developmental psych

factors

physical- neural, cognitve- intellectual, social- emotional

Nature and nurture

the extent to which development is influenced by nature and or nurture

    Epigenetics

-          nature contributes strongly to some characteristics e.g. physical size and appearance

-          More complex traits are influenced by environmental factors as well as genes e.g. intelligence  

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory

- relationships between an individual and their environment are bi-directional

The microsystem

refers to the most immediate surroundings (e.g., example, family, friends, teachers)

The mesosystem

reflects relations between microsystems (e.g., the connection between home and the workplace)

The exosystem

comprises social settings that affect the individual without them playing an active role (e.g., workplace policies)

 The macrosystem

operates at the outer level of the ecology (e.g., laws, cultural values)

The chronosystem

represents changes that occur over time

 Sensitive and critical periods

- the critical period concept suggests that the brain is set to acquire a function during a limited period of time

If key experience does not occur during a critical period the function may not develop or may not be fully develop

Maturation

refers to biological based changes

Stability and change

– change can refer to the acquisition or the loss of behaviour or function

  Change can occur as
- continuous- refers to a gradual alteration of behaviour
- discontinuous-refers to stages of growth that are qualitatively different and that are usually ordered in a fixed sequence

Continuity and discontinuity

Strong consistencies over time in intelligence personality and social skills

-          Effects of biological characteristics

-          Individuals shaping their environment and experiences

-          Cumulative effects of positive or negative experiences

Normative versus non normative

-          How do life events change us

-          Age related normative events are those that most people experience at certain ages

-          Non normative events are atypical or unexpected events- e.g. exposure to a disaster, loss of a parent, violence at home

Differences in developmental trajectories

-          Quantitative differences- e.g. individuals with a developmental delay or intellectual disability usually go through same stages of development but at a slower pace

-          Qualitative differences -e.g.  Individuals with autism spectrum disorders develop social and emotional skills quite differently than their typically-developing peers

cross sectional

-          different participants of various ages are compared to one point in time to determine age related differences

longitudinal

same participants are studied at various ages to determine age related changes

Sequential-

examine different age groups at multiple times points- reduce cohort effects- combination of cross sectional and longitudinal

Stage one: sensorimotor

-          Birth to two years

-          Infant schemas are simple reflexes- sucking and grasping, and interactions with people and objects

-          Object permanence and stranger anxiety (developmental phenomena)

-          Object permanence is the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

 

Stage two: preoperational

-          Ages 2-7 years

-          The child begins to use mental representations but lacks logical reasoning and problem solving is limited

-          Child can employ mental symbols – symbolic/fantasy play, deferred imitation, drawing

-          Language development and egocentrism (developmental phenomena)

-          Egocentrism is the inability to take another’s point of view, inability to assume the role of another person and recognise that others have viewpoints too

Stage three: concrete operational

-          Ages 7 to 11 years

-          Child performs mental operations, e.g. conservation and mathematical operations (developmental phenomena)

-          Logical thinking

-          Conservation is the ability to recognise that a given quantity, weight or volume remains the same despite changes in shape, length, or position

Stage four: formal operational

-          From 12 years on

-          Abstract thinking (imagines realities and images)

-          Child can use formal problem solving e.g. deductive reasoning

-          Abstract logic and potential for moral reasoning (developmental phenomena)

Schema

Organised patterns of thoughts and action- we acquire new schemas and our existing schemas become more complex

Assimilation

The process by which new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas

Accommodation:

The process by which new experiences cause existing schemas to change

Disequilibrium:

An imbalance between existing schemas and new experiences