Development Physical Cognitive Moral Social

Human Development: Major Issues Nature/Nurture Genes/Environment Continuity/Discontinuity Stage Theorists: Piaget, Kohlberg, Erikson Stability/Change Born Outgoing, Always Outgoing? Is our development influenced by genes/environment? Is our development continuous like an escalator or more characteristic of that of a ladder. Each rung marking certain developmental phenomenon. Are shy babies going to be shy all their lives?

Piaget’s Theory-Cognitive Dev. Stage Theory Organization Sensorimotor period: Birth -2 Schemas Assimilation/Accommodation Categorization/Classification Object Permanence Rooting Reflex (physical) Circular reaction reflexivity non reflexive motions (physical) The infant interacts with the world thru sensory and motor activities. Research interests- Life course development / Developmental Processes over the life course The unfolding of lives as lived: - Life contexts, life experiences, life events, internal experiences, person-context interactions -reciprocal influences of individuals and contexts -change and continuity over time In particular - Development of well-being and social adjustment - Various paths to well-being over a life time. - How individuals come to a general sense of well-being and happiness; - Development of ability to function effectively in social world and society in general - both behavioral and internal - behaviorally appropriate + sense of “fittin g in” somewhere - sense of social belonging. Equilibration First children are satisfied with their mode of thought and therefore are in a state of equilibrium. Then, they become aware of the shortcomings in their existing thinking and are dissatisfied (i.e., are in a state of disequilibration and experience cognitive conflict). Last, they adopt a more sophisticated mode of thought that eliminates the shortcomings of the old one (i.e., reach a more stable equilibrium).

Schemas & Stranger Anxiety

Infancy: Cognitive Development Preferences for faces Visual Cliff experiments Despite his mother’s beckoning, an infant hesitates to cross the “visual cliff”—an apparently steep drop that is actually covered by transparent glass. Psychologists in the 1960s found that most infants 6 to 14 months of age were reluctant to crawl over the cliff, suggesting they had the ability to perceive depth. Most psychologists believe that the ability to perceive depth is partly innate and partly a product of early visual experience.

Preoperational Stage (ages 2-7) Egocentrism Collective monologue Symbol Acquisition-language Pretend Play/Social Learning Theory The child represents objects with words and mental images

Pretend Play – Jack & Mason

Concrete Operational (ages 7-11) Reversibility- (1+3=4, 4-3=1) Conservation- matter doesn’t increase/decrease because it changes form. The child shows more logical thinking. Mathematical transformations Child can think logically about concrete events.

Formal Operational (ages 11 & up) Abstract thinking emerges Hypothetical thinking emerges Concrete objects no longer need to be present Metacognition Can take others’ perspectives/imaginary audience, personal fable Thinking through hypotheses Not all adolescents/adults achieve formal operational thinking.

Name That Stage! Watch and listen to Jack in the video and determine which stage Jack is operating from. Sensorimotor Preoperational Concrete Formal

Thought in Childhood and Adolescence Child Adolescent Limited to what is Considers possibilities Limited to present Considers abstract concepts and ideas Haphazard testing Planned testing Own view Perspective of others