Developmental Psychology

The study of YOU from womb to tomb.

We are going to study how we change physically, socially, cognitively and morally over our lifetimes.

Nature vs. Nurture QuizAnswer True or False for the following questions

• 1. Even complex human traits are determined by a single gene

• 2. People’s divorce risks are about 50% attributable to genetic factors

• 3. Adoptees’ traits bear more similar to their adoptive parents than to their biological parents

• 4. Two different children in the same family are on average as different from one another as are pairs of children selected from the general population

Nature vs. Nurture Quiz cont• 5. If after a worldwide catastrophe only

Icelanders and Kenyans survived, the human species would soon be just as mixed and diverse as it is now

• 6. A child who hears English spoken with one accent at home and another in the neighborhood or at school adopts the accent of their peers, not their parents

• 7. Compared with Westerners, people in Japan exhibit greater concern for social harmony and loyalty

Nature vs. Nurture Quiz cont

• 8. Seven weeks after conception, males and females remain anatomically identical

• 9. Even when families discourage gender typing, children still organize themselves into “boy worlds” and “girl worlds”

Heredity vs. Environment

• Heredity- characteristics obtained directly from the genes

• Environment- person’s surroundings (which influence a person’s characteristics)

Genetics

• Every human cell contains 46 chromosomes (23 pairs).

• Made up of deoxyribonucleic acid-DNA.

• Made up of Genes.

• Made up of nucleotides.

Twins

• Best way to really study genetics because they come from the same zygote.

• Bouchard Study• .69 Correlational

coefficient for IQ tests of identical twins raised apart.

• .88 raised together.

Chromosomal Abnormalities• Gender comes from

23rd pair of chromosomes…men have XY…woman have XX.

• Turner’s syndrome is single X.

• Klinefelter’s syndrome is extra X…XXY

• Down syndrome….extra chromosome on 21st

pair.

Nature Versus Nurture

While going through this unit what should always be in the back of your head….

Are you who you are because of:

• The way you were born- Nature.

• The way you were raised- Nurture.

Research Methods

Cross-Sectional Studies

• Participants of different ages studied at the same time.

Longitudinal Studies

• One group of people studied over a period of time.

Physical Development• Focus on our physical changes over time.

Prenatal Development

• Conception begins with the drop of an egg and the release of about 200 million sperm.

• The sperm seeks out the egg and attempts to penetrate the eggs surface.

• Once the sperm penetrates the egg- we have a fertilized egg called……..

The Zygote

The first stage of prenatal development. Lasts about two weeks and consists of rapid

cell division.

Zygotes• Less than half of all

zygotes survive first two weeks.

• About 10 days after conception, the zygote will attach itself to the uterine wall.

• The outer part of the zygote becomes the placenta (which filters nutrients).

After two weeks, the zygote develops into an….

• Lasts about 6 weeks.

• Heart begins to beat and the organs begin to develop.

Embryo

Fetus• By nine weeks we have a…

• The fetus by about the 6th month, the stomach and other organs have formed enough to survive outside of mother.

• At this time the baby can hear (and recognize) sounds and respond to light.

Teratogens• Chemical agents that

can harm the prenatal environment.

• Alcohol (FAS)

• Other STDs can harm the baby…..

• HIV

• Herpes

• Genital Warts

Childbirth

Healthy Newborns• Turn head towards

voices .

• See 8 to 12 inches from their faces.

• Gaze longer at human like objects right from birth.

Reflexes• Inborn automatic

responses.

• Rooting

• Sucking

• Grasping

• Moro

• Babinski

Reflexes

Rooting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jACAgjbOhmk

Babinski

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI_ONptx2Ns

Moro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_bAQDOOgq

0

Bellringer #2

• List 3 things you think about when you hear maturation.

Maturation

• Physical growth, regardless of the environment.

• Although the timing of our growth may be different, the sequence is almost always the same.

Puberty

• The period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.

Primary Sexual Characteristics

• Body structures that make reproduction possible.

Penis

Testes

OvariesVagina

Secondary Sexual Characteristics• Non-

reproductive sexual characteristics.

Widening of the Hips

Deeper Voice Breast Development

Body Hair

Landmarks for Puberty

• Menarche for girls.

• First ejaculation for boys.

Adulthood

• All physical abilities essentially peak by our mid twenties.

Adulthood

•Then its all goes downhill.

Physical Milestones

• Menopause

Life Expectancy

• Life Expectancy keeps increasing-now about 75.

• Women outlive men by about 4 years.

• But more men are conceived 126 to 100. Then 105 to 100 by birth. In other words, men die easier.

Death• Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s

Stages of Death/Grief.

1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Z3lmidmrY

Social Development• Up until about a year,

infants do not mind strange people (maybe because everyone is strange to them).

• At about a year, infants develop stranger anxiety.

• Why do you think it starts at about a year?

Attachment

• The most important social construct an infant must develop is attachment (a bond with a caregiver).

• Lorenz discovered that some animals form attachment through imprinting.

Attachment

• Harry Harlow and his monkeys.

• Harry showed that monkeys needed touch to form attachment.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsA5Sec6dAI

Attachment

• Critical Periods: the optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produce proper development.

• Those who are deprived of touch have trouble forming attachment when they are older.

Types of Attachment

• Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation.

• Three types of attachment:

1. Secure

2. Avoidant

3. Anxious/ambivalent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHP_NikTkao

Parenting Styles

Authoritarian Parents

• Have strict rules and expectations.

• Very demanding, but not responsive.

• Don't express much warmth or nurturing.

• Utilize punishments with little or no explanation

• Don't give children choices or options.

Children of Authoritarian Parents

• Tend to associate obedience and success with love.

• Some children display more aggressive behavior outside the home.

• Others may act fearful or overly shy around others.

• Often have lower self-esteem.

• Have difficulty in social situations.

Parenting Styles

Permissive Parents

• Have few rules or standards of behavior

• When there are rules, they are often very inconsistent

• Are usually very nurturing and loving towards their kids

• Often seem more like a friend, rather than a parent.

• May use bribery such as toys, gifts and food as a means to get child to behave

Children of Permissive Parents• Lack self-discipline

• Sometimes have poor social skills

• May be self-involved and demanding

• May feel insecure due to the lack of boundaries and guidance

Parenting Styles

Authoritative Parents

• Listen to their children

• Encourage independence

• Place limits, consequences and expectations on their children's behavior

• Express warmth and nurturance

• Allow children to express opinions

• Encourage children to discuss options

• Administer fair and consistent discipline

Children of Authoritative Parent

• Tend to have a happier dispositions

• Have good emotional control and regulation

• Develop good social skills

• Are self-confident about their abilities to learn new skills

Stage Theorists

• These psychologists believe that we travel from stage to stage throughout our lifetimes.

Sigmund Freud

• We all have a libido (sexual drive).

• Our libido travels to different areas of our body throughout our development.

• If we become preoccupied with any one area, Freud said we have become fixated on it.

• Together Freud called these stages our Psychosexual Stages of Development.

Oral Stage• Seek pleasure

through out mouths.• Babies put

everything in their mouths (0-2).

• People fixated in this stage tend to overeat, smoke or have a childhood dependence on things.

Anal Stage

• Develops during toilet training (2-4).

• Libido is focused on controlling waste and expelling waste.

• A person fixated may become overly controlling (retentive) or out of control (expulsive).

Click to see a classic example of anal retentive and anal expulsive behaviors.

Phallic Stage

• Children first recognize their gender (4-7).

• Causes conflict in families with the Oedipus and ElectraComplexes.

• Fixation can cause later problems in relationships.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA35ys91QJU

Latency Stage

• Libido is hidden (7-11).

• Cooties stage.

• Freud believed that fixation in this stage could lead to sexual issues.

Genital Stage

• Libido is focused on their genitals (12-death).

• Freud thought fixation in this stage is normal.

Erik Erikson

• A neo-Freudian

• Worked with Anna Freud

• Thought our personality was influenced by our experiences with others.

• Stages of Psychosocial Development.

• Each stage centers on a social conflict.

Trust v. Mistrust

• Can a baby trust the world to fulfill its needs?

• The trust or mistrust they develop can carry on with the child for the rest of their lives.

Autonomy V. Shame & Doubt

• Toddlers begin to control their bodies (toilet training).

• Control Temper Tantrums

• Big word is “NO”

• Can they learn control or will they doubt themselves?

Initiative V. Guilt

• Word turns from “NO” to “WHY?”

• Want to understand the world and ask questions.

• Is there curiosity encouraged or scolded?

Industry v. Inferiority• School begins• We are for the first

time evaluated by a formal system and our peers.

• Do we feel good or bad about our accomplishments?

• Can lead to us feeling bad about ourselves for the rest of our lives…inferiority complex.

Identity v. Role Confusion

• In our teenage years we try out different roles.

• Who am I?• What group do I fit

in with?• If I do not find

myself I may develop an identity crisis.

Intimacy v. Isolation

• Have to balance work and relationships.

• What are my priorities?

Marriage

• At least a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions is a clear indicator of a healthy relationship.

Generativity v. Stagnation

• Is everything going as planned?

• Am I happy with what I created?

• Mid –life crisis!!!

Integrity v. Despair

• Look back on life.

• Was my life meaningful or do I have regret?

Cognitive Development

• It was thought that kids were just stupid versions of adults.

• Then came along Jean Piaget

• Kids learn differently than adults

Schemas

• Children view the world through schemas (as do adults for the most part).

• Schemas are ways we interpret the world around us.

• It is basically what you picture in your head when you think of anything.

Right now in your head, picture a model.

These 3 probably fit into your concept (schema) of a model.

But does this one?

Assimilation• Incorporating new

experiences into existing schemas.

If I teach my 3 year that an animal with 4 legs and a tail is a dog….

What would he call this?

Or this?

What schema would you assimilate this into?

Assimilation in High School

• When you first meet somebody, you will assimilate them into a schema that you already have.

If you see two guys dressed like this, what schema would you assimilate them into?•Would you always be right?

Accommodation• Changing an

existing schema to adopt to new information.

If I tell someone from the mid-west to picture their schema of the Bronx they may talk about the ghetto areas.

But if I showed them other areas of the Bronx, they would be forced to accommodate (change) their schema to incorporate their new information.

Stages of Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor Stage

• Experience the world through our senses.

• Do NOT have object permanence.

• 0-2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSGWh2CWJnA

Preoperational Stage

• 2-7• Have object

permanence• Begin to use language to

represent objects and ideas

• Egocentric: cannot look at the world through anyone’s eyes but their own.

• Do NOT understand concepts of conservation.

http://www.youtube.

com/watch?v=OinqF

gsIbh0

Conservation

• Conservation refers to the idea that a quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance and is part of logical thinking.

Concrete Operational Stage

• Can demonstrate concept of conservation.

• Learn to think logically

Formal Operational Stage

• What would the world look like with no light?

• Picture god

• What way do you best learn?

• Abstract reasoning

• Manipulate objects in our minds without seeing them

• Hypothesis testing

• Trial and Error

• Metacognition

• Not every adult gets to this stage

Criticisms of Piaget

• Some say he underestimates the abilities of children.

• Information-Processing Model says children to not learn in stages but rather a gradual continuous growth.

• Studies show that our attention span grows gradually over time.

Types of Intelligence

Crystallized Intelligence

• Accumulated knowledge.

• Increases with age.

Fluid Intelligence

• Ability to solve problems quickly and think abstractly.

• Peaks in the 20’s and then decreases over time.

Moral Development

Three Stage Theory by Lawrence Kohlberg!!!

Pre-conventional Morality

• Morality based on rewards and punishments.

• If you are rewarded then it is OK.

• If you are punished, the act must be wrong.

Conventional Morality• Look at morality

based on how others see you.

• If your peers , or society, thinks it is wrong, then so do you.

Post-Conventional Morality

• Based on self-defined ethical principles.

• Your own personal set of ethics.

Criticisms of Kohlberg

• Carol Gilligan pointed out that Kohlberg only tested boys.

• Boys tend to have more absolute value of morality.

• Girls tend top look at situational factors.

Heinz Example of Morality

Gender Development

• Biology (neuroscience) perspective: Corpus Callosum larger in woman.

• Psychodynamic perspective: Competition for opposite sex parent.

• Social-Cognitive Perspective : Gender Schema Theory

• Behavioral Perspective: Social Learning Theory

Evolutionary Psychology

• Evolutionary Psychology- the study of the evolution of behavior and the mind, using the principles of natural selection

• Natural Selection- the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increase reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

Evolutionary Psychology• World wide, men preferred attractive

physical features suggesting youth and health and women preferred resources and social status

Individualism vs. Collectivism

• Individualism- giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

• Collectivism- giving priority to the goals of one’s group (often one’s extended family or work group) and defining one’s identity accordingly

• Western cultures (America/Europe) tend to be more individualist than Eastern cultures (Asia/Africa)

Morality Defined by individuals Defined by social networks

(self-based) (duty-based)

Attributing Behavior reflects one’s personality Behavior reflects social

behaviors and attitudes and roles

Value Contrasts Between Individualism and Collectivism

Concept Individualism Collectivism

Self Independent Interdependent

(identity from individual traits) identity from belonging)

Life task Discover and express one’s Maintain connections, fit in

uniqueness

What matters Me--personal achievement and We-group goals and solidarity;

fulfillment; rights and liberties social responsibilities and

relationships

Coping method Change reality Accommodate to reality

Relationships Many, often temporary or casual; Few, close and enduring;

confrontation acceptable harmony valued