Developing Through the Lifespan PDF

Developing Through the Lifespan (1) What is Developmental Psychology? Scientific study of patterns of change and stability in humans Development – the pattern of change from conception throughout the life span (“womb to tomb”) Behavioral genetics; infant and child development B...

Developing Through the Lifespan (1) What is Developmental Psychology? Scientific study of patterns of change and stability in humans Development – the pattern of change from conception throughout the life span (“womb to tomb”) Behavioral genetics; infant and child development Behavioral genetics – how do researchers measure the influence of genes and environment to variations in traits? Physical development What reflexes are present in infancy? Cognitive development How do children acquire knowledge? Social development How do infants form attachment? What are different attachment styles? What are different parenting styles? How Can We Study Genetic Contributions to Traits and Behavior? Behavioral genetics – study of genetic and environmental bases of individual differences in behavior and personality Heritability – statistical estimate of contribution of heredity to individual differences How Can We Study Genetic Contributions to Traits and Behavior? Adoption studies – compare adopted children to adoptive families and biological families Twin studies – compare pairs of monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twins Monozygotic (MZ) twins – share 100% genes Dizygotic twins (DZ) – share 50% genes (on average) How Can We Study Genetic Contributions to Traits and Behavior? Adoption twin studies – compare MZ twins separated in infancy and MZ twins reared together Infants – Brain and Reflex Behavior Reflexes – automatic responses to a specific stimulus Primitive reflexes Sucking Rooting Moro Grasping Babinski Cognitive Development (Infant) How does thinking develop? Piaget – theory of cognitive stages How does the mind structure its content and adapt to the environment? Children understand the world with schemes/schema – mental categories  Cognitive Development (Child) - Piaget Children make constant mental adaptations to new observations and experiences ▪ Assimilation – fitting new information into present system of knowledge (schema) ▪ Accommodation – as a result of new information, change existing schema Piaget - Cognitive Development (Child) 4 cognitive stages: 1. Sensorimotor stage - birth to 2 years ▪ Looking, sucking, touching ▪ Develop object permanence — understanding that something continues to exist even when it cannot be seen Piaget - Cognitive Development (Child) 2. Preoperational stage – age 2 to 7 Egocentric – only use own frame of reference Animistic thinking – attribute life to objects Cannot grasp concept of conservation – understanding that physical properties do not change when appearance changes  Piaget - Cognitive Development (Child) 3. Concrete operations stage – age 7 to 11 Can understand conservation Can understand reversibility – idea that a stimulus that has been changed can return to its original state Can understand transitivity – understanding how components in a series are related (if A>B and B>C, then A>C)  Piaget - Cognitive Development (Child) 4. Formal operations stage – age 11 to adulthood Abstract and systematic reasoning Thinking about future possibilities Cognitive Development (Child) Vygotsky’s theory of sociocultural influences Cognitive development results from guidance Zone of proximal development – level at which a child can almost perform a task independently Difference between what the child can do alone and with assistance ▪ Scaffolding – teacher adjusts amount of support to child’s level of development Zone of Proximal Development Cognitive Development (Child) Theory of mind – understanding of how other people think Band-aid box study Kids shown Band-Aid box, asked what was inside Kids were surprised to find pencils in box Social development Changes in interpersonal thought, feeling, and behavior Social development is lifelong Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development: 8 stages Social development – Erik Erikson Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory 1. Trust vs. mistrust (birth-1 year) Trust – allows formation of intimate relationships Develops when caregiving is sensitive, responsive, and consistent 2. Autonomy vs. shame and doubt (1-3) Autonomy – independence, self-control  Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory 3. Initiative vs. guilt (3-5) Am I good or bad? 4. Industry vs. inferiority (6-11) Sense of competence or inadequacy Social Development (Infant) - Attachment Attachment – enduring, emotional bond between infant and another person Harlow – soft contact important Rhesus monkeys – cloth (no food) vs. wire (food) mother Social Development in Infancy - Attachment Strange situation (Ainsworth, 1978) Attachment styles: Secure Adult as secure base from which to explore Insecure-anxious/ambivalent (resistant) Insecure-avoidant What causes insecure attachment? Temperament Stressful home life Parenting Long-term effects of attachment Attachment security affects emotional, social, and cognitive competence Size of vocabulary Interpersonal interaction Emotions Deprivation of attachment Romanian orphanages – little contact Difficulty developing social bonds Social Development in Infancy - Attachment Ethological theory (Bowlby) – babies have biologically programmed behaviors that prompt others to care for them Social Development in Infancy - Attachment Infants rated for attractiveness (Langlois et al., 1995 ) Mothers observed interacting with infants and behavior rated Results: attractiveness affection, attention  Parenting Styles Baumrind – 2 dimensions – warmth (responsiveness) and control (demandingness) 4 styles 1. Authoritarian – low warmth, high control Controlling, demanding, high emphasis on obedience Very restrictive, lots of rules 2. Permissive – high warmth, low control Very few rules or restrictions Parenting Styles (Baumrind) 3. Uninvolved (neglectful) – low warmth, low control Least effective, most detrimental 4. Authoritative – high warmth, high control Not overly demanding or hostile Child-centered Parenting Styles – Child Outcomes Authoritative – most optimal Higher grades, cooperative Authoritarian Lower grades, lower self-esteem Parenting Styles – Child Outcomes Permissive Easily frustrated, low self-control Uninvolved (neglectful) Low self-esteem, emotionally detached