Human Development Development = coordination of skills into complex behaviors Development will occur in a common pattern with everyone else but you will develop at your own pace. Throughout the course we will look at different areas of human development including: Cognitive development Social development Emotional development

Cognitive Development As a child you were only capable of concrete thinking based on observing the real world. Thinking about things that cannot be seen such as love, truth, or fairness (abstract thinking) challenges you to develop more complex thinking skills In adolescence logical thinking skills develop and you can solve more complex problems. You will also become more skilled at predicting possible consequences of your choices when you are making decisions.

Piaget’s Stages of Development Theory shows how children develop into an individual who can think and reason According to theory All children go through 4 stages of cognitive development All stages must occur in order (must achieve a stage before can move onto the next)

Piaget’s Stages of Development Stage 1: Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years) Most of understanding of world is done through motor movements and senses Children use reflexes like sucking, reaching and grasping to learn more about their environment Learn by imitating others Learn through objects can have specific purpose Example: rattle Develop object permanence Activity:

Piaget’s Stages of Development Object permanence Knowing that an object exists even if it is hidden Ability to form a mental idea/image of object without having to see it Examples: Peekaboo – children without object permanence will think you are gone if they can’t see you

Piaget’s Stages of Development Preoperational (2-7 years) Rapid increase in language ability Can’t yet perform mental operations Symbolic play Riding a broom is a horse Egocentric thinking Can’t take own other people’s view points “Animism” Teddy bear’s have feelings

Piaget’s Stages of Development Concrete Operational (7-11 years) Thought process is more rational, mature Ego centric thinking is diminished Can work things out in head Conservation Things stay the same in quantity even though appearance changes Difficulty with abstract thinking

Piaget’s Stages of Development Formal Operational (11- into adulthood) Can perform more abstract and hypothetical thinking Can think beyond concrete experiences May still prefer concrete thinking because it is easier Can draw conclusions about things that may not have actually happened Don’t always have to test it out Important in actions

Emotional Development When you were a child you trusted and liked almost everyone. You were generous with your smiles and hugs. However, you were easily hurt and you cried easily. By elementary school you learned to look for opportunities to feel success and accomplishment. These feelings of trust, acceptance, independence, and competence still represent your major emotional needs.

Emotional Development Children express their emotions freely without embarrassment As an adolescent you learn to use appropriate emotional reactions that do not hurt you, your reputation or other people. When you were a child your parents and other adults looked after your feelings. They also guided your emotional development by helping you to identify what you were feeling and correcting you when you expressed your feelings in an unacceptable way. As you grow you learn how to take responsibility for your behaviors and to control your emotional responses.

Social Development Socialization = how you learn acceptable behaviors so that you can fit into society Effective interactions with others are a sign of your social maturity. Developing physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially are all necessary for you to be socialized. Your challenge in adolescence is to develop personal standards for acceptable behavior, so that fitting in does not mean losing sight of who you are.

Social Development Children are naturally self-centered. In order to meet their own needs, they relate to others from their own point of view. As someone develops: Learn to share viewpoints with others and think about other people’s needs. Develop empathy  Learn to help people you love when they need support Social development in adolescent enables you to cooperate and compromise with those around you. Find commonalities with people

How do you find ways to connect with others? With technology, it it harder to find ways to socialize with people face to face? How do you find ways to connect with others? Connections are important for relationships (friends, romantic)

Activity: Speed Dating You will have 3 minutes to have a conversation with someone you don’t know Your goal is a way to connect with them

Journal Were you able to connect with the people you talked to? Why or why not How did you feel about this activity? Good, bad, awkward? How can talking and connecting with others can help social and emotional development?