Introduction to Developmental Psychology + Research Strategies PDF
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This document introduces the concepts of developmental psychology and research strategies. It discusses continuity and maturation, learning, the joint function of maturation, learning, and the active individual, and the holistic aspects of development. It also examines historical and cultural contexts and developmental methods, including the scientific method, correlational designs, and experimental designs.
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Intro to developmental psych + research strategies > - Development is the systematic changes that occur in an individual between conception + death - temporary mood ,...
Intro to developmental psych + research strategies > - Development is the systematic changes that occur in an individual between conception + death - temporary mood , swings changes in appearance thoughts , behaviours are excluded - Continuity : The ways in which we remain the same > - Understanding change is properly understood by looking at the we remain the same and ways the we do ways. not The 2 processes involved in developmental change I Maturation The of the. : biological to unfolding individual their species typical/ according individual's > ex : - biological inheritance talking at 1 Sexual , development at 11-15 , rough age we die at included ; ie ↳ Psychological changes are. concentrating , solving problems understanding , thoughts + feelings. 2 Learning Whereexperiences produce relatively our : Permanent changes in our feelings , thoughts and , behaviours * Change behaviours is a response to the in our environments (actions/reactions of those around) > Children - actively seek to create of understandings their environments ex : language learning pulling , sounds , meaning , and rulesthat use our govern. Children ↳ actively contribute to their own development by interpreting a given situation differently. I e triggering different.. reactions/ Selectingdifferent environments * Development is always the joint function of maturation , learning , and the active individual Describing development happens through typical patterns of change (normative) and on individual variations in patterns of change Lideographic) -A question they seek to answer is why ? big ↳ Why people develop the way that they do ↳This can help individuals develop more in positive development) ways (Optimizing Development is a continual life-long process * The first 12 years are extremely Important to how a person will experience adolescence and adulthood Holistic : The aspects of physical Cognitive , , social a / eachother All of person are dependent on. which should be looked at to fully understand the 'Why' question Plasicity positive : the capacity for change in response to or negative life experiences Historical/cultural context : different social classes, cultures, races ethnic , groups , play huge roles in the socialization of individuals. ↳ also reliant on major societal changes , wars , technology, environment. Hermann Ebbinghaus (1908) : a founder of experimental Psychology It defined as a scientific discipline "long past but short history " With a a ↳ developmental questions approaching from an empirical approach rather thanphilisophical came (in the late 19th century) Hobbes (1651/1904) : Children are inherently selfish egoists Rousseau (1762/1955) : Children are born innately Pure with intuitive senses of right vs. wrong and this Society corrupts Locke (1690/1913) : Children are a blank slate with inborn tendencies no they're , neither good nor bad. Baby biographies Charles Darwin : Kept records of his son's development ↳ believed that young , untrained infants share characteristics withtheir non human ancestors ↳ has now been discredited Jean Plaget Studied his 3 kids to find more : fine-grained methods for studying the development of logical thinking in children Scientific method : uses describing explaining and , S Optimizing development as goals for answering questions , ↳ Reliability and validity A Clinical method : tests a hypothesis by presenting the participants with a task/stimulus and then inviting a response Other memods : structured Interview naturalistic , observation structured observation , case studies , , time-sampling , ethnography Psychophysiological methods : measures the physiological responses and behaviour this is to understand a - child's perceptual , Cognitive , and emotional responses. ↳ primarily used in infants and toddlers who can't report events heart rate , brain function , sleep.. ie. cycles ↳ reveals Cognitive abilites that are not present in Their verbal responses ↳ mood , hunger , fatigue can disrupt this however , researcher can't know for sure what Kid's attention Caught the Correlational find design : whether 2 or more variables are meaningfully related Correlation numbered coefficient : way of showing positive/negative relationships between variables. ↳ if the sign is positive , this means one variable increases , the other does too - r = 0. 00 , means they're not systematically related - ex : -0 70 and 0 70 are of.. equal strength ↳ will be than 0 30. stronger. Experimental design participants behaviours are measured : When change has been introduced into their environments Confounding variable : a pre-existing control quality or aspect ↳ experimental : ensuring all variables that could effect the dependent variable are. Controlled Random assignment : When each research equal of exposed participant has probability being to each treatment. Strength ↳ : Ability to establish unambiguously that one ↳Weakness : thing causes another controlled labs don't allow Lightly kids to express themselves naturally * It's possible that conclusions drawn from labs don't to the real world always apply ↳ to counteact this doing a field experiment , where ecological validity can be found ecological validity : fin ang One's research an acurate representation of processes that occurs in a natural environment Natural /or quasi) experiment utilizing naturally : events to answer research questions as Occuring opposed to them (not ethical) creating artifically observe/record the R they merely apparent outcomes of a natural event Cons & : hard to determine precisely what factor is responsible for what responses Reliability VS. Validity Reliability Does the test : time ? give consistent outcomes each Validity : Does the test Them to measure really ? measure what you want Cross Sectional design subjects from different : Where age groups are studied at the same point intime Conort groups of people who are the same age and : exposed to similar cultural environments/historical events growing up * cohort effects in cross sectional research : differences observed between age groups be due to development may not changes overtime but rather different experiences/historica contexts ↳. ↳ ex : Studies show intelligence declines with age , but later research shows there's a difference in education levels in conorts than true intelligence changes It's hard to distinguish age-related changes versus specific characteristics of different age groups * Cross sectional studies cannot be used as predictors of behaviour. Simply for certain points in time. longitudinal design : The same participants being observed over a period of time ↳ pros : you can assess the Stability (continuity of various attributes for each person ↳ can identify normative developmental trends/ processes by looking for commonalities ↳ Cons : can be costly and time consuming Howes Matheson : found + children who engage in more complex forms of play were also rated more and less outgoing aggressive 3snowingthatcomplexityofpretendpyincreases social competencies can threaten the Practice effects : validity of longitudinal studies > - participants can become familiar with procedures and can display performance improvements that are unrelated to normal patterns of development. Selective attrition the loss of participants during : astudy resulting in a non-representative sample Sequential design : a research design where subjects from different are studied age groups repeatedly overtime (months years) , > allows researcher - to assess conort effects by Children comparing of the same age but born in. diff years. -> In the of conort effects this absence , study specifically allows researchers to make strong statements about Strength/direction of developmental changes Microgenetic studies : participants are studied intensively over a short period of time as developmental changes occur In attempts to how changes. specify or why those occur & Cons : the intense experience may stimulate development that in the real world wouldn't naturally occur Ethics in research : Based on... I. Autonomy. Non-maleficence 2 3. Beneficience Can be ↳ ethically justified through benefit to risk ratios (minimal risk) Chapter 2 : Theories of human development Scientific a set of concepts and theory propositions : that describe , and explain a set of organize , Observations & theories indevelopmental psych range from broad to more specific issues Good Theories are concise or parsimonious but be , able toexplain broad a range of phenomena -Falsifiable a theory that is able to make explicit : Predictions about future events which can be supported or disconfirmed ↳ They are also heuristic : means that they build on existing knowledge by continuing to generate testable hypotheses leading much to - richer understandings. The 7 broad theories I. Psychoanalytic Theories - Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) : proposed that human motives and conflicts that we're nature is driven by unaware of and that our personalities are shaped life experiences by early & Psychosexual Theory : maturation of the sex instinct underlies of stages personality development The manner in which parents ↳ manage their child's instinctual impulses determines the traits that child will display ->He used unconscious motive to reveal feelings , experiences , and conflict that influenced their thinking that they're unaware of #Humans have basic sexual drives that must be served , yet dictates that of these society many drives are undesirable and need to be restrained = How parents deal with these from their urges kids influences the kid's personality. , 3 components of (Frend) 1 ID : present personality birth it serves the function only at , of i.e. satisfying Inborn biological drives. crying when hungry. 2 Ego :The conscious and rational component of The personality , shows their abilities to perceive , learn , remember , and reason. 3 Superego : the component of personality that consists of your internalized moral Standar as · Psycho sexual development > if - parents permit too much or too little gratification of sexual needs would cause the child to fixate on that , activity ↳ ex : infant that was strongly discouraged to Suck on their thumb , will show oral fixation habits in adulthood , Oral Sex etc Smoking , ,. Erik Erikson's (1963) theory of psychosocial development - 1982 ↳ Revision of Freud's theory emphasizes sociocultural , (rather than sexuall determinants of development in the form of conflicts that need to be resolved successfully of display healthy psychological adjustments stages crisis psychosocial 1. Basic Trust (birth-1 year (. mistrust vs 2. Autonomy Vs Shame and doubt (1-3 year) - Failing to acheive independence can illicit feelings of self-doubt. Initiative US 3 guilt (3-6 years). ↳ taking on responsibilities beyond their capacity which conflicts with parents Successful resolution and. learning can eliminate guilt 4 4. Industry. vs Inferiority (6-12 years) & When the child will compare themselves to peers academically. Without learning the proper social/academic skills to feel self-assured leaves them feeling inferior. Identity vs role confusion (12-20 years) 5 " "who Social/work > - understanding am I ? Creating identities will them as adults in what roles to play guide. 6 Intimacy vs. Isolation (20-40 years) ↳ forming strong friendships/relationships to achieve a sense of love and companionship. 7 Generativity vs Stagnation (40-65 years) & The stage where they maintain productivity or risk Stagnation in work Unable or unwilling. to assume responsibilities (looking after younger gen) will 8 Stagnant/self centred become.. (old age) Ego integrity VS despair ↳ looking back on life in a positive or negative light. One's social experiences determine the outcome at this stage. Learning Theories - Behaviourism outlines that human : development should be based on controlled observations of Denaviour rather than speculation about unconscious motives/unobservable phenomena (Watson& 1913) > Habits - Well-learned associations : according to Watson , between external stimuli and observable responses That the stable aspects of one's represent personality. Skinner's operant theory (1953) stated that learning : humans and animals will repeat acts that lead to favourable outcomes and supress those that lead to unfavorable outcomes. Reinforcer anydesirable consequence of an act that : increases the probability that the act will recur Punisher : any consequences of an act that Suppresses that act and /or decreases the probability that it will recur Operant learning : a form of learning where voluntary acts become either more or less probable depending on the consequences they produce. Bandura's Cognitive social learning Theory & He argues that people are cognitive beings (active information processors) - unlike animals are likely - to think about the relationship between their behaviour and its consequences I Learning Theories PROS CONS > - very precise and Has over-simplified -> testable human development by > able to understand - the how kids react to environ downplaying contribution of. important influences emotional , biological in fluences attachments , adopt gender roles , make friends , learn moral ruses & provided Clinical insights Cognitive development age-related changes that occur : in mental activities such as attending perceiving, learning, , thinking and remembering , Piaget (1950) - Cognitive Structure (scheme) : an organized pattern of thought or action thata child constructs to make sense of some aspect of his or her experience infant who ex : a hungry grasps a bottle and brings it To their mouth > - Piaget Thinks humans of assimilation continually rely on both the process and accommodation to adapt to environments. - assimilation a process where children interpret new : experiences by - schemes incorporating them into their existing - accommodation : a process where children modify their to new existing schemes to incorporate or adapt experiences 4 of development (Piget) stages Cognitive I. Sensorimotor (birth-2 years) ↳ acquire a sense of self and others, understand Object permanence internalize , Denavioural schemes to produce images/mental schemes. 2 Preoperational (2-7 years) ↳ When children become Imaginative in their play , begin to understand others don't always perceive the world the do > uses - waytothey their symbolism represent/understand environment. Concrete operational (7-11 years) 3 - - They aquire the use of logical thought to understand the basic properties/relations among objects and events in the world everyday I &They get better at inferring motives by observing other's benaviour 4. Formal operational (11 + years) & able to ponder issues and become hypothetical may idealistic & They're able to systematically deduct reasoning and come up with multiple solutions to problems and the answer Pick right. ↳ able to think about thinking. Sociocultural theories Lev Vygotsky's theory : stated that children acquire beliefs , and problem their culture's values , solving Strategies through collaborative dialogues with more knowledgeable members of society > a child - first social interaction with others and then learns through is able to control their gradually learning. zones of proximal development : the range of tasks that are too complex to be mastered alone but can be accomplished with and guidance from more skillful individual encouragement a Information - processing perspective : the human mind is like a computer where information flows in , processed , and then converted to output ↳"Hardware" : refers to the brain and the peripheral nervous system ↳ "Software" : refers to the mental processes such as attention , , perception memory , and problem solving strategies Ethological and evolutionary theories > Arnold Gesell (1880-1961) - : he believed that Children were like plants and would "bloom" followed a time table laid out in their where they genes ↳ he that how parents raised thought of their children was little importance Ethology The study : of bioevolutionary behaviour and development bases of (1969 1973) John Bowlby founder of attachment : , theory of , he believed that children benaviours display a variety preprogramed - Ethologists believed that were biologically programmed to certain actions to respond in particular ways baby crying it a > - Emotional attachments don't happen automatically - Infants have to learn faces in order to become Emotionally attached Critical period : a limited time Span where organisms of are biologically development prepared to display patterns Sensitive period period of time that is optimal for : development of specific capacities in environments that foster these attributes * for ex : the first 3 of a child's life years are they vulnerable to the effects of emotional particularily responsiveness. Evolutionary Theory : the study of the bio evolutionary basis of behaviour and development , with a focus on survival of the genes - humans adapt to use these tools to shape their environments to their needs > - Ethologists made major methodological contributions I human development in normal everyday Studying settings 2 development that of. Comparing human with other species * Infants are sociable creatures who can sustain social interactions and promote them - this contrasts behaviourists who Infants portray as 'asocial Ecological System Theory : Bronfenbrenner's model that the emphasizes developing person is embedded in a series of environmental systems that interact with one another and with the person to influence development ↳ he assumes that natural environments are a big influence on developing persons ↳ developing persons are said to be the Center of several environmental systems ↳ from immediate such as ranging settings the family to more remote contexts such as The broader culture Microsystem : Bronfenbrenner's Innermost environmental layer consists of immediate - role relationships/activities) (including settings That that actually encounters person Bronfenbrenner's model of the ecology of environments >The - Mesosystem the connections or interrelationship : among microsystems (schools , homes peer groups) , * The Second of Bronfenbrenner's environmental layers or contexts >The - 3rd environmental the contexts exosystem : layer , That children are not part of but still influence their development -The Macrosystem larger Cultural/subcultural/social : context in which microsystems , mesosystems , and exosystems are embedded -The emphasizes chronosystem : this that changes in The child or in of the ecological contexts of any can affect the direction that development development is likely to take - How Family fits in : & families are considered social systems and is a holistic structure - they're a complex network of relationships , interactions and patterns of influence that characterize a familywith 3 or more members - There's debates on the > theory of nature us. Nurture >Also debates on the - - Whether children theory of activity/ passivity are active contributors to their own development or they're passive Continuity/discontinuity theorists issue debate developmental : a among about whether changes are quantitative and continuous or qualitative and discontinuous. - Positional aspect of Stability : an continuity where the stability of an individual's relative position in a with characteristic group regard to a psychological ex : babies that are highly irritable and cry a lot compared to others may result in lower emotional Stability as adults. >Absolute - no in a person's attribute Stability change : over the course of development Theories and world views > Mechanistic model - : View of children as either passive entities whose developmental paths are mainly (environmental) influences determined by external > - children are active entities Organismic model : whose developmental paths primarily are determined by forces from within Themselves Contextual model : the > - interplay between nature and nuture influences - Developmental system view : assumes the bidirectional influences between biological Ongoing , and social systems that snape the psychological , course of an individuals self development. Chapter - Hereditary Influences on Development 3 > Basic - background terms & Genotype : genetic endowment that an individual inherits ↳ which Phenotype : the ways In a person's genotype is expressed in observable or measurable characteristics & epigenetics dynamic: operation that changes a gene Without the DNA altering sequence From the beginning... - starts at conception once the sperm meets the , egg new cell is formed called a a zygote BDNA is made up of genes - We have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs) Base pairs : DNA has 2 strands comprising base pairs complementary Then... & The zygote begins to replicate itself through mitosis (When a cell duplicates its chromosomes divides into 2 and then genetically identical cells * daughter This cell separate until there's 46 continues to chromosomes (Chromatid : the original or duplicate of a chromosome) Also... There are which also form at the germ cells same time which serve one function which is gamates (sperminmale ova in female) produce to , & gonads sexual organs that produce germ : cells -> Gamates develop through a process of meiosis = where cells divides I germ producing gamates - Sperm/ova) that each contain half of the parent's cell reproduction of cells (producing sperm/eggs) (growth , replacement repair) , leggs-once a month) (sperm-continuously) Production of gamates through meiosis > in - cell regular division (mitosis) , a cell duplicates its 40 chromosomes and then splits to form 2 identical cells. >But in the special - kind of cell division for cells (spermlegg) germ something different happens. =>once the chromosomes are duplicated , the chromosomes matching from the momt dad Will pair up ↳ Thesepairs then exchange small parts in a process called "crossing over" which mixes up The genetic information ↳ This helps create unique combinations of genes in The germ cell which is important for , genetic diversity in the offspring Twins (Monozygotic) - When the zygote Splits into separate but identical cells Fraternal twins (dizygotic) - When 2 eggs are released at the same time and each is fertalized by a different sperm - They don't have more genes in common than regular Siblings 3 main patterns of genetic inheritance and now they Affect how the are displayed 1. genes Simple dominant-recessive inheritance/alleles. 2 codominance /2 heterozygous but equally powerful alleles. sex-linked inheritance 3 are expressed equally) Sex-linked characteristics attribute determined by a : recessive that appears on the X-chromosome gene - more likely in males Polygenic inheritance The most ↳ important human characteristics are influenced by many pairs of alleles and are called traits polygenic This includes height , weight ↳ intelligence , skin , colour , temperment and susceptibility to cancer. , -These traits aren't just 'black and white' there's infinite possibilities in the middle The role of epigenetics > - DNA makeups Can be identical (like in twins) yet they can still show some differences ↳ This difference could be due to experiences having biological effects on DNA. ↳ our genome undergoes epigenetic modifications That affect gene expression (how genes are turned on or off) buthave no effect on our DNA. -ex : Stress response metabolism , Immune system , , Cancer related > - Turning genes environments "on or influence off "gives how insight are to how expressed genetics ↳ Genes turn off through a process of methylation Where technically carbon speaking a single , Molecule + 3 molecules are added to the hydrogen DNA and "turns off" the gene (s) region Hereditary disorders Cognital defects ↳ are present at birth , though a are not detectable many until later ↳ May stem from and prenatal genetic influences or from complications during birth. Chromosomal abnormalities - When a cell divides meiosis , the distribution germ during can be uneven so some have too too , may many or little chromosomes Abnormalities of the sex chromosomes ↳ involves the 23 pair (The Sex chromosome) where There's extra you X chromosomes There's different. developmental implications depending on the extras Down Syndrome or trisomy 21 : where the child inherits all or part of an extra 21st chromosome Mutations : genetic abnormality where there are changes in the chemical structure of one or more that genes produce a new phenotype harmful chemicals ↳ could be caused by , environmental nazards (toxic industrial waste) Genetic a service that helps prospective counselling : Parents to assess the likelihood that their children will be free of hereditary defects. - Amniocentesis method of amniotic fluid : a extracting from a pregnant woman so that fetal body cells within the fluid can be tested for chromosomal abnormalities and defects other genetic & Chorionic villus (CVs) alternative to sampling : amniocentesis where fetal cells are extracted from The placenta for testing & Non-invasive of prenatal-testing (NIPT) : Analysis DNA in the placenta that reveals the genetic profile of the unborn child Treating Hereditary Disorders > - many can be minimized or controlled by surgery , drugs , hormones Therapy etc. , Phenylketonuria (PKU) - infants are screened for this and being routinely other metabolic disorders. They can be placed on diets to help disorder manage the Behavioural genetics : of how genes and the study environment contribute to individual variations in development Methods of Studying Hereditary = Heritability The amount : of variation in a trait or a class of behaviour within a specific , population , that is attributable to hereditary factors > Selective - method of breeding - studying genetic : influences by bred in animals determining whether traits selective can be through mating &> Family Studies collecting : data from multiple people in a family (genetically , related not or Estimating the Contribution of Genes and Environment > Scientists have developed mathematical formulas to - I determine whether a trait is genetically influenced. estimate 2 the environment account degree to which heredity and for individual differences in that trait. Concordance ↳ rates the of cases in percentage : which a particular attribute is present for one member of a twin pair if it is present for the other > - Heritability coefficient : shows the amount of Variation in an attributable to factors hereditary H = (videntical twins - ~ fraternal twins) X2 > Nonshared environmental influences (NSEs) - NSE = 1-r /identical twins reared together) Shared environmental influences > - (SEs) SE = 1. 00 - (H + NSE) Hereditary contributions to personality > - Many of our core dimensions of personality are genetically influenced > ex introvert vs extrovert - :. and our empathetic concern Hereditary contributions to mental health > abnormal - benaviour/conditions include alcoholism , , depression , criminality hyperactivity , bipolar , and others. The canalization principle ↳ Conrad Waddington introduced The Idea that : traits are strongly guided by genes with very little influence from the environment & however traits like and , temperament intelligence , personality are less controlled by genes and more So the environment 1 there for individuals to. are multiple pathways develope. nature vs 2. Nurture combined to determine these paths 3 either or environment limit the extent genes may. To which the other factor can influence development Range of reaction principle : the Idea that genotype sets limits on the range of possible phenotypes that a person to different environments might display in response. Passive genotype/environment interactions ↳ The notion that the child's influenced by genes are their parent's genes. They also create an environment That matches their own genetic tendencies Evocative genetic genotype/environment interactions our : traits can influence how others treat us , which affects The environment we in child grow up to - Ex : > a being outgoing can allow other people by being more social/supportive Thus creating - respond , , a positive environment Active genotype/environment interactions The notion of : that genotypes affectThe types environments that our we prefer to seek out Contributions Criticisms and of the benavioural generics approach > has been - criticized as an incomplete theory that describes but fails to explain how either genes or environment influence our abilities , conduct , and character. > there have been recent advances in the molecular - and cellular mechanisms of epigenetics are providing explanations of the plasticity of phenotypes