Human Development Dancing Baby 1

Questions to Consider: How to cover child development in 1 day?!!! Top things to know: What Shapes a Child? How do we know? What’s so important about attachment anyway? How Do Children Learn about Their Worlds? 2

What Shapes a Child? Development Starts in the Womb Infants Have Early Knowledge about the World Brain Development Promotes Learning Attachment Promotes Survival Humans Learn from Interacting with Others 3

Attachment Promotes Survival Attachment in other species: 4

Attachment Promotes Survival Attachment is a strong, intimate, emotional connection between people that persists over time and across circumstances John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth described infant behaviors that engage adults and adult behaviors that increase attachment 5

Secure Attachment Securely attached infant (68%) Cried very little Once comforted explored and played readily Used mother as secure base

Babies express Emotions Why is the expression of emotions of significance? 1) Attracts adult’s attention 2) Brings adult to the infant 3) Helps communicate expressions of affection, annoyance 4) Helps establish relationships Attracts adult’s attention Brings adult to the infant Helps communicate expressions of affection, annoyance Helps establish relationships 7

Joy, Anger and Fear are considered basic emotions Basic Emotions in Infancy Joy, anger, and fear are considered basic emotions Joy, Anger and Fear are considered basic emotions

Smiles are important…. because they help infant achieve a goal (keep caregiver interactive) 2) they reinforce behavior of adult 3) help infant gain control of environment 4) mutual smiling fosters attachment ***In sum, smiling may be an adaptive (survival) behavior. Babies laughing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQo2FJPLeQk

What Shapes a Child? How do we know? Nature AND Nurture Genie Infant-research techniques: Natural Observations The preferential looking technique Length of time the infant looks at an object or event

How Do Children Learn about Their Worlds? Perception Introduces the World Piaget Emphasized Stages of Development 11

Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory Children gradually learn more about how the world works by little “experiments” in which they test their understanding Children pass through predictable stages that allow them to see the world in qualitatively different ways 12

Piaget classify & label construct knowledge adapt to environment

Adaptation - Scheme file folder = scheme Increase in # & complexity assimilation accommodation

Piaget’s Account: Assimilation and Accommodation When new experiences fit into existing schemes it is called assimilation When schemes have to be modified as a consequence of new experiences, it is called accommodation 15

Classify & label Creating a category

Piaget’s Periods of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Period (0-2 years) Infancy Preoperational Period (2-7 years) Preschool and early elementary school Concrete Operational Period (7-11 years) Middle and late elementary school Formal Operational Period (11 years & up) Adolescence and adulthood 17

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development Sensorimotor 0-2 years Take in new knowledge through senses, coordinates with body movements Object permanence

Coming to Know the World: Perception Newborns have a good sense of smell Newborns can differentiate between tastes 19

Hearing Seeing Babies can hear in the womb during the last trimester Startle reactions suggest that infants are sensitive to sound Seeing Newborn Infants can see approx. 12-14 inches Respond to light, can track objects By 1 year, the infant’s visual acuity is the same as adults 20

depth perception visual cliff study 2 months - perceive depth Heart rate slows 7-8 months show fear of depth Heart rate accelerates Refuse to cross deep

Object permanence Piaget believed that it developed slowly over the sensorimotor stage

Piaget’s Periods of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Period (0-2 years) Infancy Preoperational Period (2-7 years) Preschool and early elementary school Concrete Operational Period (7-11 years) Middle and late elementary school Formal Operational Period (11 years & up) Adolescence and adulthood 24

Preoperational thinking (2-7) Begins to think symbolically Appearance is Reality

Pre-op limitations centration conservation

Piaget’s Periods of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Period (0-2 years) Infancy Preoperational Period (2-7 years) Preschool and early elementary school Concrete Operational Period (7-11 years) Middle and late elementary school Formal Operational Period (11 years & up) Adolescence and adulthood 27

Concrete operations (7-11) Develop the ability to reason but only about concrete items Learn about self through mental manipulation of concepts in adapting to world Become more reasonable, logical Bound by physical reality (what I see, here & now)

Formal operations 12 and up Abstract thinking Hypothesis, what if…

Criticisms of Piaget’s Theory underestimates cognitive ability in infants overestimates cognitive ability in adolescents is vague about mechanisms and processes of change He does not account for variability in children’s performance His theory undervalues the influence of sociocultural environment 30