Developmental Psychology Introduction & Theory PDF

Developmental Psychology INTRODUCTION AND THEORY  Communication Guidelines Email Response Time: Email: Subject Line: When emailing me, Please allow up to 2 [email protected] ensure that you include the course business days for a...

Developmental Psychology INTRODUCTION AND THEORY  Communication Guidelines Email Response Time: Email: Subject Line: When emailing me, Please allow up to 2 [email protected] ensure that you include the course business days for a code PSYC SS271 in the subject line, response to your emails. followed by a brief description of your inquiry (e.g., "PSYC SS271 - Question about Test #1"). Week Topic/Lesson Chapters Assessments 1 Introduction and History Sept 4th Chapter 1 - 2 Heredity and Prenatal Development Sept 11th Chapter 2 - 3 Birth and Infancy Sept 18th Chapters 3 & 4 - 4 Birth and Infancy Sept 25th Chapters 5 & 6 5 Early Childhood Oct 2nd Chapter 7 Test #1 (Chapters 1-6, 20%) 6 Early Childhood Oct 9th Chapter 8 Reading Observational Assignment Due (20%) Week Oct 16th 7 Middle Childhood Oct 23rd Chapter 9 and 10 - 8 Adolescence Oct 30th Chapter 11 & 12 Test #2 (Chapters 7-10, 20%) 9 Early Adulthood Nov 6th Chapter 13 - 10 Early Adulthood Nov13th Chapter 14 - 11 Middle Adulthood Nov 20th Chapters 15 & 16 Test #3 (Chapters 11-14, 20%) 12 Late Adulthood Nov 27th Chapters 17 & 18 - 13 Life’s Final Chapter (Death and Dying) Dec 4th Chapter 19 - 14 Final Exam Week TBD - Test #4 (Chapters 15-19, 20%)  Exam Details Each test is to contain 50 multiple-choice questions and be 60 minutes in length Exams The testing window will be 7 days in length with Tests #1, #2, and #3: Friday at Details 11:59 p.m. (midnight) until the following Friday at 11:59 p.m. (midnight) Multiple Attempts: No Show Correct Answers: No One Question At a Time: Yes Webcam Required: No WHAT IS DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY? Debates Within Developmental Psychology Nature/Nurture How much of who we are is a product of our biology and ancestry? How much is the result of environment and experience? Active/Passive Do children actively shape their development, or are they passively shaped by their environment?" Continuous/Discontinuous What skills develop through continuous growth and progress? What develops unevenly by passing through stages? 7  The Study of Child Development: Pioneers in the Study of Child Development John Locke – Believed children came into the world as a tabula rasa, or blank slate G. Stanley Hall – Founded child development as an academic discipline Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon – Developed the first intelligence test Theories of Human Development Behaviourism – Focus is on experience (nurture) shaping the individual. (John B. Watson) Maturation – Physical aspects of growth and development (nature) influence the individual’s experience. (Arnold Gesell) Psychoanalytic perspective – Conflict between external demands and internal desires of a child results in hidden battles. (Sigmund Freud) Sigmund Freud’s Theories of Development: Structural and Psychosexual  Sigmund Freud’s Theories of Development: Structural and Psychosexual Three parts of the personality – the id, the ego, and the superego – Id is unconscious and represents biological demand and instant gratification present at birth. – Ego is conscious and seeks gratification but avoids social disapproval. – Superego is conscious and monitors the intentions and behaviour of ego by allowing guilt and shame for behaviour.  Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development  Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development Focuses on development of emotional life and psychological traits Looks at importance of social relationships and desire to achieve Emphasis is on the ego, or sense of self Eight stages of development based on life crises Some empirical support that positive outcomes of early life help children cope with life crises at later stages Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development Stage 2 – Autonomy Stage 1 – Trust vs. Stage 4 – Industry vs. shame/doubt Stage 3 – Initiative mistrust (birth to 18 vs. inferiority (age 6 (age 19 months to 3 vs. guilt (age 4 to 5) months) to 11) years) Stage 7 – Stage 5 – Identity vs. Stage 6 – Intimacy Stage 8 – Ego Generativity vs. role confusion (age vs. isolation (young integrity vs. despair stagnation (middle 12 to 18 years) adulthood) (later life) adulthood) The Learning Perspective: Behavioural Theory Classical conditioning Developed by Pavlov; reflex response is associated with a new stimulus (e.g., dog drools with the bell’s sound) Operant conditioning Developed by Skinner; learning occurs due to its reinforcement effect (e.g., child learns that a grade of “A” gets praise by parents and therefore tries harder to get “A’s”) Positive versus Negative Reinforcers Negative Reinforcers versus Punishments Social Cognitive Theory: Learning Theory Developed by Albert Bandura; learning occurs by observing other people, by reading, by engaging in different media Observational learning occurs through modelling the same behaviour of another person Observational Learning Link to aggression and Bobo doll experiment and how children are susceptible to adult role models http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHHdovKHDNU  Cognitive-Developmental Theory Development: a shift between cognitive schemas Schema: Pattern of action or mental structure that is involved in acquiring or organizing knowledge Assimilation: Process of responding to new objects or events according to existing schemas Accommodation: Schema is changed to incorporate novel object or event  Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Four Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Preoperational Concrete operational Formal operational Limitations: Cognitive skills develop gradually and not in stages Underestimated ages when children are capable of certain activities  The Biological Perspective Instinct Fixed action patterns (FAPs): Emphasize on the role of genetics and biological processes in development. E.g., birds migrating to the same place E.g., sex hormone secretion during prenatal development resulting in masculine- or feminine-patterned brain Looks at development ethologically Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory The Socio-Cultural Perspective Developed by Vygotsky Humans are affected by the cultural and social environment in which they are born. Focus is on the transmission of information and cognitive skills from generation to generation. Zone of proximal development (ZPD) Scaffolding Diversity How Do We Study Human Development? Gathering Information Observation Naturalistic Research conducted in natural or real-life settings (e.g., observing play behaviors in the playground) Laboratory Gathering Information The case study Carefully written account of an individual’s behavior: diaries questionnaires standardized tests interviews information from public records (e.g., Phineas Gage study) Surveys & Correlation Surveys Correlation A statistical test which determines how closely two variables are related to each other Positive correlation Negative correlation e.g., A correlation of -1.00 mean that both move in perfect opposition  4 4 3.5 3.5 Grade Point Average 3 3 Grade Point Average 2.5 2.5 2 2 1.5 1.5 1 1 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 Hours spent on the internet per day Hours spent studying per day e.g., A correlation of -1.00 mean that e.g., A correlation of +1.00 means that both move in perfect opposition both variable move up and down together exactly 4 3.5 Grade Point Average 3 2.5 2 e.g., A correlation of 0.00 means 1.5 that there is no relationship at all 1 between the variables 0.5 0 0 2 4 Hair length Experiment Preferred method for investigating cause and effect Independent and Dependent Variables Independent variable is manipulated (e.g., exposure to TV violence) Dependent variable is the measured result (e.g., amount of violent behaviour) Experimental and Control Groups Experimental group – Receives the treatment (e.g., exposure to TV violence) Control group – Does not receive the treatment (e.g., no exposure) Random assignment – Subjects assigned to a group randomly so results are generalizable Ethical and practical considerations  Studying development over time Cross-Sectional Longitudinal Design Sequential Design Design Individuals of different Individuals are Combines the ages are compared to studied regularly over previous two designs each other a span of time Individuals in multiple Subject to cohort Subject to attrition age groups are effects effects and high cost tracked over time