module 1: introduction to developmental psychology

1. prenatal development

2. infancy and toddlerhood

3. early childhood

4. middle childhood

5. adolescence

6. early adulthood

7. middle adulthood

8. late adulthood

major periods of lifespan development

development can be both improvement and decline

what does multidirectional mean

growth, aging, and maturation

example of multidirectional development

maturation

becoming more developed and advanced; can be physical, emotional, and/or cognitive

multidisciplinary

two or more subject areas; important to health sciences, social sciences, and education

multidimensional

biological, social, emotional, cognitive

continuity

perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones

discontinuity

a view of development as taking place in stages that are distinct from one another rather than as one gradual, continuous process. one stage ends before the other begins

sigmund freud

psychosexual stages, each which involves a conflict and a fixation with an area of the body that is associated with sexual gratification

id

emerges at birth, unconscious impulses, demand immediate fulfillment

ego

emerges in infancy, conscious mind, weighs desires of the id with reality s

superego

emerges in early childhood, internalization of social norms and standards

oral personality

dependent, needy, chewing hum, biting fingernails

anal retentive

order, cleanliness, control enviroment

1. oral stage

2. anal stage

3. phallic stage

4. latency stage

5. genital stage

freud’s stages of development

oral stage

Freud; birth - 18 months; focus on feeding

anal stage

freud; 18 months- 3 years; focus on toilet training

phalllic stage

freud; 3-5 years; psychosexual stage that focuses on male genitals

latency stage

freud; 5 - puberty; develop friendships; skills, and interests

genital stage

freud; puberty- adulthood; psychosexual stage that focuses on sexual maturity, healthy relationships, and productive work

erik erikson

known for 8 stage theory of psychosocial development

behaviorism

studying behavior in a measureable and observable way

classical conditioning

a learned response to a specific stimulus; can help with phobias

operant conditioning

learned based on rewards and punishments

B.F. Skinner

behavioralist; operant conditioning; pigeons pecking for food

social learning theory

Bandura’s view of human development; emphasizes interaction, modeling

jean piaget

known for his theory of cognitive development in children regarded cognitive development as a process which occurs due to biological maturation and interaction with the environment; believed children were born with basic units of knowledge

schemas

units of knowledge

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accommodation

when existing schema needs to be adjusted

equilibration

process by which children balance assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding

sensorimotor stage

piaget; birth-2 years; infants know the world mostly in terms of sensory impressions and motor activities

preoperational stage

piagets; 2-6 or 7; a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operation of concrete logic

concrete operational stage

piaget; 6/7-11 years; children gain mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

forma operational stage

piaget; start @ 12; people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

primary education

who did piaget’s theory have a large impact on?

information processing theory

the brain is like a computer; it is a continuous theory

ethological theory

biological, animal behavior imprinting; Konrad Lorenz

sociocultural theories

Lev Vygotsky; how children are influenced by people of authority

ecological systems theory

bronfenbrenner; views the child as developing within a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the surrounding environment

1. nature vs nurture

   1. continuity vs discontinuity

controversies in lifespan development

nature vs. nurture

debate whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior

continuity vs. discontinuity

growth occurring gradually versus in distinct stages

biological dimension

physical changes going on in the body; how external influences (drugs or healthful behaviors) influence this

social dimension

how does the individual change in his/her social interactions

emotional dimension

how does the individual change in how they regulate and experience emotion

cognitive dimension

how does the individual change the way they think?

nature

biology and maturation; one’s genetics, personality, and innate characteristics will naturally enfold and cause one to develop in a particular way

nurture

emphasizes the role of parents, other individuals, and the context in which one lives in assessing what primarily influences development

behaviorists

human and animal behavior and focus on what is observed and measurable