Unit 6: Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology’s Three Major Issues

Nature and Nurture, Continuity and Stages, Stability and Change

Nature and Nurture

A genetic inheritance or environment/experience

Continuity and Stages

Gradual processes or abrupt changes

Stability and Change

Persistent characteristics or growth over time

Prenatal Development

life begins at conception (it becomes a living thing)

Zygote

rapid cell division about 10 days after conception, the zygote will attach to the uterine wall; the outer part of the zygote becomes the placenta

Embryo

two to eight weeks of gestation, heart begins to beat and organs begin to develop, it begins to develop human characteristics

Fetus

nine weeks of gestation to birth

age of viability

about 24 weeks, a period during which the fetus can survive outside the womb; at this time the baby can hear (and recognize) sounds and respond to light

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Teratogens

chemical agents that can harm the prenatal environment/child (both external and internal chemicals); eg. fetal alcohol syndrome, hormones, prescription drugs, STDs, strong emotion (anger, depression)

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by severe drinking during pregnancy; can present symptoms such as noticeable facial disproportions in nose, eye, and ears

reflexes

they are innate and the infant reflexes are eventually replaced by learned behaviors

rooting reflex

prompts baby to turn his head toward your hand if you stroke cheek or mouth

Moro reflex

baby's head shifts position abruptly or falls backward--or if startled by something loud or abrupt-- extends arms and legs and neck and then rapidly bring arms together. Possibly cry loudly.

palmer reflex

​​reflexively grasp the object; hands close when hand touch

Babinski reflex

occurs after the sole of the foot has been firmly stroked. The big toe then moves upward or toward the top surface of the foot. The other toes fan out

plantar reflex

toes curl to grasp when touched

crawling reflex

placed on stomach and pressure to foot, will make crawling motion

tonic neck reflex

infants head faces a particular side that sides arm and leg will extend where the other will bend

Why do nurses test reflexes?

to check the nervous system

Habituation

as infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner

Maturation

physical growth we go through that happens in a specific sequence

Gross Motor

Uses the large muscles for strengtth, coordination, and reaction time

Fine Motor

Uses the small muscles for precision and a high deegre of control

Pruning process

a natural process that occurs in the brain between early childhood and adulthood. We have an excess of neurons during infancy and early childhood. During synaptic pruning, the brain eliminates extra synapses

Motor Development

Brain development enables physical coordination

Jean Piaget

maintained that the mind of the child is not a miniature model of the adult’s and worked with IQ tests and found that people of the same age make the same mistakes

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assimilation

adapting current schemas to incorporate new information

accommodation

create a new schema

active thinkers

always trying to make sense of the world and adapting to their environment

Sensorimotor Stage (0 to 24 months)

Children experience the world through their senses and actions, Beginning around 8-9 months, infants exhibit object permanence

object permanence

the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be sensed

Preoperational Stage (2 to 6 -7 years)

Children begin to use language to represent objects and ideas, Characterized by egocentric thinking and lack of a theory of mind

egocentric thinking (children)

they can not see from another peerson’s point of view

Concrete Operations Stage (7 to 12 years)

Ability to think logically about concrete events and comprehend mathematical transformations; conservation develops

theory of mind

able to put myself in other people’s pov and think logically

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

is marked by an impaired ability to infer others’ mental states

conservation

the quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance

Formal Operations Stage (over 12 years)

Ability to think logically about abstract concepts

metacognition

abstract thinking, hypothesize, mental manipulation, thinking about thinking

Lev Vygotsky

created the sociocultural theory and the zone of proximal development

sociocultural theory

stress the fundamental role of social interaction (nurture) in the development of cognition

Zone of Proximal Development

epresents the distance between what a learner is capable of doing unsupported, and what they can only do supported by a knowledgeable other; language provides building block for thinking

instructional scaffolding

the child as an apprentice

Attachment

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation

Stranger anxiety

develops about 8 months due to development of object permanence; applies to anyone outside their immediate environment/caregiver

contact comfort

the need for physical interaction; neglect of this leads to alteration in brain chemistry

Familiarity attachment

Attachments based on familiarity that form during a critical period

Secure Attachment

infant who is provided with consistant contact comfor; child feels safe and when the mother returns they are easily comforted

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Insecure Attachment

negative reactions towards their mother

Ambivalent

clingy and dependant behavior but reject attachment figure

Avoidant

do not orientate their attachment and do not seek contact when distressed

Temperament

characteristic emotional state and intensity (genetic)

easy Temperament

readily approach and easily adapt to new enviornments

difficult Temperament

withdraw and are slow to adapt; have intense reactions and irregular routines and negative mood

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slow to warm up Temperament

withdraw from or are slow to adapt to new things, have low level of activity and show negative mood

Self-concept

understanding of onesself as a peson

Authoritarian

strict and raise obedient children; dictatorship

Permissive

no control and kids do whatever they want

Authoritative

ules and responsible behavior; take the child’s point of view into account ; Children of authoritative parents tend to have better a self-esteem and self-reliance

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neglecting

parents are not around and are never involved

helicopter/over-involved

can not solve your own problem or grow; micromanaging

gender

the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female

Agression in men

more physically agressive and admit to more agression

agression in women

social and verbal agression

social connectedness

need to belong

Gender roles

the set of expected behaviors for males and for females, vary across place and time

Social learning theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating models from the environment as well as through rewards and punishments

gender typing

the aquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role

biological theory

a complex interplay of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences and do not view it as a choice

Adolscence

pruning and mastery; mylein sheath develops allowing faster thinking

Puberty

marks the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing; causes cognitive and emotional changes

Primary Sex Characteristics

reproduction

secondary Sex Characteristics

non reproductive physical changes

Characteristics of Formal operational thought

abstract, idealistic, logical

abstract thought

can solve abstract or hypotheetical problems; eg. algebraic expressions

idealistic thought

think about what is possible and ideal

logical thought

ability to systematically solve problems

adolescent egocentrism

very self-centered and the focus is on what is going on with them

imaginary audience

constant observation and judgement

personal fable

begin to feel that they are so unique that no one else could understand

illusion invulnerability

self-perception that they can not make any mistakes

Lawrence Kohlberg

contended that moral thinking proceeds through a series of stages

Kohlberg’s stages of moral development

1\. obedience/punishment

2\. self-interest

3\. interpersonal accord and conformity

4\. authority and social order

5\. rules as a social construct

6\. individual principles of conscience

preconventional stage

stages 1 & 2

common in young children; direct consequence

conventional stage

stages 3 &4

shown often in teens; peer pressure and rules

postconventional stage

stages 5 & 6

often shown in adults/late teens; based on fairnness

Carol Gillian

contended that Kohlberg’s data did not account for gender differences in moral reasoning

Gillian stage 1

am I going to get what I want, selfish and self-centered

Gillian stage 2

self sacrifice and the needs of others

Gillian stage 3

women are less violent and agressive

Erik Erikson

unconscious psychological conflict; the success of each stage depends on the prior success

Trust vs. Mistrust

birth to 1 year

develops a sense of trust when interactions provide reliability, care, and affection

Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt

1-2 years

children acquire a degree of self-reliance and self-confidence if allowed to develop at their own pace but may begin to doubt their ability to control themselves and their world if parents are overcritical, overprotective, or inconsistent

Initiative vs. Guilt

3-5 years

the child learns to believe in his or her ability to successfully pursue goals

Industry vs. Inferiority

6-12 years

child learns to be productive and to accept evaluation of his or her efforts or becomes discouraged and feels inferior or incompetent.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

adolescent

figure out who you are socially, religiously, romantically, occupationally or remain confused

Intimacy vs. Isolation

young adulthood

individuals must learn to share and care without losing themselves; if they fail, they will feel alone and isolated

Generativity vs. Stagnation

middle adulthood

midlife transition from selfiish to selfless or stagnation is midlife crisis

Integrity vs. Despair

late adulthood

develop either integrity—a sense of satisfaction in having lived a good life and the ability to approach death with equanimity—or despair—a feeling of bitterness about opportunities missed and time wasted