Developmental Psychology

developmental Psychology

study of physical, cognitive, social, emotional, sexual and moral changes from conception to death

nature/nurture

how do genetic inheritance and experience influence our behavior

continuity/stages

is development a gradual, continuous process or a sequence of separate stages

stability/change

do our early traits persist through life, or do we become different people as we age

zygote

a fertilized egg

a mass of multiplying cells

embryo

developing human from 2 weeks through the second month

organs form and function

fetus

developing human

placenta

transfers nutrients/ oxygen from mom’s bloodstream

teratogens

harmful drug and viruses that get past the placenta and damage the embryo

fetal alcohol syndrome

physical/cognitive abnormalities caused by drinking during pregnancy

rooting reflex

head turns in direction of the touch, and the infant opens his or her mouth for feeding

palmer grasp

the infant grasps the item and can hold on very well-- almost enough to support his or her own weight

babinski

if the inner sole is stroked, the infant curls his or her toes, and if the outer sole is stroked, the toes spread out

moro

the infant throws his or her head, back and arms and legs out (and then cries)

galant

the infant curves toward the side that was stroked-- and looks like a fencer when doing so

habituation

as an infant gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a stimulus their interest wanes and they look away sooner

attachment

deep and enduring bond to primary caregiver

imprinting

some species bond to first moving object they encounter

Konrad Lorenz-- the critical period

optimal period early in life when exposure to certain stimuli or experience produces normal development

contact comfort (harrlow’s monkeys)

cloth and wire monkeys were removed at birth and raised in a lab with artificial mothers, one was made of cloth whereas the other from metal. the monkey was weened on the metal mother, yet surprisingly, it spent around 17 hours of the day with the cloth mother. this is an example of contact comfort

Mary Ainsworth’s strange situation

tests how babies or young children respond to the temporary absence of their mothers.

stranger anxiety

begins after 8 months and a predictor of future relations

temperament

a persons characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

secure attachment

child will cry when caretaker leaves and will calm when they come back

anxious- ambivalent insecure attachment

child will cling to caretaker and will cry when they leave, but will not calm when they come back

anxious- avoidant insecure attachment

a child will avoid or ignore caretaker and will not interact

critique

cultural variations may impact attachment styles

anxious- disorganized insecure attachment

child is dazed and confused throughout the ordeal as there is no attachment to caretaker (abuse/neglect)

schema

mental structure to help organize knowledge

assimilation

placing new info in a pre-existing schema

accommodation

modifying schema to fit new info

sensorimotor

knows the world through senses and actions

object permanence

object exists even when not perceived

preoperational stage

learn to use language but does not get comprehend mental operations of concrete logic

symbolic thinking

objects represented with words or images

animism

belief that all things are living just like self

egocentrism

difficulty seeing things from author’s point of view

Lacks Conversion

do not recognize that basic properties remain the same when other features change

Lacks Reversibility

cannot envision the reversion of an action

theory of mind

peoples ideas about their own and others mental stages

concrete operational stage

logical thinking + start to grasp conservation and reversibility- recognize than a process can be undone

formal operational stage

cognitive maturity + abstract thought + hypothetical situations + reasoning/ analytics

piaget

through interactions with physical environment

Vygotsky

through interactions with social environment

scaffolding

framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking