psych 03/12 pt.1
Introduction to Development
Discussion begins with the speaker referencing the music group Beastie Boys, used as a prompt to discuss innate behaviors.
Speaker shares a personal anecdote about children spontaneously breakdancing to highlight innate forms of development.
Core Cognition and Development
Innate vs. Learned Behaviors: Discussion on how some behaviors may not require extensive learning or role modeling.
Introduces the concept of core cognition: the idea that certain understandings and abilities may be present at birth.
Contrasts with Piaget's notion that children are like scientists learning through experience.
Evidence of Innate Knowledge in Infants
Preferences at Birth
Infants show preference for their mother's voice shortly after birth due to experiences in the womb.
Studies indicate familiarity with sounds and stories read by mothers during pregnancy.
Example: Newborns preferred stories that their mothers read during pregnancy.
Understanding Gravity
Discussion involving Sir Isaac Newton and Galileo as historical examples of understanding gravity.
Infants exhibit an intuitive understanding of gravity; they look longer at impossible scenarios (e.g., a floating object) indicating a basic grasp of physical laws.
Visual Attention and Object Permanence
Object Permanence: The concept that objects continue to exist even when out of sight is developed earlier than Piaget suggested.
Newer studies utilize experimental setups to demonstrate how infants expect certain outcomes (e.g., a ball rolling into a barrier).
Babies' differing responses to possible vs. impossible scenarios indicate their understanding of object permanence at around three and a half months old.
Critiques of Piaget's Stages of Development
Limitations of Piaget's Theory
Piaget's perspective on developmental stages (e.g., object permanence not understood until 8-9 months) is challenged by newer research.
Emphasis on measuring visual attention rather than just physical movements; reaching is limited in infants compared to their ability to look.
Modern Research Techniques
Usage of eye tracking technology helps researchers better understand infants’ cognitive abilities and preferences.
Habituation studies demonstrate infants' ability to differentiate between novel and familiar stimuli effectively.
Concepts of Morality in Infants
Recent research suggests infants possess early moral understanding; they can differentiate between good and bad actions.
Example: Anecdote about a child's empathetic behavior towards a sibling in distress.
Highlighted studies show that infants show preferences for helpful characters in puppet scenarios, supporting an innate sense of morality.
Infants prefer characters who help over those who hinder, suggesting early ethical inclinations.
Conclusion on Developmental Psychology
The discussion challenges the notion of the blank slate theory (tabula rasa) in infants.
Infants are born with some core knowledge and cognitive capabilities, which are inherited and do not solely stem from experiential learning.
Research shows that infants possess sophisticated preferences, concepts of morality, and physical knowledge, all present from a young age.