Chapters 9 & 10: Human Development Psychology in Action Chapters 9 & 10: Human Development

Studying Development Developmental Psychology: studies age-related changes in behavior & mental processes from conception to death

Studying Development– Key Theoretical Debates Nature vs. Nurture: heredity vs. environment Continuity vs. Stages: continuous & gradual vs. periods of abrupt change followed by periods of little change Stability vs. Change: characteristics maintained vs. characteristics vary over time

Studying Development (Continued) What position on these three debates is most correct? Most psychologists support the interactionist perspective, which recently evolved into the biopsychosocial model. Biological Social Psychological

Pause & Reflect: Critical Thinking Behaviorist John Watson said: “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, & my own specified world to bring them up in, & I'll guarantee to take anyone at random & train them to become any type of specialist I might select-- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, &, yes, even beggar man & thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, & race of his ancestors." (Boakes, 1984, pp. 226) Do you agree? Why or why not?

Physical Development— The Moment of Conception

Physical Development— Three Stages of Prenatal Development Germinal Period: conception to uterine implantation Embryonic Period: uterine implantation through the eighth week Fetal Period: eighth week until birth

Physical Development— Three Stages of Prenatal Development

Physical Development— Hazards to Prenatal Development Teratogens: environmental agents that cause damage during prenatal development Categories of teratogens: Legal & illegal drugs Diseases & malnutrition Exposure to X-rays & stress

Physical Development— Hazards to Prenatal Development

Physical Development— Early Childhood Three key areas of early childhood development: Brain Motor Sensory/perceptual

Physical Development— Prenatal Brain Development

Physical Development— Brain Development As a child develops, his or her neurons grow in size & the number of dendrites & axons increase.

Physical Development—Early Childhood Milestones in motor development

Physical Development— Sensory & Perceptual Development Smell, taste, touch, & hearing are well developed at birth. Vision is poorly developed at birth.

Physical Development— Adolescence & Puberty

Physical Development- Adulthood Middle Age: Female Menopause Male Climacteric Late Adulthood: Primary Aging: gradual, inevitable changes versus age changes due to disease, disuse, or neglect

Cognitive Development Jean Piaget believed infants begin at a cognitively “primitive” level & progress in distinct stages. Piaget’s schemas are the most basic unit of intellect, which act as patterns that organize interactions with the environment.

Cognitive Development (Continued) Schemas grow & change due to: Assimilation: absorbing new information into existing schemas Accommodation: adjusting old schemas or developing new ones to better fit with new information

Cognitive Development— Piaget’s Four Stages Sensorimotor: birth-2 years Preoperational: 2-7 years Concrete Operational: 7-11 years Formal Operational: 11 years & up

Assessing Piaget’s Theory— Two Major Criticisms Underestimated abilities (e.g., newborns can imitate facial expressions) Underestimated genetic & cultural influences

Chapter 10: Life Span Development Cont’d

What Would You Do? In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that doctors thought would save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging 10 times what the drug cost him. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman’s husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could gather together only about $1000, half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, “No, I discovered the drug, and I’m going to make money from it.” So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man’s store to steal the drug for his wife?

Moral Development Lawrence Kohlberg gave ‘moral stories’ like this one to people of all ages He was interested not in whether people judged Heinz to be right or wrong but what their reasons were Based on the responses, Kohlberg developed a model of moral development (right & wrong) Individuals at each stage and level may or may not support Heinz’s stealing of the drug, but their reasoning changes from level to level.

Moral Development: Kohlberg’s Three Levels & Six Stages PRECONVENTIONAL LEVEL Stage 1: punishment-obedience orientation Stage 2: instrumental-exchange orientation CONVENTIONAL LEVEL Stage 3: good child orientation Stage 4: law-&-order orientation POSTCONVENTIONAL LEVEL Stage 5: social-contract orientation Stage 6: universal ethics orientation Have students turn to page 352 to follow along

Page 352 of text

Personality Development: Thomas & Chess’s Temperament Theory Temperament: basic, inborn disposition Three temperament styles: Easy Difficult Slow-To-Warm-Up Pages 354-355 of text

Socio-Emotional Development: Attachment Strong bond between a child and specific individuals that endures over time Nature: Infants are biologically equipped with verbal and non-verbal behaviours that elicit nurturing responses from caregivers Nurture: attachment results from child’s interactions and experiences with his or her environment

Lack of Attachment Babies seldom cry, coo or babble, beome rigid when picked up and have few language skills Children tend to form shallow or anxious relationships Appear forlorn, withdrawn and uninterested in other people or may be insatiable in their need for attention Tend to show intellectual, physical and perceptual difficulties, neurotic “rocking” and isolationist behaviors Possible death

Levels of Attachment Securely Attached (65% of infants) – seek closeness with mother when strangers are introduced, uses the mother as a safe base from which to explore, shows moderate distress on separation from the mother and is happy when the mother returns Avoidant (35%) – infant does not seek closeness or contact with the mother, treats mother much like a stranger and rarely cries when mother leaves the room Anxious/Ambivalent (10%) – infant becomes very upset when the mother leaves the room. When she returns, the infant seeks close contact and then squirms angrily to get away

Parenting Styles Diana Baumrind identified three broad patterns of parenting styles based on their degree of control/demandingness (C) and warmth/responsiveness (W)

Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Permissive – little discipline or control; two types Permissive – Neglectful: low control/demandingness, low warmth/responsiveness; “I don’t care what you – or what you do!” Permissive – Indulgent: low control (no limits or guidelines) but highly emotionally connected; “I care about you – do whatever you want!” Page 341-342 of text

Authoritarian: parents are rigid and punitive (lots of rules and control); low on warmth and responsiveness; “I don’t care what you want – do it my way or else!” Authoritative: parents generally set and enforce rules and limits while also being highly involved and emotionally supportive; “I care about you, but there are rules and you need to be responsible”

Personality Development: Erikson’s Eight Psychosocial Stages Erik Erikson identified 8 psychosocial stages of development—each marked by a “psychosocial” crisis or conflict related to a specific developmental task. The crisis must be overcome in order for the individual to move to the next stage

Personality Development: Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages 1-4

Personality Development: Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages 5-8

Cultural Influences on Development Individualistic Cultures: emphasize individual’s personal needs & goals over those of the group Collectivistic Cultures: emphasize the needs & goals of the group over the individual What type is Canada? What cultures might collectivistic?

Worldwide Ranking of Cultures Ask students if they think this list is fair? Do they agree? Have they had any experience with another culture that reinforces this list?