Development and Mental Health Overview

Development

• Development encompasses changes throughout life, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects.
• Nature refers to genetic and hereditary factors.
• Nurture refers to environmental influences, shaping development.
• Mulcaster recognized the interaction of nature and nurture, emphasizing both genetics and environment.
• Galton's view emphasized nature with his idea of hereditary genius.
• Current views acknowledge the dynamic interaction of nature and nurture.

Schizophrenia and Depression

• Schizophrenia symptoms: Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and impaired functioning.
• Depression symptoms: Persistent sadness, loss of interest, fatigue, and feelings of worthlessness.
• Causal/risk factors for mental illness: Genetic predisposition, environmental stressors, trauma, and neurochemical imbalances.
• Diathesis-stress model proposes that a predisposition (diathesis) combined with stress triggers mental illness
• Depression types: Major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, bipolar disorder (manic-depressive).
• Biopsychosocial approach integrates biological, psychological, and social factors in understanding mental health.

Major Issues in Developmental Research

• Nature vs. Nurture: Debate on the relative influence of genetics and environment.
• Continuity vs. Discontinuity: Whether development is a gradual process or occurs in distinct stages.
• Stability vs. Change: How much our traits persist or change over time.

Prenatal and Newborn Development

• Good nutrition is essential for fetal development and later cognitive and physical growth.
• Early handling and stimulation are vital for brain development and emotional security.

Cultural Differences in Child Rearing

• Parenting styles vary widely across cultures: Some prioritize independence, while others emphasize community and interdependence.
• American parents face societal expectations for achievement and individualism.
• Lower-income parents may face additional stressors, like financial instability, influencing their parenting.

Cognitive Development in Infants and Children

• Piaget's 4 stages:
  • Sensorimotor (0-2 years): Learning through senses and actions.
  • Preoperational (2-7 years): Development of language and symbolic thinking.
  • Concrete Operational (7-11 years): Logical thinking about concrete events.
  • Formal Operational (12+ years): Abstract and hypothetical thinking.
• Schemas: Frameworks for understanding the world.
• Assimilation and Accommodation:
  • Assimilation: Integrating new experiences into existing schemas.
  • Accommodation: Changing schemas to fit new experiences.
• Criticisms of Piaget: Underestimation of children's abilities and the role of social interaction.
• Vygotsky's views: Emphasis on culture and social interaction in cognitive development.

Social Development in Infants and Children

• Attachment: Emotional bond between a child and caregiver.
• Ainsworth's Types of Attachment:
  • Secure: Healthy balance of attachment and independence.
  • Insecure-avoidant: Minimal emotional response to caregivers.
  • Insecure-resistant: Ambivalent and anxious behavior toward caregivers.
• Cultural variations in attachment: Collectivist cultures emphasize community while individualistic cultures emphasize independence.
• Why attachment exists: Provides security and promotes survival.
• Sources of support/conflict: Family dynamics, peer relationships, and societal influences shape development.

Harlow's Work on Attachment

• Harlow's experiments with rhesus monkeys demonstrated the importance of comfort and emotional security in attachment: Infant monkeys preferred soft, comforting "mothers" over wire "mothers" that provided food.

Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

• Unconscious: Contains thoughts, memories, and desires not currently in awareness but influencing behavior.
• Preconscious: Holds thoughts that can easily be brought into awareness.
• Conscious: The thoughts and feelings we are currently aware of.
• Iceberg Model: The unconscious is like a large hidden iceberg, while consciousness is the small visible part.
• Supportive and Skeptical Views:
  • Freudian Slips: Mistakes in speech believed to reveal unconscious thoughts. (Skeptical: Mistakes are not meaningful)
  • Dream Analysis: Dreams as manifestations of unconscious desires and conflicts. (Supportive: Dreams always have meaning) (Skeptical: No meaning, just interesting)
  • Rorschach Tests: Projective tests meant to uncover unconscious thoughts through ambiguous stimuli. (Supportive: Analyzing people's responses.) (Skeptical: There is better technology)

Sleep

• Why we sleep: Essential for physical health, cognitive functioning, and emotional regulation.
  • Aids in memory consolidation, tissue repair, and overall restoration.
• Circadian rhythms: Biological processes that follow a 24-hour cycle regulating sleep-wake patterns, hormone release, and other bodily functions.
• EEG Activity: Amplitude and frequency of brain waves during different sleep stages.
• Stages of sleep and occurrences:
  • NREM Stage 1: Light sleep, transition between wakefulness and sleep (5-10 minutes).
  • NREM Stage 2: Moderate sleep, heart rate slows and body temperature drops (20 minutes).
  • NREM Stage 3: Deep sleep, crucial for physical recovery (30 minutes).
  • REM Sleep: Vivid dreaming, brain activity resembles wakefulness, important for cognitive functions (occurs after 90 minutes of sleep).
• Changes in sleep as we age: Sleep patterns shift resulting in lighter sleep and increased awakenings.
• Detrimental effects of sleep deprivation: Impairments in cognitive functioning, mood disturbances, weakened immune response, and increased risk of chronic conditions.
• Effects of alcohol on sleep: May initially promote sleep but disrupts sleep cycles, leading to poorer sleep quality.

Dreaming

• Psychodynamic perspective: Freud viewed dreams as expressions of unconscious desires; Jung emphasized the collective unconscious.
• Cognitive perspective: Day residue refers to elements from daily experiences appearing in dreams.
• Physiological perspective: Dreams may reflect brain activity during sleep without holding deeper meaning.

Sleep Disorders

• Insomnia: Difficulty falling or staying asleep.
• Sleep Apnea: Breathing interruptions during sleep.
• Narcolepsy: Excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks.
• Parasomnias: Abnormal behaviors during sleep like sleepwalking or night terrors.

Hypnosis

• Definition: A state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility often accompanied by deep relaxation.
• Debate on altered state: Some argue hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness while others view it as a heightened state of focus and suggestibility.
• Misconceptions about hypnosis: Myths include that hypnotized individuals are unconscious or can be forced to do things against their will.
• Therapeutic uses of hypnosis: Pain management, anxiety reduction, and behavioral changes (e.g., smoking cessation).

Psychoactive Drugs

• Opioid overuse in the US: Overuse due to pain management practices leading to addiction and overdose crisis.
• Fentanyl: A potent synthetic opioid.
• 3 general drug effects:
  • Stimulants: Increase alertness and energy (e.g., caffeine).
  • Depressants: Decrease activity in the nervous system (e.g., alcohol).
  • Hallucinogens: Alter perception and consciousness (e.g., LSD).
• The mesolimbic pathway: A key brain pathway involved in reward and pleasure, often implicated in addiction.
• Specific examples and effects:
  • Marijuana: Relaxation and altered sensory perception; primarily affects cannabinoid receptors. Not physically addictive, potential for dependence.
  • LSD: Hallucinogenic effects altering perception and mood; influences serotonin receptors; potential for psychological distress.
  • Adderall: Increases focus and attention; affects dopamine and norepinephrine; risk of addiction if misused.
• Potential therapeutic and creative uses of hallucinogenic drugs: Some studies suggest benefits for conditions like PTSD and depression, and they may foster creativity.

Tolerance and Withdrawal

• Tolerance: The brain becomes accustomed to a drug, requiring more for the same effect.
• Withdrawal: Symptoms that occur when reducing or stopping drug use; can include cravings, anxiety, and physical symptoms.
• Methamphetamine abusers: Changes in dopamine pathways can lead to severe cravings and mood disturbances.

Substance Abuse Disorder

• Characterized by an individual's inability to control their use of substances despite negative consequences, often leading to significant impairment or distress.

Memory

• The cognitive process that involves encoding, storing, and retrieving information.
• Crucial for learning, decision-making, and shaping our identities.

Information Processing Model

• Compares human memory to computer processing, suggesting that information is processed through three stages:
  • Sensory Memory/Registers: Holds incoming sensory information for a very brief period (milliseconds to a few seconds).
    • Iconic Memory: Visual sensory memory (e.g., a brief image of what you just saw).
    • Echoic Memory: Auditory sensory memory (e.g., remembering the last few words of a conversation).
  • Short-term (Working) Memory: Holds a small amount of information actively being used (seconds to minutes).
  • Long-term Memory: Stores vast amounts of information for extended periods (potentially indefinitely).

This quiz explores key concepts in human development, including the interaction of nature and nurture, as well as discusses symptoms and risk factors for mental health issues like schizophrenia and depression. Understand the complexities of developmental changes and their impact on mental well-being.