1. Psych 315: Childhood and Adolescence University of British Columbia Dr. Susan Birch

2. Announcements 1.Written Assignments –If you choose an article that contains more than one study/methods section you can choose which study you wish to review/critique (often the last will make the most sense) or you can choose to review/critique them as a series of studies if you prefer. –Earliest turn in date: Oct. 4 (latest turn in date remains the same) So you’ll have some material to relate it to You should also read the chapter in the text that is most relevant to your article (if it is a chapter we will eventually read for the course and if there is a chapter related to your topic) 2.Reiterating what I said about material not covered in class but in the readings; scaling; and TAs. 3.A note on switching between my 2 sections 4.Employment Opportunity

3. Part Time Employment Opportunity Child Therapist / Teacher / Tutor Wanted An enthusiastic and dedicated person is needed to work with a 3-year boy with Autism commencing this Fall. If you are bright, reliable and most importantly caring, we encourage you to apply. The therapist will play an important role in an intensive home-based therapy program based on ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis). He / She will join a team of energetic people committed to improving this child’s language, play and social skills. The successful applicant must be willing to learn new teaching methods based on positive reinforcement, enjoy children, demonstrate dependability and be excited about helping a child reach his potential. A minimum commitment of two 3 hour shifts per week is required and he / she must be able to attend team meetings every two weeks. The pay rate is $10 / hour and the child is located in the South Vancouver area. The home is very accessible by transit. No prior experience is needed as full training will be provided. The position would interest those with a background in psychology, education, speech or special education. Persons with min. 1 year of previous ABA experience may be considered for the Lead Therapist position. If you are a kind hearted person who desires meaningful work and is keen to make a truly profound difference in a young child’s life, please contact Jaswant at chayt74@yahoo.com

4. Today’s Topics Research Methods in Developmental Psych (see slides from previous day) 7 Recurring Themes for the Course Reading for this week: Ch. 1 (Intro) Reading for next week: Ch. 3 (Biology and Behavior)

5. 1. Nature and Nurture Nature = Genes/Biology Nurture = Everything in one’s environment (e.g. prenatal toxins, parents, peers, culture, etc) e.g. Oak tree & Modeling Clay analogies Nature AND Nurture!: Nature OR Nurture?:

6. The debate has switched from an either or debate to a question of How large a role does each play, how do they interact? e.g. Watson’s Little Albert Study Obviously, this research shows us that experience plays a role in learning but later research suggests we are ‘pre-wired’ or predisposed with certain constraints on learning Nature AND Nurture We can learn to be afraid of… But not…

7. 2. The Active Child What role do children play in their own development? Preferences to attend to certain things People over objects, Caregiver over others Motivated to learn Little ‘experimenters’: e.g. dropping food Practice language in the absence of people Engage in pretend play Actively seek out their own environment This increases significantly with age Friends they play with, activities they engage in, places they go, books they read etc.

8. 3. Continuous and Discontinuous Development Some researchers see development as a continuous, gradual process, akin to a tree growing taller with each passing year. Others see it as a discontinuous process, involving sudden dramatic changes, such as the transition from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly. Both views fit some aspects of child development.

9. Is development fundamentally more continuous or discontinuous? It depends on… 1.How you look at it. 2.How often you look at it. 3.What aspect of development you study.

10. How you look at development.

11. How often you look at development

12. What aspect of development you study For example, a child’s ability to read and write might improve relatively continuously Whereas, a child’s motor abilities might appear more stage-like (crawling, walking, fine-motor etc.)

13. 4.Mechanisms of Developmental Change How and why does change occur? e.g. maturation e.g. modeling e.g. Applying Darwin’s Theory of the Evolution of the Species to Individual Development: Selection Species Evolution: more frequent survival of organisms that are best adapted Individual Development: best adapted strategies for learning become more frequent

14. 5. The Sociocultural Context of Development How does the sociocultural context influence development? Sociocultural context refers to the physical, social, cultural, economic, and historical circumstances in a child’s life.

15. Sociocultural Context Physical = house, daycare, school, urban vs. rural neighborhood etc. Social = parents, siblings, other family members, teachers, friends, peers, etc. Economic = national wealth, societal wealth, family/individual wealth Cultural = language, values, traditions, attitudes/beliefs, laws, political structure, technology, etc. Historical = influences all these other factors, e.g. traditional practices, policies, economy, technology etc.

16. 6. Individual Differences As well as sharing a vast number of common capacities for language, perception, thought etc., individuals also differ from one another. e.g. even 2 children from within the same family who share both a lot of their genes and a lot of the same environment What are the sources of this variation? –Genetic differences –Difference in ways parents and other treat them –Differences in children’s choices of environment –Similar experiences affect children differently Thus, an interaction of genes and environment Why might it be interesting to study individual differences? e.g. we want to know why some individuals are so resilient

17. 7. Research and Children’s Welfare How does child development research help children? Social Policy Education Improved parenting techniques Improves prevention, intervention, and treatment of problems etc. etc.

18. Seven Themes in Child Development 1. Nature and Nurture 2. The Active Child 3. Continuity/Discontinuity 4. Mechanisms of Change 5. The Sociocultural Context 6. Individual Differences 7. Research and Children’s Welfare

19. Bringing up Monkey Video (Keep in mind the themes!)