10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Module 4: Prenatal and Childhood Development Developmental Psychology: applied vs. basic research Basic issues:

10/5/04 Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology

Module 4: Prenatal and Childhood Development

• Developmental Psychology: applied vs. basic research

• Basic issues:1. Nature and Nurture

• Bouchard Study

2. Continuous vs. Discontinuous development3. Longitudinal vs. cross-sectional studies


Prenatal DevelopmentThe birds and the bees, a quick review:

• Eggs and sperm• Chromosomes • DNA• Genes• Zygote • Embryo• Fetus• Teratogens

– Fetal Alcohol Syndrome



45 days



Newborn Development

• Tabula Rasa? (nope)

• Reflexes:

1. Rooting

2. Moro (startle)

3. Babinski

4. Grasp

5. Step


Newborn Development, cont’d

Newborn senses - most are fully developed, some development occurs as we age

• Sight• Hearing• Touch• Taste• Smell


Newborn Temperament

Babies seem to be born with a basic social temperament that generally sticks with us as we age

1. Easy babies

2. Difficult babies

3. “slow to warm up” babies


Brain Development

• We are born with just about all the neurons we’ll ever have

• Neurons are not yet well connected (few synaptic connections)

• As we learn, dendrites grow to make new connections

• Brain Plasticity


Neural Development


Motor Development

• Progresses through various predictable stages

• Not dramatically affected by our environment except in extreme cases

• Cerebellum is developing at its own pace



Attachment

• Imprinting: Konrad Lorenz (1937) – critical period– Do humans have critical periods?

• Harry Harlow1950’s monkey experiment– Effects of attachment deprivation

• Mary Ainsworth - Secure vs. Insecure attachment– The strange situation study

• Implications for Divorce and Day care


Harry Harlow’s Attachment Study - wire frameand soft mom


Konrad Lorenz


Parenting Styles

Baumrind’s research (1971)

• Authoritarian

• Permissive

• Authoritative

• Effects of different styles:



Stage theories of development

Several significant stage theories for different areas of development

1. Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory

2. Erikson’s Social Development Theory

3. Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory


Jean Piaget


Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development

• Three major concepts drive cognitive development:

1. Scheme

2. Assimilation

3. Accomodation• In any new situation, we try to use our existing

scheme first (assimilation), then we change our scheme (accommodate) if we have to.



Stage 1: Sensorimotor• Babies are forming schemes about their sensory

world and their place in it• Missing Object permanence at the beginning• Develops early

– Impossible situation studies

• As soon as babies develop object permanence, they are ready to learn schemes in the next stage


Object Permanence



Stage 2: Pre-operational stage• Learning schemes about manipulating real-world

objects(beginning of logic)• Learning concepts of conservation

– Number– Area– Volume

• Learning Reversibility• Egocentrism




Stage 3: Concrete Operations• Have schemes for real-world objects, can’t

think abstractly yet• Won’t be fooled by the concepts of

conservation again• Theory of mind - some will have and some

won’t• Can Decenter - less egocentrism



Stage 4: Formal Operations

• Has schemes for real-world objects and can think abstractly

• Formal logical thought, hypotheses, etc.

• Metacognition

• Spotlight syndrome


Evaluation of Piaget

• Recent studies indicate:

1. Piaget has the right stages in the right order

2. Development is more continuous than he thought

3. He underestimated children • Research methods were flawed


Module 5: Adolescence

• Definition of adolescence

• Biological or social concept?

• Changes across cultures and history

• Physical changes during puberty


Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

• Happens throughout life, most of us reach the final stages during adolescence

• Three levels:1. Pre-conventional

2. Conventional

3. Post-conventional


Lawrence Kohlberg


Erikson’s theory of social development

• Student of Freud - all these social “decisions” happen at an unconscious level

• Very difficult theory to test

• Coined the term “identity crisis” and “mid-life crisis”

• 8 stages of life


Erik and Joan Erikson


Erikson’s theory of social development - Stages

1. Infants - Trust vs. Mistrust

2. Toddlers - Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt

3. Pre-schooler - Initiative vs. Guilt

4. Elem. School - Industry vs. Inferiority


Erikson’s theory of social development - Stages

5. Adolescents - Identity vs. Role confusion• Experimentation• Rebellion• Self-ishness• Optimism and energy

6. Young adults - Intimacy vs. Isolation

7. Middle age - Generativity vs. Stagnation

8. Older adults - Integrity vs. Despair


Gender Development

• Starts early in childhood, keeps developing through our lives

• Early influences are very important• Gender vs. Sex• Gender identity

• gender typing

• biological vs. cognitive explanations for gender differences

• Gender schemata


Sexual Orientation• Very controversial research regarding how we

develop our sexual orientation• Researchers agree it’s a combination of nature and

nurture– Some brain based differences– Twin studies– No one knows what the environmental influences are– They are NOT: early sexual experiences, orientation of

parents, masculinity/femininity of parents, identification with parents

– Researchers do not view orientation as a choice


Module 6: Adulthood and Aging

• Most psychological developmental stage theories stop at adolescence (except for Erikson)

• Most of the research done on adulthood and aging investigates specific psychological issues


Aging and Memory


Dementia


Aging and Intelligence

Fluid Intelligence• One’s ability to reason speedily and abstractly• Can be used to solve novel logic problems• Declines as people get older

Crystallized intelligence• One’s accumulated knowledge and verbal skills• Tends to increase with age


Age and Verbal/Nonverbal Intelligence


Overall Life Satisfaction

• Most studies show the elderly as happy and satisfied with life.

• People tend to mellow with age.

• Most regrets focus on what the person didn’t do rather than mistakes they have made in life.


Documents

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Module 4: Prenatal and Childhood Development Developmental Psychology: applied vs. basic research Basic issues: