism, animalistic thinking, centration, irreversibility, artificialism.

Egocentrism

when children see the world through their own eyes

ex. Hide and seek with a child and they turn around and face the corner and think you cant see them

Animistic thinking

when kids believe inanimate objects have life and mental processes

Centration

when a kid can’t understand an event because their attention is focused too narrowly.

Irreversibility

an inability to think through a series of events or steps and then reverse course

Artificialism

believing all objects are made by people

Operational stage

is one of piaget’s stages. from 7-11 years old. Children are able to think logically about observable events. They understand conservation which when quantity remains the same despite changes in shape. they develop the ability to do mental operations which is the ability to solve problems by manipulating the images in one’s mind.

Formal operational stage

is one of piaget’s stages, it is from 11 to forever. Says that people begin to think about issues like being more accepted by peers, and abstract issues like love fairness, and our reason for existence. People are now capable of abstract thought

Lev Vygotsky

he had a Theory that said that the child’s mind grows through interaction with the social environment

Zone of proximal development

says that a child follows an adult’s example and gradually develops the ability to do certain tasks without help or assistance

Ecological systems theory

argues that the social environment influences development both indirectly and directly

Synchronicity

close coordination between the gazing, vocalizing, touching, and smiling of mothers and infants. ex. Infants engage in the same behavior as their mother

Attachment

the enduring social-emotional relationship between a child and parent or caregiver that develops during early development

• It is because of a powerful survival impulse

• It is the building blocks to form relationships in the future

• It provides a secure base to explore life and a safe place to retreat as well

Imprinting

when a powerful attachment occurs between animals(and animals attach to people)

Cupboard theory

infants form an attachment to those who provide the food supply. Is a freud theory and has been disproven

Harry and Margret Harlow

thought physical contact was important to child development. They were also vey anti-Freud, so they did an experiment with monkeys, and found that infants need more than just food, they need contact comfort too. and A lack of close, loving relationships in infancy even affects physical growth. They also discovered psychological dwarfism.

Psychological Dwarfism

Harry and Margret Hallow while doing a study of children in emotionally detached family environments. Those kids showed slower growth and bone development. When removed from such a situation they may grow again. If however they are placed back in the poor environment, their growth is stunted once again

Mary Ainsworth

did a study called the strange situation about attachments. she learnt about secure and unsecure attachment. She also found that parenting styles were important: sensitive responsive mothers had babies that showed secure attachment while inattentive did not

secure attachment

a strong, positive bond where individuals feel safe, trusted, and comfortable with intimacy, able to seek and provide emotional support, and navigate relationships effectively

Insecure attachment

a pattern of relationships characterized by difficulties trusting others and maintaining healthy relationships, stemming from experiences in childhood where needs were not consistently met or were met in unpredictable ways

Temperament

is a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity, and is usually persistent.

Some studies show that a 3-year-old’s temperament can predict life in your 30s

Erik and John Erikson

argued that securely attached children approached life with a sense of basic trust which is when children believe that the world is trustworthy and predictable and is formed because caregivers have provided that sense by being dependable

Lack attachment

Attachment deprivation which occurs from lack of care, abuse, or neglect can lead to babies who are withdrawn frightened, and speechless

Many children who endure abuse and trauma are often resilient and fully functioning

Some do not and deal with PTSD, and become abusive themselves, experience more physical and mental health issues.

Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial develpment

Human development is a sequence of psychosocial stages, defined by common problems that emerge throughout life

He identified 8 stages, with each bringing a new challenge. To move onto the next stage of life, the previous problem must be successfully coped with

Stage 1 - trust vs. mistrust

it is from birth to age 1.

Infants develop a sense of trust when their basic needs are met

When needs are not met, it leads to mistrust, insecurity, and anxiety

Stage 2 - autonomy vs. self doubt

from 1-2 years old

As you walk, talk, and interact, you should develop a sense of independence/ want to do things on your own

Criticism or restriction leads to self-doubt, belief that they cant do things, toddlers may give up on independence

Stage 3 - Initiative vs. guilt

ages 3-5

Kids want the freedom to do things for themselves

Overcontrolling adults can lead to making the child feel not capable or guilty for wanting independence

Stage 4 - Competency vs. inferiority

ages 6-puberty

As a school-age kid, you feel capable of participating in school, sports, activities

Discouragement makes kids spectators

Morphemes

smallest language units that convey meaning

Ex. -ing at the ends of words

Phonemes

the smallest distinct sound units in a language

Ex. that becomes th-a-t

Universal Grammar

we have a built in predisposition to grammar just like how birds learn to fly

Babbling stage

4-10 months - they try to sample all of the sounds that they can make

One word stage

1-2 years old - they know that sounds carry meanings and they start to use one syllable sounds then moving up to one word nouns for people and objects

Two word stage

they start saying 2 words together, usually nouns and verbs, and they also start applying grammar. They also use telegraphic speech - they say things like they are being charged per word(convey meanings in the shortest way possible)

Linguistic determinism

theory that says that language determines the way we think

Linguistic relativism

theory that language influences the way we think

actual relationship between thinking and language

language influences our thinking by words defining our mental categories.

Aphasia

caused by damage to cortical areas, it is an impairment of language

Brocas area and language

used for speaking, and damage here can impair speaking, but you can still sing and comprehend language

Wernicke’s area and language

damage here causes you to not be able to understand others, and speak meaningless sentences

Authoritative Parenting

• Parent sets reasonable expectations and gives reasonable consequences

• Parent lets child make reasonable decisions based on development

• Explains and enforces rules

• The parent is warm, loving, interested in the child and sensitive to their needs

Authoritarian parenting

• The parent is cold, demanding, and frequently rejects or is mean to a child.

• Overly controlling of the child, not allowed to make any decisions - viewpoint does not matter

• Clear and unreasonable expectations and rules

• Severe consequences and punishments

Permissive parenting

• Parents let child make all decisions even when it is not appropriate for them to make

• Parent is loving, warm and sensitive to child’s needs

• Spoiled child

• No rules or expectations or consequences

• No demands made by parent

uninvolved/neglectful parenting

• Parent does not care about child’s emotional needs or show love and care - often show indifference or neglect

• Does not set rules, expectations, or make decisions about the child

• Child left on own

• Parent indifferent to child’s POV

Gender roles

expected behavior for males and females based on culture

Sex Chromosomes

XX = Female and XY = Male

Testosterone

Influences the development of male reproductive structures and behaviors, particularly in the prenatal period

Estrogen

Helps in the female reproductive development, ex, growth of breast tissue

Gender assignment

gender given at birth based on physical body

Gender identity

internally, how one feels about their gender

Gender expression

how we perform and express our gender

Intersex

people born with either both male and female genitalia or born with testes and some aspect of female genitalia or born with ovaries and have some aspect of male genitalia.

Gender Schema theory

children actively from mental categories(schemas) for masculinity and femininity, recognize their own gender role, and chose activities that match that role

Gender and development

Boys and girls tend to seperate themselves

Girls tend to organize in smaller cooperative groups

Boys often are in bigger groups with a hierarchical structure

Albert Bandura

argues that kids learn gendered behaviors through observation

Gender constancy

usually by age 6 or 7, children recognize gender as a pretty stable concept, over time and situations and adopt behavior that is linked to their gender identity

Gender stereotypes

widely held beliefs about the way to perform gender and what behavior is acceptable and can lead to discrimination for those outside that mold

Gender Dysphoria

is when a person experiences distress as their identity and sex assigned at birth do not match

Adolescence

is when you go from a child to an adult between puberty and independence

identity vs. role confusion

it is Erikson’s 5th stage from teenager to young adult. Teens test roles, expectations, and rules in order to form their own identity

Confusion results when they can’t form a single identity and become confused about who they are

Moral intuition

which are gut feelings that allow the mind to make moral judgments fast and automatically

Moral action

which is thinking and feeling something, then following through on it with an action

intimacy vs. isolation

it is Erikson’s 6th stage of development. it is during young adulthood. Challenge to form close relationships with other adults

Intamacy is the capability to make a full commitment to to another person - emotionally, sexually, and morally

People have to resolve the conflict between wanting to establish closeness and fearing being vulnerable and giving up independence

You have to have a sense of identity first

Generativity vs. stagnation

it is Erikson’s 7th stage of development. Midlife 40-60s

Ability to commit to make a contribution to society, family, work, the futurevs. Being self-indulgent, cynical, not going anywhere, suffering from a midlife crisis

ego-integrity vs. despair

60s to the end

During late adulthood people become aware of health changes and morality

Some feel that they have lived a purposful and healthy life without regrets while some feel despair, futileness, like they accomplished nothing and regret all their choices

At this point it appears people prioritize their health and good healthy relationships to enjoy life with

Alzheimer’s Disease

degenerative disorder of the brain that reduces thinking abilities and causes memory problems

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

identified the five stages of death and dying in her 1969 study

• Denial: refusing to believe the indivitual is sick

• Anger: patient is angry(it is like the “why me” phase)

• Bargaining: making a deal, promise somthing for a cure

• Depression: loss of appetite, and sleep

• Acceptance: realize death is inevitable and accepts dying

Sexual response cycle

four-stage sequence of arousal, plateau, orgasm, and resolution occurring in both men and women

Impact of social factors and external factors like pornography

has led to 4 major impacts:

Desensitization

Belif that rape is ok

Reduction on satisfaction in sex with a partner

Accelerated sexual activity

Sexual scripts

Socially learned ways of responding in sexual situations

These come from our culture and are influenced by what we see on TV, hear from friends, past experiences, and see in pornography