Developmental Psychology Definition: examining the physical, mental and social changes that occur throughout the life cycle. Major Issues: –Nature vs. Nurture –Continuity vs. Stages Studies changes that occur from infancy to old age.

How do you study baby behavior? Capitalize on what they can do: –crying and avoidance –looking habituation/preferential looking –sucking “focus please” –basic muscle movements kicking, head-turning, etc.

Brain Development - Questions What percent of brain cells exist at birth? How interconnected are the brain cells present at birth? What would the world be like if for the first 3 years of life, you were in complete sensory isolation?

If shortly after birth, I removed half of your brain, what would happen? Would your functioning be impaired? Question...

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

First Stage: Sensorimotor –birth to nearly 2 years. –experiencing the world through senses and actions looking touching mouthing –at about 6 months, object permanence develops

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development Second Stage: Preoperational –about 2 to 6 years. –representing things with words and images –lacking logical reasoning conservation test –egocentric

Third Stage: Concrete Operational –about 7 to 11 years –think logically about concrete events –grasp concrete analogies –perform arithmetical operations Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development Fourth Stage: Formal Operations –about 12 through adulthood. –abstract reasoning

Social Development One big job of infancy: Attachment –body contact or nourishment? Harlow’s monkey experiments –familiarity human research –adoptive parents, etc. –temperament vs. parenting Sumi’s experiments

Attachment Predictions –what do certain attachment styles predict in later life? “secure” infants tend to –function more confidently –be more enthusiastic toward activities –be more socially outgoing and responsive “insecure” infants tend to do the opposite

Development of Self-Concept When does a child develop self- awareness? –Darwin: when they recognize themselves in a mirror. around 6 months, kids will begin reaching at a mirror to touch the reflection. Between months, kids will recognize themselves in the mirror. –how “rouge”

Child-Rearing Practices Authoritarian –impose rules and expect obedience Authoritative –demanding and responsive; set rules and explain them Permissive –submit to child’s wishes Rejecting- Neglecting –disengaged

Child-Rearing Practices Children with “authoritative” parents usually have higher: –self-esteem –self-reliance –social competence Why? –possibly children feel as if they have more control (avoid learned helplessness).

Moral Development (Kohlberg) Preconventional –avoid punishment or gain reward Conventional –uphold laws/rules because they exist Postconventional –decisions based on personal beliefs

Questions about Adulthood Do we experience changes in cognitive abilities, i.e.,memory and intelligence? Do we typically experience a “mid-life” crisis? Are menopause and an “empty-nest” truly detrimental?

Memory Older adults generally show a decline in recall, but not recognition. Memory does not seem to decline when the to-be-learned material is meaningful. Prospective memory (i.e. remembering to do something) does not seem to fade. Mental activity reduces or eliminates these declines.

Memory What about Alzheimer’s Disease? –3% of population –up to 95, incidence of AD doubles roughly every five years –deterioration: memory, reasoning, then language –result from deterioration of neurons that produce acetylcholine

Intelligence Cross-sectional evidence –compared a group of older adults to a group of younger adults –older adults generally had lower intelligence Longitudinal evidence –compared intelligence test scores when people entered college to later in life –found absolutely no change over time Complications –Crystalized vs. Fluid intelligence C: increases, F: decreases.

Mid-Life Crisis Levinson –interviewed successful middle-aged men and women –concluded that people go through a major crisis during middle-age dealing with our sense of worth, our relationships and our contribution to society Systematic Research –large diverse samples of people –looked at job satisfaction, happiness, divorce, marital satisfaction, anxiety and suicide –found no evidence for such a mid-life crisis

Menopause and “Empty-Nest” 2/3rds of post-menopausal women report that they “feel better than they have in years”. “Empty-nesters” generally report greater happiness and marital enjoyment.