PSYCH 109G Cognitive Development

Flexible Minds

• Inhibit prepotent responses

• Switch between tasks

• Delay gratification

What are the four Aspects of the mind?

Perception, Action, Cognition, Emotion

What are the six levels of Analysis?

Cultural, Social, Behavioural, Neural, Physiological, Genetic

What are the two Timelines?

Ontogenetic Development & Phylogenetic Development

Define Ontogenetic Development

• Origination and development of an organism (Conception ← → Death)

• Developmental psychology: How does the mind change over the lifespan.

• Focus on change and constancy.

Define Phylgenetic Development

Evolutionary history of groups of organisms, e.g., populations or species. (Past ← → Future)

What is Comparative Psychology?

Focuses on organism; How do different kinds of minds function?; What are the similarities and differences among human and non-human minds?

What are two possible goals of psychology?

1. Basic Research: Research to expand our understanding.

2. Applied Research: Research to address practical issues. E.g., Educational, Clinical, Consumer, or Organizational psychology.

What is Analysis?

Breaking a system down into components; Perception, Action, Cognition, Emotion.

What is Synthesis?

How the components come together.

The Developmental Approach involves Analysis & Synthesis, what else?

• Encourages a holistic, integrative view of the mind.

• Allows to think about all levels of analysis.

• Touches on all different applied aspects of psychology.

How to think like a developmental scientist?

1. Don’t Take the Mind for Granted

• Physics metaphor

• Building a mind from scratch

• Think critically

2. Theoretical Questions

• Quantitative vs. Qualitative Change

• Nature vs. Nurture

• Domain Specific vs. Domain General

Why study developmental psychology?

1. To get comfortable with complexity.

2. To understand others (and yourself) better.

What is the Mechanistic View?

• The mind is like a machine.

• Each part serves a particular function.

• The parts don’t change function.

What is the Complexity View?

• The mind is like an ecosystem.

• Components contribute to the system in many ways.

• Changes at one level can reverberate through other levels (feedback loops).