The Developing Person Cognitive (thinking) development Social development Moral Development Psychosocial Development Aging

Cognitive Development Jean Piaget  Sensorimotor (0-2 years)  Object Permanence  Preoperational (2-7 years)  Conservation of Matter  Egocentric  Concrete operations (7-12 years)  Concrete objects  Formal operations (12 to adult)  Abstract thought

Social Development How do we develop social bonds?  Body contact  Familiarity  Self Concept

Body contact Harlow monkey studies Wire mother & terrycloth mother  Preferred non-nourishing cloth mother

Familiarity Critical period Imprinting  Birds forming attachment during the critical period

Parental attachment Toddlers with secure attachments to parents:  More sociable  More enthusiastic and persistent in tackling challenging tasks.

Self concept Parenting  Authoritarian  Impose rules & expect obedience  Permissive  Go along with child’s desires  Authoritative  Discusses and negotiates rules  Produce more self-confident children

Moral Development Kohlberg - Moral development Preconventional  Obey to gain rewards or avoid punishment Conventional  Respect for laws and rules simply because they are there Postconventional  Abstract reasoning-rights and ethics

Morality and social influence Social influence effects whether or not we will act on our morality. Eg. The best predictor of a H.S. student using drugs, is the number of the student’s friends that use drugs.

Erickson’s eight stages of Psychosocial Development Infancy = Trust vs mistrust Toddler = Autonomy vs Shame & doubt Preschooler = Initiative vs guilt Elementary school =  Competence vs inferiority Adolescence = Identity vs. role confusion Young adult = Intimacy vs. isolation Middle adult = Generativity vs. stagnation Late adulthood = Integrity vs. despair  Integrity achieved in late adulthood  One’s life has been meaningful

Adulthood and aging Alzheimer’s disease  Deterioration of the brain  Effects memory and thinking  Difficulty in naming familiar objects or people  Linked to genetic abnormalities  Linked to activity (Use it or lose it)

Crystallized intelligence  Accumulated knowledge  Increases with age Fluid intelligence  Ability to reason and solve problems  Decreases with age Aging and memory

The “social clock”  The feeling that events in life regularly occur at specific ages.  Graduation, marriage, children, retirement, etc.  Varies greatly from culture to culture  No biological basis for timing of events Aging and Society