UNIT 1: INTRO TO IB PSYCHOLOGY Day 4: Intro to Abnormal and Developmental Psychology

Outcome(s):  Evaluate psychological research (through theories and case studies) relevant to developmental and abnormal psychology

Agenda: 1. Reading Quiz 2. Abnormal Psychology 3. Developmental Psychology 4. Review 5. Psychology of Everything Homework: Study for Assessment 1

Reading Quiz  Be sure to write what quiz version you have on your paper

Abnormal Psychology: Discussion 1. What does abnormal mean to you? 2. What do you think causes abnormal behavior?

Abnormal Psychology  The area of psychological disorders is called “abnormal behaviour”  Definitions of “normality”  it is important to have established, objective criteria

Diagnosing “Abnormal Behaviour” Criteria (Seligman, 1984) 1. Suffering—does the person experience distress and discomfort? 2. Maladaptiveness—does the person engage in behaviours that make life difficult for him or her rather than being helpful? 3. Irrationality—is the person incomprehensible or unable to communicate in a reasonable manner? 4. Unpredictability—does the person act in ways that are unexpected by himself or herself or by other people? 5. Vividness and unconventionality—does the person experience things that are different from most people? 6. Observer discomfort—is the person acting in a way that is difficult to watch or that makes other people embarrassed? 7. Violation of moral or ideal standards—does the person habitually break the accepted ethical and moral standards of the culture?

Be a thinker…  Discuss whether you would consider each of the following an example of “abnormal behaviour.”  What could be the possible criteria for your decision?  Transvestism  Nail biting  Maths anxiety  Talking to oneself

Changing Views on Abnormal Behavior  Orthodox view was that homosexuality was abnormal  Older versions of DSM-III (diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3 rd end, 1980) declared that homosexuality is only abnormal if the individual has negative feelings about his or her sexual orientation.  The same is seen in DSM-IV (1994)  However, in the mean time, people’s attitudes toward homosexuality have changed  This example illustrates the problem in classifying what is normal and abnormal

Abnormal Psychology  Case Study  Current Event – Video  hilborn-ocd-poem_n_ html hilborn-ocd-poem_n_ html

Possible essay question  With reference to research, examine the concepts of normality and abnormality

Developmental Psychology: Discussion  Is development due more to genetics or environment?  Does development occur slowly and smoothly, or do changes happen in stages?  Do early childhood experiences have the greatest impact on development, or are later events equally important?

Nature vs. Nurture  Over the years, there have been some pretty heated discussions about whether genetic predisposition or the environment is the most important factor in development.  Many developmental psychologists adopt an interactionist approach – that is, by taking biological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors into consideration.

Developmental Psychology  The way children think is different from the way adults think.  Examples?  Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget believed that maturation as well as the social environment is important in cognitive development – this is a constructionist approach  Piaget observed his own four children, and developed a scientific method to study cognitive development in children  Clinical interviews  According to Piaget, knowledge consists of cognitive structures (schemas)  According to Piaget, children’s intelligence progresses through a series of cognitive stages, with each stage different in quality from the next This is just one example of human development theory (we’ll cover more theories in the actual unit)

StageAgeDescription Sensorimotor Stage0-2Knowledge develops as a result of sensations and actions Pre-operational stage2-7Increase in use of symbolic thought and self-awareness, but dominated by the visual appearance of things; language development, egocentricism Concrete operational stage7-12Logical reasoning based on real objects that can be manipulated; understanding of conservation Formal operational12+Ability to use abstract reasoning and logic

Developmental Psychology  Four Stages of Cognitive Development Video  Extension  stadium-beer-scandal-same-amount-of-beer-whether- you-pay-7-25-or-8-50/ stadium-beer-scandal-same-amount-of-beer-whether- you-pay-7-25-or-8-50/  The Moral Life of Babies

Review  History of psych  3 Levels of Analysis  Biological, Cognitive, Sociocultural  Focus, big names, how this theory explains ________  Abnormal Psychology  Criteria  Developmental Psychology  Piaget’s stages of cognitive development  Case Studies  In-depth investigation of human experience (can be a person, but can also be a family, social group, event, or an organization)

Psychology of Everything