Developmental Psychology Chapter 4

I. Dev. Psychologists a. What do they do? Study physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the human life cycle. b. How do they study? 1. Longitudinal: study same group over time 2. Cross sectional: study different ages at the same time 3. Twin Studies: studying identical vs. fraternal twins to find out if nature or nurture causes various traits and behaviors.

c. Major Debates 1. Nature vs. Nurture: How do genetic inheritance (nature) and experience (nurture) influence our development? separated at birth separated at birth 2. Continuity vs. Stages: Gradual or sequence of separate stages? 3. Stability vs. Change: Do our early personality traits persist through life, or do we become a different person as we age?

II. Childhood Development a. Prenatal Development 1. Fertilization: 1) Sperm released, meet the egg, digestive enzymes eat away the egg’s protective covering enzymes eat away the egg’s protective covering 2) Sperm penetrates the egg, egg blocks out all other sperm and uses fingerlike projections to other sperm and uses fingerlike projections to pull sperm in. pull sperm in. 3) Within 12 hours the sperm and egg fuse becoming one. becoming one.

2. Gender: XX= Female, XY= Male 3. Cell Growth a) Zygote: Fertilized Egg * Less than half of all zygotes survive beyond 2 weeks beyond 2 weeks b) Embryo: developing human organism from about 3 weeks after fertilization through the 8 th week c) Fetus: developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth. in the womb in the womb d) Placenta: Nourishment passes through this from the mother to the child

4. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Causes an infant to have a small, misproportioned head and lifelong brain abnormalities.

5. Autism: Developmental disorder characterized by impaired language, difficulty with socialization, and restricted interest

PKU-rare condition in which a baby is born without the ability to properly break down an amino acid called phenylalanine. if untreated, causes mental retardation

Rooting/Head Turning Reflex Rooting/Head turning: when their cheek is touched, infants turn their head and open their mouth to search for foodexample example

Grasping/Palmer Reflex A baby holds tightly when pressure is applied to the palm of the hand example example

Startle/Moro Reflex Babies throw their arms out when they are scared example example

7. Important terms a) Maturation: biological growth over time b) Critical Periods: Essential time periods to develop certain skills c) Infantile amnesia: Not being able to remember life events before age 3

Motor Development Age 4 monthsTurns from stomach to side 5 monthsTurns from stomach to back 6-7 monthsTurns from back to stomach 7-8 monthsSits 9 monthsCrawls monthsKneels monthsStands 13 & upWalks first stepsfirst steps

III. Cognitive Development 1. Terms a) Cognitive- thinking b) Schema: Child builds concepts c) Assimilate: putting new experiences into an already existing schema d) Accommodate: adjusting a schema based on a new fact that changes our understanding of something. *Ex.-realizing teachers do not live at school

Share with a Partner Think of a time when you learned a new fact that altered one of your schemas as a young child. Share with a partner Ex. learning that M&Ms don’t grow on trees like you evil sister told you

2. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development a) Sensorimotor Stage-explore world through senses and movement 1. Age: Birth to age 2 2.Object Permanence: realize that hidden objects still exist (8 months old) example Stranger Anxiety-around 8 months

Preoperational Stage- use of language and symbols Ex. pretending that a broom is a horse Role playing develops in play example 1. Age: age 3 to about 6 2. Egocentric: Have difficulty perceiving things from another’s point of view egocentrism egocentrismegocentrism

Concrete Operational Stage 1. Age: Around 7 to 11years old 2. Conservation: understand that change in shape does not mean change in amount (mass) Ex. Realizing that cutting pizza into more slices does not yield more pizza lack of conservation lack of conservation

Formal Operational Stage 1. Age: By age Tasks: Understand concrete as well as abstract thinking Ex. analogies, hypothetical thought

IV. Moral Development 1. Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development a) Preconventional: Before 9- Children either obey to avoid punishment or to gain concrete rewards b) Conventional: Early Adolescence: evolves to caring for others and upholds laws and social rules c) Postconventional: agreed –upon rights or follows what one personally perceives as basic ethical principles

V. Social Development 1. Terms a) Attachment: powerful survival impulse that keeps infants close to their caregivers b) Stranger Anxiety: Fear of strangers (unfamiliar faces) 8 months old c) Separation Anxiety: Anxious when attached caregiver isn’t around-12 months Secure vs. insecure attachment Mary Ainsworth and the strange situation test Mary Ainsworth and the strange situation test

d) Contact Comfort 1. Harry Harlow: U of Wisconsin psychologist 2. Experiment and Results: Found that attachment doesn’t necessarily derive from an association with nourishment. ** Used Monkeys**clip part II clip part IIclip part II 3. Skeels and Dye: found that children do better when loved and cared for starting from birth to age 3.

2. Erikson’s Stages of Social Development Page 332

VI. Parenting Styles 1. Permissive: Parents submit to their children’s desires, make few demands, and use little punishment. 2. Authoritarian: parents impose rules and expect obedience 3. Authoritative: parents are both demanding and responsive, exert control but explain reasons for rules

Adolescence and Adulthood

I. Adolescence. Early and Late Bloomers 1. Gender Issue: Girls: Early= feel insecure Boys: Early= feel more secure Girls: Late= feel more secure Boys: Late= feel insecure

II. Adulthood a. Early (20-39) b. Middle Adulthood (40-59) Empty nest syndrome: sadness and lack of direction when last child leaves home. Myth!

c. Late Adulthood (60+) 1. Alzheimer’s: Dementia, strikes 3% of the world’s population by age Fluid and crystallized intelligence: a. Fluid: ability to reason speedily and abstractly, as when solving problems. (puzzle-solving) b. Crystallized: accumulated knowledge as reflected in vocabulary and analogies test.

3. Kubler-Ross theory on death and dying a. Denial b. Anger c. Bargaining d. Depression e. Acceptance giraffe