Psych 105 Chapter 11 part 1

Chapter 11: Development

Introduction

• Focus on developmental psychology: The study of continuity and change across the lifespan, encompassing stages such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

Chapter Outline

• Prenatality: A Womb with a View

• Infancy and Childhood: Perceiving, Doing, and Thinking

• Infancy and Childhood: Bonding and Helping

• Adolescence: Minding the Gap

• Adulthood: Change We Can’t Believe In

Developmental Psychology

• Definition: The study of how and why humans change throughout their life from birth to old age.

Stages of Development

• Infancy

• Childhood

• Adolescence

• Adulthood

Prenatality

Fertilization Process

• Human sperm: Fertilization typically occurs 1 to 2 days after intercourse but can happen up to 5 days later.

Stages of Prenatal Development

• Germinal Stage: 2-week period from conception; formation of the zygote.

• Zygote: The fertilized egg containing genetic material from both parents.

• Embryonic Stage: Lasts from the 2nd to 8th week post-conception.

• Fetal Stage: Begins at 9 weeks until birth; characterized by rapid brain growth and myelination (formation of a fatty sheath around neuron axons).

Importance of Underdeveloped Brains

• Newborns are born with underdeveloped brains to facilitate passage through the birth canal and to allow for adaptation to varying environments throughout life.

Prenatal Environment

The Role of the Womb

• The womb significantly influences fetal development.

• Placenta: Connects mother’s bloodstream to the fetus for material exchange.

• Maternal intake affects baby development.

• Teratogens: Harmful agents that can affect development (e.g., drugs, viruses).

  • Alcohol: Can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

  • Tobacco: Known to affect fetal health.

  • Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR): Resulting from insufficient nutrition.

Infancy and Childhood: Perceiving, Doing, and Thinking

Overview of Infancy

• Infancy is the developmental stage from birth to 18-24 months.

• Infants show a range of abilities beyond basic needs (e.g., crying, sleeping).

Perceptual Development

• Newborns have limited distance vision (8 to 12 inches) and habituate to stimuli.

• Capable of recognizing shapes and mimicking facial expressions shortly after birth.

• Infants show preference for social stimuli (e.g., faces).

Motor Development

• Importance of strengthening muscles for actions such as reaching, crawling, and walking.

• Motor reflexes: Basic innate responses to stimuli (e.g., rooting, sucking).

• Motor skills follow:

  • Cephalocaudal Rule: Development proceeds from the head to the feet.

  • Proximodistal Rule: Development proceeds from the center of the body outwards.

Stepping Up Development

• Motor skills develop through practice (average infant takes approx. 2,368 steps and falls 17 times in an hour).

Cognitive Development

Overview

• Cognitive development involves the ability to think and understand.

• Jean Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development:

  • Sensorimotor Stage (Birth–2 years): Acquiring knowledge through sensory and motor experiences.

  • Preoperational Stage (2–6 years): Developing motor skills and rudimentary reasoning but lacking understanding of conservation.

  • Concrete Operational Stage (6–11 years): Logical thinking about concrete events and understanding conservation.

  • Formal Operational Stage (11 years+): Abstract thinking and problem-solving capabilities.

Discovering the World

Sensorimotor Stage

• Knowledge gained through movement exploration.

• Key concepts:

  • Schemas: Models of reality.

  • Assimilation: Integrating experiences into existing schemas.

  • Accommodation: Adjusting schemas to incorporate new information.

  • Object Permanence: Understanding that objects continue to exist without seeing them.

Understanding Perspectives

Egocentrism

• Preoperational children struggle to appreciate different viewpoints; proven by false-belief tasks.

• Children gradually learn that perspectives can vary among individuals.

Social and Cultural Influences

Lev Vygotsky's Theories

• Emphasizes the role of social interaction in cognitive development.

• Key concepts:

  • Joint Attention: Focusing on the same object as another person.

  • Social Referencing: Using another's emotional reactions to interpret events.

  • Imitation: Learning through the observation of others.