Ch. 10 Developmental Psychology

Methods in Developmental Psychology

Prenatal Development

  • Definition: Period from conception to birth.

  • Stages:

    • Embryo: 2 weeks to 3 months after conception.

    • Fetus: 3 months after conception to birth.

  • Placenta: Connects fetus to mother, facilitates oxygen and nutrient exchange, and removes wastes.

Critical Periods and Influences

  • Critical period: Time frame when certain influences greatly impact development.

  • Teratogens: Harmful substances affecting embryo or fetus.

    • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Result of maternal alcohol consumption leading to facial deformities, heart defects, stunted growth, and cognitive impairments.

The Newborn Baby

Reflexes

  • Rooting: Turning head towards stimuli brushing cheek.

  • Sucking: Tendency to suck on objects in the mouth.

  • Swallowing: Capability to swallow liquids safely.

  • Grasping: Closing fist around objects placed in hand.

  • Stepping: Reflexive stepping motions when upright.

Temperament

  • Definition: Characteristic emotional reactions and self-regulation.

  • Types (Thomas & Chess):

    • Easy: Good-natured, adaptable.

    • Difficult: Intense reactions, negativity to new stimuli.

    • Slow-to-warm-up: Mild responses to new experiences.

  • Additional Type (Kagan):

    • Shy: Timid and inhibited.

Perceptual Abilities

  • Vision: Clear focus at 8-10 inches, develops good vision by 6 months.

  • Depth Perception: Studied through visual cliff research.

  • Other Senses: Hearing functional before birth; infants respond to human voices, taste and smell functional.

Infancy and Childhood

Physical Development

  • Infants grow 10 inches and gain 15 pounds during the first year.

  • Growth occurs in spurts.

Motor Development

  • Developmental Norms: Average ages for milestone achievements.

  • Maturation: Biological unfolding of development with time.

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Key Concepts

  • Schemas: Mental structures guiding thinking.

  • Assimilation: Fitting new information into existing schemas.

  • Accommodation: Restructuring schemas to incorporate new information.

Stages of Development

  1. Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years):

    • Reflexive responses; development of mental representation.

    • Key features: Stranger Anxiety, Object Permanence.

  2. Preoperational Stage (2-6/7 years):

    • Development of mental representation and language use.

    • Features: Egocentrism, Animistic Thinking, Centration, Irreversibility.

  3. Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years):

    • Irreversibility, Conservation, Mental Operations.

  4. Formal Operational Stage (11+ years):

    • Abstract reasoning, hypothetical reasoning, reflective abilities.

Criticisms of Piaget's Theory

  • Distinct stages of cognitive development questioned.

  • Underestimated infants' understanding of the world and social influences.

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

Stages

  1. Preconventional: Avoiding punishment or seeking rewards.

  2. Conventional: Pleasing others; becoming a good citizen in adolescence.

  3. Postconventional: Focus on abstract principles such as justice and equality.

Criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory

  • Many people do not progress to the postconventional level.

  • Cultural differences not addressed; considered sexist.

Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development

  • Stages Overview:

    • 8 stages, each with an adaptive and maladaptive resolution.

Stages of Psychosocial Development

  1. Trust vs. Mistrust (0-1.5 years): Basic sense of safety vs. anxiety.

  2. Autonomy vs. Shame-Doubt (1.5-3 years): Self-control vs. doubt.

  3. Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 years): Confidence vs. lack of self-worth.

  4. Industry vs. Inferiority (6-puberty): Competence vs. feelings of failure.

  5. Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence): Sense of self vs. confusion.

  6. Intimacy vs. Isolation (Early Adulthood): Closeness vs. aloneness.

  7. Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood): Contributions to future vs. self-indulgence.

  8. Integrity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood): Satisfaction with life vs. feelings of uselessness.

Language Development

  • Babbling: Produces sounds of all languages.

  • Holophrases: A single word represents a complete idea.

Theories of Language Development

  • Skinner: Language develops through rewards.

  • Chomsky: Language acquisition device innate in humans.

Development of Attachment

  • Imprinting: Following the first moving thing seen.

  • Attachment: Forming bonds with caregivers based on interaction.

Parenting Styles (Baumrind)

  1. Authoritarian: Strict, leads to poor communication and trust issues.

  2. Permissive-Indifferent: Indifferent parenting leads to dependency.

  3. Permissive-Indulgent: Overly involved but lacks limits; impulsive behavior.

  4. Authoritative: Balances structure with support; generates self-reliance.

Adolescence

Physical Changes

  • Growth spurt onset varies by gender; puberty marks sexual maturation.

Cognitive Changes

  • Imaginary Audience: Belief that others are always observing.

  • Personal Fable: Feeling of uniqueness.

  • Invulnerability: Assumption that they cannot be harmed.

Social Development

  • Identity formation during adolescence includes completion and challenges of new roles and relationships.

Adulthood

Love and Partnerships

  • First significant event is forming close relationships; parenting can shift relational dynamics.

Aging and Cognitive Changes

  • Continued engagement in cognitive activities can delay decline.

  • Alzheimer’s can affect a significant proportion of the elderly.

Facing the End of Life

  • Kubler-Ross's Stages: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.