Unit 2 Infancy and Childhood

Nature vs. Nurture Developmental psychology –Study of how an individuals physical, social, emotional, moral and intellectual development occur in sequential, interrelated stages throughout the life cycle Continuity vs. states of development Stability vs. change Nature vs. nurture

Newborn Have ability at birth to see, hear, smell and respond to environment Born with some reflexes –Grasping reflexes –Rooting reflex Response in turning toward the source of touching anywhere around his/her mouth

Physical development Maturation Internally programmed growth of a child Unless a child underfed, restricted in movements, deprived of human contacts and things to look at she will develop according to schedule If not at maturational readiness a child will no master the skill

Perceptual development Look at faces and patterned materials most and benefit from parent touch Visual Cliff Young infants were unafraid but infants 6 months and up found changes in hear rate= danger

Language Development Nature vs. nurture Steps –Make signs-hand or mouth –Learn meaning –Learn grammar 1 year-babbling, late first year-sounds more like their language –They imitate and are praised

Language Continued 2 years old –Sounds as symbols End of 2 nd year2 word phrases –Telegraphic speech Words are left out but the meaning is usally clear “where my apple?” **Between 18 months and 5 years they add 5-10 words a day!

Cognitive and Emotional development Cognitive Development Hide and seek with a 4 year old vs. 7 year Intelligence develops gradually as child grows Schemas –Mental representations of the world Assimilation –Try to use existing schemas in new situation Accommodation –We change our schema to fit the new object

Cognitive Development Cont Object Permanence –Object exists even when they cannot see/touch it –Hiding a toy=cease to exist 7-12 will find under blanket but not your back will search last place she saw

Cognitive Development Representational Thought –Ability for a child to picture something in their mind –Witness a tantrum and next day do it

Principal of Conservation Conservation –5-7quantitiy does not change when its appearance changes –Water in a jar –Egocentric Inability to understand another persons perceptive

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Stage –Schemas that involve body and sensations Preoperational stages –Mental images or symbols to understand Concrete operation –Use logical schemas but understanding still limited to concrete objects Formal operational stage –Person is able to solve abstract problems

Emotional Development Attachment Imprinting –Inherited tendencies or responses that are displayed by newborn animals when they encounter a new stimuli –Geese Critical period –Best time in development to learn a skill

Harlow monkey research –Wire monkey vs. cloth monkey

Parent child attachment 6 months – 3 years Strong attachment by 3 years child can remember and maintain relationship with mother Separation anxiety –Sudden separation

Stranger Separation Secure attachment –Good balance between explore and close Avoidant attachment –Ignore mother when goes and returns Resistant attachment –Not upset when goes but will be angry when returns Disorganized attachment –Behavior inconsistently

Parenting Styles Democratic family –Children participate in decisions that impact them –Parents can veto Benefits More confident-responding to the child Assuming responsibility Identify with parents Model good social skills

Parenting styles cont Authoritarian Family –Parents are the boss –No explanations Permissive family –Children have the final say –Give in to children

Social Development Socialization Process of learning the rules of behavior of the culture Acquiring identities Living with other people and yourself

Freud’s Psychosexual Development 5 stages –Conflict between parent and child –child wants immediate gratification of needs while parent restricts that gratification in some way –Born with powerful sexual an aggressive urges, learning to control impulses results in acquiring sence of right and wrong Oral –Birth -18 months –Pleasure seeking focused on mouth Anal –1 ½ years – 3 years –Pleasure seeking centered on functions of elimination

Frued Continued Phallic –3-6 years –Pleasure seeking focused on the genitals –Conflict with opposite sex parent –Identification-adoption of values of same sex parent Latency –6 years-puberty –Sexual thoughts repressed, focuses on developing social and intellectual skills –Sublimation-process of redirecting sexual impulses into learning tasks Genital –Puberty-adulthood –Sexual desires renewed, individual seeks relationships with others

Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development Psychosocial-life periods in which an individuals goals is to satisfy desires associated with social needs Recognizes the child’s sexual, aggressive and social approval Life long interactive process between 2 people Many different challenges

Cognitive-Developmental Approach Emphasis on thinking in development The child acts on the environment and makes sense out of experiences Games-Make up rules=structure Role taking-assuming adult roles to allow them to experience different points of view

Moral Development Right and wrong Kohlberg 6 stages –Pre-Conventional Level (stages 1 &2) Stage 1-egocentric Stage 2-help them if they help you Conventional Level (stages 3&4) Stage 3-social approval Stage 4-law and order –Post-Conventional (stages 5&6) Stage 5 -is the law fair? Stage 6- do unto others