Unit 3: Development and Learning

Chronological Order in Development

the sequence or stages a person progresses over time

stability and change

stability-similarity over time

change-variety over time

nature and nurture

nature-genes

nurture-environment

continuous stages of development

gradual and steady change throughout life

discontinuous stages of development

distinct, separate stages with big ‘leaps’ between stages

cross-sectional research design

data is collected from different groups at the same time, comparing groups to each other

longitudinal research design

data is collected from same group over time, comparing participants to themselves

teratogens (prenatal factor)

“monster maker” — poisonous substance that interferes with development

maternal illness (prenatal factor)

some illnesses lead to birth defects, physical abnormalities, cognitive impairment, stress responses

genetic mutations (prenatal factor)

e.g Down Syndrome

hormonal factors (prenatal factor)

hormones in the womb impact development

environmental factors (prenatal factor)

mother’s environment influences the baby

know how physical development in infancy and childhood apply to behavior and mental processes through development

developmental milestones generally proceed in the same order and at roughly the same time

infant reflexes

involuntary responses that signal healthy development

rooting reflex

automatic reflex where baby turns toward side where cheek is touched

visual cliff apparatus

used to test depth perception

critical period in development

specific times in development where the organism is receptive to particular types of learning

imprinting

organism develops strong preference for a particular stimulus during critical period

adolescence

period of transition between childhood and adulthood. Individual experiences rapid physical and cognitive growth, more independence, and more complex relationships

adolescent growth spurt

biological females: 9-10

biological males: 11-12

period of rapid growth

puberty

period of physical and cognitive change due to shifting hormones, part of transition from childhood to adulthood

primary sex characteristics

physical traits directly involved with reproduction

secondary sex characteristics

traits developed during puberty not directly involved in reproduction (e.g. body hair)

menarche

female’s first menstruation

spermarche

beginning of sperm development

adulthood

period after adolescence where physical and cognitive traits stabilize and eventually decline

describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other factors of development

e.g. females are typically more resilient than males

Pinget’s theory of cognitive development

describes how a child’s cognition develops from infancy through adolescence

1) sensory motor stage

where infants learn about world through their senses and from moving around

(birth through 2 years)

object permanence (developed during Sensory Motor Stage)

objects continue to exists even when they can’t be perceived

2) pre-operational stage

child can display animism and egocentrism, yet struggle with conservation and reversibility

(2-7 years)

conservation — cognitive development

the amount/quantity stays the same despite changes in shape

reversibility — cognitive development

actions, thoughts, processes can often be undone and returned to their original state

animism — cognitive development

belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities

egocentrism — cognitive development

inability to understand the perspective of other people

theory of mind

understanding that other people have minds of their own with different beliefs, perspectives, and experiences

3) concrete operational stage

Individual begins thinking in concrete, logical way yet struggle with abstract concepts and thinking. Individual understands conservation and reversibility and lose aninism and egocentrism

(7-11 years)

4) formal operational stage

gain ability to think abstractly and hypothetically

(11/12 years onward)

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of development

people learn better in social environments where they receive scaffolding within their zone of proximal development

scaffolding (Vygotsky)

teaching method structure provided typically by an expert, helps you move beyond your current understanding/skill

zone of proximal development (Vygotsky-ZPD)

gap between what you can accomplish independently and what you can accomplish with scaffolding

changes in cognitive abilities as people age

fluid intelligence: peaks in 20s then declines

crystallized intelligence: continues to grow until old age

crystallized intelligence

accumulated knowledge (facts, vocabulary), certain skills that require experience

fluid intelligence

think quickly, abstractly, can multitask with large working memory

dementia

decline in cognitive abilities associated with old age

language

shared system of communication based on rules

phonemes

smallest distinguishable unit of sound in a language

morphemes

smallest unit of meaning in a language

semantics

refers to the meaning of the language

grammar

rules that govern the structure of language, allowing us to turn words into sentences

syntax

order of words in the sentences

language generativity

ability to produce and understand an infinite number of sentences

language development

across cultures, humans tend to develop spoken language in similar ways with similar stages

cooing (language development)

spontaneous vocalization occurring when the baby is content and comfortable, precursor to language development

babbling (language development)

producing repeated sounds that are not recognizable words

one-word stage (language development)

child communicates using single words

(between 9-18 months)

telegraphic speech (language development)

simple sentences that usually omit some words

overgeneralization (language development)

children apply grammatical rules too broadly

ecological systems theory

framework that suggest that your development is shaped by instructions between individuals and surrounding environments

microsystem

immediate environment of the individual

mesosystem

interaction between elements of microsystems

ecosystem

interactions between micro systems and elements of society

macrosystem

broader social system that impacts everyone in the culture

chronosystem

change in the system over time

parenting styles

attitudes, beliefs, climate, behavior of parent in interaction w/ children

authoritarian (parenting style)

high expectations, low warmth (“because I said so”)

permissive (parenting style)

low expectations, high warmth (parent attempting to be friends with child)

authoritative (parenting style)

high expectations, high warmth (sets reasonable limits, willing to compromise and share reasoning with child)

attachment styles

way that people relate to others in relationships, often developed in eagerly childhood

correlated with the way primary caregivers interact with children

secure attachment

parent/child relationship is low anxiety, low avoidance with high comfort and value

insecure attachment

parent-child relationship is some combination of high anxiety, high avoidance with low comfort and value

separation anxiety

extreme fear when separated from a caregiver

importance of contact comfort

sense of comfort and security people feel when they can rely on physical contact, extremely important for infant thru puberty

importance of peer relationships in development

environment where you develop crucial social-emotional skills (empathy, cooperation, group problem solving)

importance of play in development

crucial for development with cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits

parallel play

2-3 yrs

children playing next to each other but not with each other

pretend play

begins around 3 yrs

symbolic play with imagination, roles, characters, and aninism

imaginary audience (spotlight effect)

typically occurs during adolescence, people believe more people are watching and listening to them than actually are

personal fable

stemming from egocentrism, many adolescents and some adults believe some rules and consequences don’t apply to them

social clock

culturally established timeline for major life milestones

emerging adulthood

transitional period between adolescence and independence

stage theory of psychosocial development

8-stage model of development from birth to death

Each stage holds a conflict people must resolve to move to the next phase

Infancy (Stage 1)

0-~1

trust vs mistrust

Early Childhood (Stage 2)

~1-3 (play age)

autonomy (independence) vs shame (doubt)

Childhood (Stage 3)

ages 3-5/6 (preschool age)

initiative vs. guilt

School Age (Stage 4)

ages 6-11

industry (hard work) vs inferiority

Adolescence (Stage 5)

ages 12-18

identity vs confusion (role)

Early Adulthood (Stage 6)

ages 18-40

intimacy vs isolation

Adulthood (Stage 7)

ages 40-65

generativity vs stagnation

Old Age (Stage 8)

65-death

integrity vs despair

adverse childhood experiences score (ACES)

potentially traumatic childhood experiences correlation with negative outcomes, scores of 3-4 or higher are more strongly correlated with these outcomes

achievement (adolescent identity chart)

high exploration and then high commitment

foreclosure (adolescent identity chart)

high exploration and then low commitment

diffusion (adolescent identity chart)

low exploration and low commitment

moratorium (adolescent identity chart)

low exploration and high commitment

developing identity through considering possible selves

religion, occupations, family, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation