Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Life Span Development Chapter 10

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Methods in Developmental Psychology

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Cross-Sectional Study Study people of different ages at the same point in time Advantages Inexpensive Can be completed quickly Low attrition Disadvantages Different age groups are not necessarily much alike Differences may be due to cohort differences rather than age

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Longitudinal Study Study the same group of people over time Advantages Detailed information about subjects Developmental changes can be studied in detail Eliminates cohort differences Disadvantages Expensive and time consuming Potential for high attrition Differences over time may be due to assessment tools and not age

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Biographical or Retrospective Study Participant’s past is reconstructed through interviews and other research about their life Advantages Great detail about life of individual In-depth study of one person Disadvantages Recall of individual may not be accurate Can be expensive and time consuming

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Prenatal Development Period of time from conception to birth Embryo From about two weeks after conception to three months after conception Fetus Three months after conception to birth Placenta Connects fetus to mother Brings oxygen and nutrients Takes away wastes

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Prenatal Development Critical period Time when influences have major effect Terotogens Substances that can damage an embryo or fetus Fetal alcohol syndrome Occurs in children of women who consume large amounts of alcohol during pregnancy Symptoms include facial deformities, heart defects, stunted growth, and cognitive impairments

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall The Newborn Baby

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Reflexes Rooting Baby turns its head toward something that brushes its cheek and gropes around with mouth Sucking Newborn’s tendency to suck on objects placed in the mouth Swallowing Enables newborn babies to swallow liquids without choking Grasping Close fist around anything placed in their hand Stepping Stepping motions made by an infant when held upright

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Temperament Temperament refers to characteristic patterns of emotional reactions and emotional self- regulation Thomas and Chess identified three basic types of babies Easy Good-natured, easy to care for, adaptable Difficult Moody and intense, react to new situations and people negatively and strongly Slow-to-warm-up Inactive and slow to respond to new things, and when they do react, it is mild

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Temperament Kagan has added a fourth type Shy child Timid and inhibited, fearful of anything new or strange Temperament may predict later disposition

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Perceptual Abilities Vision Clear for 8-10 inches Good vision by 6 months Depth perception Visual cliff research Other senses Ears are functional prior to birth Infants particularly tune in to human voices Taste and smell are fully functional

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Infancy and Childhood

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Physical Development Children grow about 10 inches and gain about 15 pounds in first year Growth occurs in spurts, as much as 1 inch overnight Growth slows during second year

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Motor Development Developmental norms Ages by which an average child achieves various developmental milestones Maturation Automatic biological unfolding of development in an organism as a function of passage of time

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensory-Motor Stage (birth to 2 years) Object permanence Preoperational Stage (2-7 years) Egocentric Concrete Operations (7-11 years) Principles of conservation Formal Operations (11-15 years) Understand abstract ideas

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Criticisms of Piaget's Theory Many question assumption that there are distinct stages in cognitive development Criticism of notion that infants do not understand world Piaget may have underestimated influence of social interaction in cognitive development

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development Preconventional (preadolescence) “Good” behavior is mostly to avoid punishment or seek reward Conventional (adolescence) Behavior is about pleasing others and, in later adolescence, becoming a good citizen Postconventional Emphasis is on abstract principles such as justice, equality, and liberty

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory Research shows that many people never progress past the conventional level Theory does not take cultural differences into account Theory is considered by some to be sexist in that girls often scored lower on tests of morality

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Language Development Babbling Make the sounds of all languages Holophrases One word is used to mean a whole sentence

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Theories of Language Development Skinner theorized that language develops as parents reward children for language usage Chomsky proposed the language acquisition device A neural mechanism for acquiring language presumed to be “wired into” all humans Bilingualism and the development of a second language

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Social Development Parent-Child Relationships in Infancy

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Development of Attachment Imprinting Tendency to follow the first moving thing seen Occurs in many species of animals Attachment Humans form a bond with those who care for them in infancy Based upon interaction with caregiver Autonomy Sense of independence Socialization Process by which children learn appropriate attitudes and behaviors

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Social Development Parent-Child Relationships in Childhood

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Authoritarian Tightly control children’s behavior and insist on obedience Can produce children who have poor communication skills, who are moody, withdrawn, and distrustful Permissive-indifferent Parents have too little control and often are indifferent and neglectful Children tend to become overly dependent and lack social skills and self-control

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Permissive-indulgent Parents are very attentive and supportive, but do not set limits on behavior Children tend to be immature, disrespectful, impulsive, and out of control Authoritative Parents provide firm structure, but are not overly controlling Parents listen to their children’s opinions and explain their decisions, bur are still clearly in charge Children tend to become self-reliant and socially responsible

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Relationships With Other Children Solitary play Children first play by themselves Parallel play As they get older, children play side-by-side with other children, but not interacting Cooperative play By about 3 or 3½, children begin playing with others

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Relationships With Other Children Peer group A network of same-aged friends and acquaintances who give one another emotional and social support When children start school, peers begin to have greater influence Nonshared environment Unique aspects of the environment that are experienced differently by siblings

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Sex-Role Development Gender identity Knowledge of being a boy or girl Occurs by age 3 Gender constancy Child realizes that gender cannot change Occurs by age 4 or 5

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Sex-Role Development Gender-role awareness Knowing appropriate behavior for each gender Gender stereotypes Beliefs about presumed characteristics of each gender Sex-typed behavior Socially defined ways to behave different for boys and girls May be at least partly biological in origin

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Adolescence

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Physical Changes Growth spurt Begins about age 10½ in girls and about 12½ in boys Sexual development Puberty Onset of sexual maturation Menarche First menstrual period for girls

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Physical Changes Early and late developers Adolescent sexual activity Approximately ¾ of males and ½ of females between 15 and 19 have had intercourse Average age for first intercourse is 16 for boys and 17 for girls Teenage pregnancy Rate of teen pregnancy has fallen in the last 50 years Highest in U.S. of all industrialized nations

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Cognitive Changes Imaginary audience Adolescent delusion that everyone else is always focused on them Personal fable Delusion that they are unique and very important Invulnerability Nothing can harm them

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Personality and Social Development Major occurrence in adolescence is identity formation Forming an identity Achievement Successfully find identity Foreclosure Settle for identity others wish for them Moratorium Explore various identities Diffusion Unable to “find themselves”

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Personality and Social Development Relationships with peers Adolescents often form cliques, or groups with similar interests and strong mutual attachment Relationships with parents Adolescents test and question every rule and guideline from parents

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Some Problems of Adolescence Declines in self-esteem Related to appearance Satisfaction in appearance is related to higher self-esteem Depression and suicide Rate of suicide among adolescents has increased 600% since 1950, but has leveled off in ’90s Suicide often related to depression, drug abuse, and disruptive behaviors

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Adulthood

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Love, Partnerships, and Parenting Forming partnerships First major event of adulthood is forming and maintaining close relationships Parenthood Having children alters dynamics of relationships Marital satisfaction often declines after birth of child

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Marital Satisfaction

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Other Issues The World of Work Balancing career and family obligations is a challenge Cognitive Changes Thinking is more flexible and practical Personality Changes Less self-centered, better coping skills Some men and women have a midlife crisis (or midlife transition) The "Change of Life" Menopause

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Late Adulthood

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Physical Changes In late adulthood, physical deterioration is inevitable A person’s response to these changes are important

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Social Development Independent and satisfying lifestyles Retirement Most people will stop working and face challenges with that sudden change Sexual behavior Research shows that many older couples continue to be sexually active

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Cognitive Changes Research has demonstrated that those who continue to “exercise” their mental abilities can delay mental decline Alzheimer’s disease afflicts approximately 10% of people over 65 and perhaps as many as 50% of those over 85

Psychology: An Introduction Charles A. Morris & Albert A. Maisto © 2005 Prentice Hall Facing the End of Life Kubler-Ross’s stages of dying Denial Anger Bargaining Depression Acceptance