Chapter 1 The Science of Development Developmental psychology Empirical Quant/Qual correlations Major developmental theories/theorists Pos/Neg correlations Qualitative research Characteristic of development Applications of experiments Research methods

What is Developmental Psychology? The science of human development seeks to understand how and why people-all people, everywhere-change with increasing age, and how and why they remain the same. The science of human development is empirical…what is empirical? Meaning that it focuses on data, facts, observation, and experimentation.

There are 4 characteristics of Development 1. Multidirectional- development is not static gains and losses, change occurs in every direction; growth is not always predictable   Dynamic-systems theory-is a view of human development that stresses fluctuations and transitions, development is ever changing The butterfly effect (the flap of a butterfly’s wing can set of changes in the weather)states that any change, however small, can have significant effects

Teratogens There may be more than one factor (including genetic vulnerability) involved in teratogenic effects—and more than one kind of teratogenic damage. We know that tobacco increases the risk of malformation of limbs, the urinary tract, and may affect a baby’s lungs; untreated, a baby born with syphilis may experience brain and bone damage and eventual death. But, it is often difficult to tell which factor has caused a teratogenic effect. Tragically, between 1957 and 1961, thousands of newly pregnant women in 30 nations took thalidomide, an antinausea drug. Thalidomide disrupts a critical period of development between days 28 and 54. So women who took that medication during that time had newborns with malformed or absent limbs.

Characteristics of Development, cont. 2. Multicontextual- aspects of persons’ lives overlap across contexts (historical cohorts family, friends) these aspects work together and influence each other   Socioeconomic status- (SES) a person’s ability in society as determined by income, wealth, occupation, education, place of residence, and other factors

Multicultural-cultures influence how development occurs, how development is viewed, and how development influences behavior; even within major cultures, sub cultures exist 4. Multidisciplinary-development occurs across different disciplines (biology, psychology, genetics;  levels of serotonin have been cited with  incidents of depression)  Ecological-systems approach (Bronfenbrenner)suggests that human development should be studied with the person considered in all context and interaction 5. Plasticity, both structural and functional

What is Developmental Psychology? The science of human development seeks to understand how and why people-all people, everywhere-change with increasing age, and how and why they remain the same. The science of human development is empirical…what is empirical? Meaning that it focuses on data, facts, observation, and experimentation

Levels of Explanation in Psychology The study of psychology is influenced by many different topics at different levels of explanation The Biopsychosocial is a holistic approach to examining phenomena from biological, psychological, and social perspectives How do we attempt to explain depression from this perspective? Understanding psychological disorders is difficult because of the many perspectives to consider Individual differences hinder making predictions… Individual differences are the variations among people on physical or psychological dimensions

Levels of Explanations in Psychology

Often behavior may be influenced by more variables, simultaneously The variables may occur at different levels at one time One variable may influence another variable, such that multiple causes are not independent of one another Comorbidity occurs when one variable is present and causes other variables to be present as well

Why Psychologists rely on Empirical methods Scientific research methods are important, but not all questions can be answered using scientific methods Scientists do not attempt to prove values, beliefs, or opinions to be true or false What are values? Values are personal statements; such statements include religious beliefs, moral opinions, old wives tales, etc. If values can not be considered to be true or false, scientists can not prove or disprove them

Several research methods are very effective in Developmental research

What is correlation? Correlation- a number that indicates the degree of relationship between two variable. Correlation does not prove causality

What is the significance of correlations? What is a positive correlation? What is a negative correlation?

Qualitative research- research that asks open-ended questions Quantitative research-uses numbers to correlate research results

What are some of the major psychological theories? Psychoanalytic theory Psychosexual theory Cognitive theory Psychosocial theory Behaviorism

Jenny Jenny is a 12 year old girl. She has been described as moody. Jenny has started to sleep late, to the point where she is frequently late for school, and she is becoming sexually curious. She had been a very quiet child, but in the last few months she has become loud, demanding, and visibly unhappy. Teachers have noted that she is no longer hanging around her friends, and when questioned, Jenny has no definitive answer, but responds in a very defensive manner. The friends Jenny has started to associate with are also sexually curious and rebellious. Jenny’s attitude has changed at home as well. She has started to yell at her mother, and she can be heard crying in her room at night. What once was an uneventful chore, has now become a battle. Jenny has also begun to keep her door closed and has become very secretive, especially in the bathroom. Jenny’s mother has made an appointment with the pediatrician at Jenny’s urging because of complaints from Jenny of joint pains and frequent injuries as a result of Jenny’s recent clumsiness, perhaps because of recent weight gain. Jenny can also be heard yelling and throwing items around in her room.