Psychology 1&2

Unit 1, AOS 1: Psychological Development Influences

What influences psychological development?

Chapter 2: The Complexity of Psychological Development

  • Influences: The interactive influences of hereditary (nature) and environmental factors (nurture) on a person’s psychological development.

  • Biopsychosocial approach: A model for considering psychological development and mental wellbeing, incorporating biological, psychological, and social factors.

  • Process of development: Focuses on emotional, cognitive, and social development over the life span.

  • Sensitive and critical periods: The importance of specific time periods in development that can significantly affect psychological outcomes.

Overview of Psychological Development

  • Learning Intention: Explore what psychological development is and the three aspects it encompasses.

  • Success Criteria:

    • Complete notes for Chapter 2.1

    • Participate in classroom discussions and embedded activities

    • Complete Chapter 2.1 Learning Activity Questions

Defining Psychological Development

  • Definition: Psychologists use the term development to refer to changes in an organism (human or animal) that occur over time.

  • Characteristics of Change:

    • Changes must occur over time

    • Changes are relatively permanent or ‘lasting’

  • Perspective: Considered through cognitive, emotional, and social domains, emphasizing their interaction.

Areas of Development

  • Emotional Changes: Develop skills to control, express, and recognize emotions appropriately.

    • Example: Recognizing and managing your emotions.

  • Social Changes: Skills that allow us to interact effectively with others.

    • Example: Communicating with colleagues appropriately.

  • Cognitive Changes: Development of mental abilities such as reasoning, problem-solving, decision-making, perception, learning, and memory.

    • Example: Learning multiplication tables.

Interaction of Different Areas of Development

  • Physical development and psychological development are interconnected.

  • Example: Feeling sleep-deprived or stressed can lead to emotional responses like snapping at others, which is a behavior not evident when well-rested and calm.

Stages of Life Span Development

  1. Infancy: Birth–2 years

  2. Childhood: 2–12 years

  3. Adolescence: 12–20 years

  4. Early Adulthood: 20–40 years

  5. Middle Age: 40–65 years

  6. Older Age: 65 years and beyond

Developmental Norms

  • Definition: Developmental norms indicate the typical characteristics or abilities and expected levels of achievement associated with a particular age or stage.

  • Clarification: Norms describe average development, not what is considered ideal or an explanation of development.

Hereditary and Environmental Influences

  • Learning Intention: Explore hereditary and environmental factors, and their interaction.

  • Success Criteria:

    • Complete notes for Chapter 2.2

    • Participate in classroom discussions and activities

    • Complete Chapter 2.2 Learning Activity Questions

Developmental Changes Illustration

  • Identify whether the following changes are developmental:

    • Crying when a mother leaves (developmental)

    • Learning to play chess at 6 (developmental)

    • Memory loss under anesthesia at 50 (not developmental)

    • Confidence to sleep away from home at 10 (developmental)

    • Creating TikTok at 70 (developmental)

    • Desire to live independently at 28 (developmental)

    • Anger towards dad at 15 (developmental)

Personal Reflection Exercise

  • To Do: Describe yourself in terms of physical (e.g., eye color) and psychological (e.g., personality traits) qualities.

  • Categorization Exercise: Sort these qualities into those attributable to nature, nurture, or both, providing explanations for each categorization.

Nature vs Nurture Debate

  • Discuss whether nature or nurture is more influential in shaping development.

  • Historical Context: This debate centers on the impact of heredity (nature) versus environment (nurture) on a person’s development.

  • Conclusion: Research consistently indicates both hereditary and environmental factors interactively shape human development.

The Biopsychosocial Model

  • Learning Intention: Explore how the biopsychosocial model assists in understanding mental wellbeing and psychological development.

  • Success Criteria:

    • Complete notes for Chapter 2.3

    • Participate in classroom discussions and activities

    • Complete Chapter 2.3 Learning Activity Questions

Biopsychosocial Model

  • Definition: A holistic framework for understanding human experience in connection to biological, psychological, and social factors.

  • Aim: To explain how these factors interact to influence overall health, wellbeing, and development.

Biological Factors

  • Include internal genetic and physiological bases.

  • Can be innate (e.g., genetic predisposition) or acquired later in life (e.g., medications).

    • Examples: Genetic predisposition, medications, sleep, nutrition.

Psychological Factors

  • Internal mental processes impacting an individual.

  • Examples: Attitudes, coping skills, cognitive thoughts, self-esteem, memories.

Social Factors

  • External interactions and relationships influencing development.

  • Examples: Personal relationships, cultural norms, educational opportunities, family environment, socioeconomic status.

Potential Influences on Psychological Development

  • Biological:

    • Hormones (puberty), genetic predispositions, dietary/lifestyle factors, physical activity, brain changes due to learning.

  • Social:

    • Education, peer groups, socio-economic status, family life, romantic relationships.

  • Psychological:

    • Trauma/grief, stress, attachment, self-esteem, beliefs, coping skills, attitudes, past experiences, and thoughts.

Emotional Development

  • Emotional development involves lifelong skill growth regarding controlling, expressing, and recognizing emotions.

  • Attachment: The emotional bond formed between an infant and primary caregiver.

    • Critical findings link early attachment to trust, security, and anxiety development influences.

Ainsworth’s Attachment Theory

  • Developed by Mary Ainsworth through her ‘Strange Situation’ test, measuring attachment in infants aged 9-18 months.

  • Procedure: Involves a series of separations and reunions in a controlled environment, observed through one-way mirrors.

  • Stages of the Strange Situation Test:

    • Caregiver sits while the infant plays

    • Stranger enters

    • Caregiver leaves, and stranger tries to comfort infant

    • Responses of infants are measured (e.g., secure base, separation anxiety).

Types of Attachment

  1. Secure Attachment: Needs consistently met, allowing calmness in caregiver presence during distress.

  2. Insecure Avoidant Attachment: Lack of closeness with caregiver; treats them like a stranger.

  3. Insecure Resistant Attachment: Anxiety even with caregiver present; difficulty upon reunion.

  4. Disorganized Attachment: Erratic behavior during caregiver interactions, showcasing confusion and fear.

Limitations of Attachment Theory

  • Does not adequately account for cross-cultural differences impacting development.

  • Lacks detailed interim explanation of developmental outcomes between infancy and adulthood.

Cognitive Development

  • Cognitive development refers to lifelong skill growth regarding thinking, understanding, and organizing information.

  • Piaget’s Theory:

    • Viewed cognitive development as adaptation to change, occurring through processes of assimilation and accommodation.

Schema

  • Definition: A mental idea of what something is and how to act upon it.

    • Example: Different schemas regarding Christmas based on individual experiences (e.g., presents versus religious connotations).

Assimilation and Accommodation

  1. Assimilation: Integrating new information into pre-existing schemas without changing the schema.

    • Example: Child sees a truck and mistakenly calls it a car based on prior knowledge.

  2. Accommodation: Altering existing schemas to fit new information when assimilation is not enough.

    • Example: A child learns that covered toys still exist, leading to accommodation of their understanding of object permanence.

Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development

  • 1. Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years): Learning through sensory and motor actions; develops object permanence and goal-directed behavior.

  • 2. Pre-Operational Stage (2-7 years): Emergence of symbolic thinking, egocentrism, animism, and early understanding of transformations; lack of understanding conservation and reversibility.

  • 3. Concrete Operational Stage (7-12 years): Logical thought development; understanding conservation and classification.

  • 4. Formal Operational Stage (12+ years): Abstract thinking, systematic problem-solving, and idealistic thinking.

Strengths of Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

  • Research influence: Provided breakthroughs in understanding cognitive development.

  • Developmental readiness: Clear boundaries aiding educational implications.

Criticisms of Piaget’s Theory

  • Underestimates younger children's abilities; small participant base limits generalizability; neglects extremes in cognitive abilities; and does not address adolescent development adequately.

Social Development

  • Refers to skills and behaviors enabling interaction with others, influenced by personality and social relationships.

Erikson's Theory of Social Development

  • Describes 8 stages characterized by psychosocial crises that influence social skill development, linking development to social and cultural expectations.

Bandura's Social Learning Theory

  • Describes observational learning, where individuals learn by watching others.

  • Example Study: Bandura's experiments with children observing a model's violence or gentleness towards a 'bobo doll,' influencing children's subsequent play behaviors.

Stages of Observational Learning

  1. Attention: Observing the action.

  2. Retention: Remembering the action.

  3. Reproduction: Ability to replicate the action.

  4. Motivation: Desire to repeat the action.

  5. Reinforcement: Likelihood of repeating behavior based on positive consequences.

Critical and Sensitive Periods

  • Critical Periods: Specific developmental windows where certain skills must be acquired (e.g., first language learning).

  • Sensitive Periods: Optimal time frames where skills are most easily acquired but can still develop later (e.g., attachment).

Plasticity

  • Definition: The brain's capability to physically change in response to experiences and learning throughout development.

Conclusion and Reflection

  • Upon reflection, students are advised to summarize their understanding of the key learning outcomes regarding the nature versus nurture debate, biopsychosocial model, and the dynamics of emotional, cognitive, and social development throughout their life span.