10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Module 4: Prenatal and Childhood Development Developmental Psychology: applied vs. basic research Basic issues: 1.Nature and Nurture Bouchard Study 2.Continuous vs. Discontinuous development 3.Longitudinal vs. cross-sectional studies

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Prenatal Development The birds and the bees, a quick review: Eggs and sperm Chromosomes DNA Genes Zygote Embryo Fetus Teratogens –Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology 45 days

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Newborn Development Tabula Rasa? (nope) Reflexes: 1.Rooting 2.Moro (startle) 3.Babinski 4.Grasp 5.Step

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Newborn Development, cont’d Newborn senses - most are fully developed, some development occurs as we age Sight Hearing Touch Taste Smell

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Newborn Temperament Babies seem to be born with a basic social temperament that generally sticks with us as we age 1.Easy babies 2.Difficult babies 3.“slow to warm up” babies

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Brain Development We are born with just about all the neurons we’ll ever have Neurons are not yet well connected (few synaptic connections) As we learn, dendrites grow to make new connections Brain Plasticity

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Neural Development

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Motor Development Progresses through various predictable stages Not dramatically affected by our environment except in extreme cases Cerebellum is developing at its own pace

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Attachment Imprinting: Konrad Lorenz (1937) –critical period –Do humans have critical periods? Harry Harlow1950’s monkey experiment –Effects of attachment deprivation Mary Ainsworth - Secure vs. Insecure attachment –The strange situation study Implications for Divorce and Day care

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Harry Harlow’s Attachment Study - wire frame and soft mom

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Konrad Lorenz

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Parenting Styles Baumrind’s research (1971) Authoritarian Permissive Authoritative Effects of different styles:

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Stage theories of development Several significant stage theories for different areas of development 1.Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory 2.Erikson’s Social Development Theory 3.Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Jean Piaget

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development Three major concepts drive cognitive development: 1.Scheme 2.Assimilation 3.Accomodation In any new situation, we try to use our existing scheme first (assimilation), then we change our scheme (accommodate) if we have to.

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development Stage 1: Sensorimotor Babies are forming schemes about their sensory world and their place in it Missing Object permanence at the beginning Develops early –Impossible situation studies As soon as babies develop object permanence, they are ready to learn schemes in the next stage

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Object Permanence

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development Stage 2: Pre-operational stage Learning schemes about manipulating real-world objects(beginning of logic) Learning concepts of conservation –Number –Area –Volume Learning Reversibility Egocentrism

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development Stage 3: Concrete Operations Have schemes for real-world objects, can’t think abstractly yet Won’t be fooled by the concepts of conservation again Theory of mind - some will have and some won’t Can Decenter - less egocentrism

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development Stage 4: Formal Operations Has schemes for real-world objects and can think abstractly Formal logical thought, hypotheses, etc. Metacognition Spotlight syndrome

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Evaluation of Piaget Recent studies indicate: 1.Piaget has the right stages in the right order 2.Development is more continuous than he thought 3.He underestimated children Research methods were flawed

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Module 5: Adolescence Definition of adolescence Biological or social concept? Changes across cultures and history Physical changes during puberty

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Kohlberg’s theory of moral development Happens throughout life, most of us reach the final stages during adolescence Three levels: 1.Pre-conventional 2.Conventional 3.Post-conventional

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Lawrence Kohlberg

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Erikson’s theory of social development Student of Freud - all these social “decisions” happen at an unconscious level Very difficult theory to test Coined the term “identity crisis” and “mid- life crisis” 8 stages of life

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Erik and Joan Erikson

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Erikson’s theory of social development - Stages 1.Infants - Trust vs. Mistrust 2.Toddlers - Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt 3.Pre-schooler - Initiative vs. Guilt 4.Elem. School - Industry vs. Inferiority

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Erikson’s theory of social development - Stages 5.Adolescents - Identity vs. Role confusion Experimentation Rebellion Self-ishness Optimism and energy 6.Young adults - Intimacy vs. Isolation 7.Middle age - Generativity vs. Stagnation 8.Older adults - Integrity vs. Despair

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Gender Development Starts early in childhood, keeps developing through our lives Early influences are very important Gender vs. Sex Gender identity gender typing biological vs. cognitive explanations for gender differences Gender schemata

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Sexual Orientation Very controversial research regarding how we develop our sexual orientation Researchers agree it’s a combination of nature and nurture –Some brain based differences –Twin studies –No one knows what the environmental influences are –They are NOT: early sexual experiences, orientation of parents, masculinity/femininity of parents, identification with parents –Researchers do not view orientation as a choice

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Module 6: Adulthood and Aging Most psychological developmental stage theories stop at adolescence (except for Erikson) Most of the research done on adulthood and aging investigates specific psychological issues

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Aging and Memory

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Dementia

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Aging and Intelligence Fluid Intelligence One’s ability to reason speedily and abstractly Can be used to solve novel logic problems Declines as people get older Crystallized intelligence One’s accumulated knowledge and verbal skills Tends to increase with age

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Age and Verbal/Nonverbal Intelligence

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology Overall Life Satisfaction Most studies show the elderly as happy and satisfied with life. People tend to mellow with age. Most regrets focus on what the person didn’t do rather than mistakes they have made in life.

10/5/04Module 4,5&6: Developmental Psychology