Psychological Development Chapter 9 Psychological Development

Developmental Psychology Developmental psychology: The study of how organisms change over time as the result of biological and environmental influences 2

How Do Psychologists Explain Development? Development is a process of growth and change brought about by an interaction of heredity and the environment

Chapter 9: Development Biological, Cognitive, Social Throughout the lifespan Newborns have innate abilities for finding nourishment, interacting with others, and avoiding harmful situations; the developing abilities of infants and children rely on learning. Babies, babies, babies!!!

Prenatal Development Prenatal period : The developmental period before birth Zygote: up to 14 days Embryo: 14 days to end of 2nd month Fetus: 3 months to birth Placenta: An organ that develops between the embryo/fetus and the mother Teratogens: Toxic substances that can damage the developing organism 10

Neonatal Period (from birth to one month) Sensory abilities Motor abilities Grasping reflex Rooting reflex Sucking reflex Stepping reflex Startle reflex Swimming reflex Postural reflex 13

Infancy (one month to about 18 months) Maturation: The unfolding of genetically programmed processes of growth and development over time 14

Maturation Timetable 1 month: responds to sound, vocalizes occasionally 2 months: smiles socially, recognizes care-giver, rolls from side to back, holds head up 3 months: vocalizes to sounds/smiles, searches for sound source, sits with support 4 months: gaze follows interesting objects, sits with less support

Maturation Timetable 5 months: discriminates b/w strangers & familiar persons, distinctive vocalizations 6 months: lifts objects, smiles at own image, reaches for objects 7 months: sits on own, crawls 8-9 months: verbalizes around 4 syllables, pulls to standing position 10-11 months: plays hand games, stands alone 1 year: walks alone

Social and Emotional Development Theory of Mind: An awareness that other people’s behavior may be influenced by beliefs, desires, and emotions that differ from one’s own Temperament: An individual’s characteristic manner of behavior or reaction (strong biological origin) What’s your temperament? 39

Learning in Infancy (1-18 months) Conditioning – classical and operant Imprinting – form an immediate attachment in animals, not really children 14

Attachment Styles Humans apparently have an inborn need for attachment – deep, enduring socio-emotional relationship with another Strange Situation (Ainsworth, 1978) Secure attachment Insecure attachment Anxious-ambivalent attachment Avoidant attachment Harlow’s Contact Comfort Studies

Social and Emotional Development Most approaches to child rearing fall into one of the following styles (Baumrind): Authoritarian parents Permissive parents (permissive-indulgent) Uninvolved parents (permissive indifferent) Authoritative parents 39

What Are the Developmental Tasks of Infancy and Childhood? Infants and children face especially important developmental tasks in the areas of cognition and social relationships – tasks that lay a foundation for further growth in adolescence and adulthood

Cognitive Development Jean Piaget Cognitive development: The process by which thinking changes over time Schemas: Mental structures or programs that guide a developing child’s thoughts 31

Cognitive Development These underlie all cognitive growth… Assimilation: Mental process that modifies new information to fit it into existing schemas Accommodation: Mental process that restructures existing schemas so that new information is better understood 32

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Preoperational Concrete Operational Formal Operational 33

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Birth to about age 2 Relies on innate motor responses to stimuli Schemas – see & touch Preoperational Concrete Operational Sensorimotor intelligence Mastery of these marks end of stage: Mental representations Object permanence(clip) Formal Operational 33

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor About age 2 to age 6/7 Marked by well-developed mental representation and the use of language Preoperational Seen in this stage: Centration (clip) Egocentrism Animistic thinking Artificialism Concrete Operational Formal Operational 33

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor About age 7 - 11 Child is incapable of abstract thought Simple logic only Preoperational Concrete Operational Conservation (clip) Mental operations Formal Operational 33

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Preoperational Concrete Operational From about age 12 on Abstract thought appears Formal Operational 33

What Changes Mark the Transition of Adolescence? Adolescence offers new developmental challenges growing out of physical changes, cognitive changes, and socio-emotional changes

Gender… Roles – how one should feel, act, & think Identity – sense of being male or female Schema – mental set of what society deems appropriate behavior for each sex Role stereotypes – broad categories that reflect our beliefs about males/females Androgyny – presence of desirable mas/ fem characteristics in one person

Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages Age/Period Principal Challenge 0 to 1 1/2 years Trust vs. mistrust 1 1/2 to 3 years Autonomy vs. self doubt 3 to 6 years Initiative vs. guilt 6 years to puberty Confidence (Industry) vs. inferiority Adolescence Identity vs. role confusion Early adulthood Intimacy vs. isolation Middle adulthood Generativity vs. stagnation Late adulthood Ego-integrity vs. despair 33

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning I. Preconventional morality Stage 1: Pleasure/pain orientation Stage 2: Cost/benefit orientation; reciprocity II. Conventional morality Stage 3: “Good child” orientation Stage 4: Law-and-order orientation III. Postconventional (principled) morality Stage 5: Social contract orientation Stage 6: Ethical principle orientation 36

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning Not tightly linked to one’s age Moves from morality based on reward/ punishment to one based on abstract ethical principles. Gender and morality Carol Gilligan: Kohlberg’s stages are biased; based on males; female morality embedded in social relationships 38

What Developmental Challenges Do Adults Face? Nature and nurture continue to produce changes throughout life, but in adulthood these changes include both growth and decline

The Developmental Challenges of Adulthood Early Adulthood (Erikson) Intimacy versus isolation Middle Adulthood (Erikson) Generativity versus stagnation Generativity: making a commitment beyond oneself to family, work, society, or future generations 42

The Last Developmental Issues You Will Face Impact on physical, cognitive, social and emotional abilities: Vision, hearing, thinking/learning/problem solving, memory, sexual functioning, selective social interaction, emotions 5 Stages of Death/Dying/Grieving (Kubler-Ross): Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance Late Adulthood (Erikson) Ego-integrity vs. Despair Ego-integrity: ability to look back on life without regrets and to enjoy a sense of wholeness 42