Introduction to Psychology Enterprise High School Coach Welch Infancy and Childhood Section 2: Cognitive and Emotional Development

Jean Piaget—Cognitive Development Theory Swiss psychologist who believed intelligence, or the ability to understand, develops gradually as a child grows. Spent several years observing, questioning, and playing games with babies and young children, including his own. Children think in different ways than adults, using different logic

Piaget Cognition=thinking Intellectual development based on: Qualitative changes—differences in the way of thinking Quantitative changes—growth in the amount of information.

Piaget’s Schemas Schema: mental representations of the world Understanding the world depends on construction of schema. In interpreting new objects, children apply existing schemas for things and change them according to new information.

Piaget’s Schemas Assimilation vs. Accommodation AssimilationAccommodation People understand an experience of their current stage of cognitive development. Examples Bambi Meets Flower Changes in existing ways of thinking that occur in response to encounters with new stimuli or events Examples 9/11—accident to terrorism

Object Permanence The realization that people and objects exist even when they cannot be seen

Stages of Object Permanence Stage I (0-1 month) No indication that child knows objects are separate. Reflexive looking, grasping, sucking objects Stage II (1-4 months) Sensory awareness only Stage III (4-8 months) Able to anticipate position of objects in movement Searches when partially hidden Stage IV (8-12 months) Finds when sees hidden “remembers” objects—may look in usual place Able to manipulate objects, knows shape is consistent Stage V (12-18 months) Sequential displacements if seen, still can trick child Stage VI (18-24 months) Fully developed Represents objects in mind

Representational Thought This is what occurs when the child masters object permanence. Children can now see things in their minds. They are no longer action only; the ability to use symbols, the basis for learning language, has developed.

Conservation The principle that a given quantity does not change when its appearance is changed. Occurs around ages 5-7 Prior to conservation, children cannot distinguish more/less/equality in items Examples Two jars—small fat one and tall thin one with and pour water back and forth. The younger child will say the tall one has more water, while the older knows both have the same. Two jars—small fat one and tall thin one with and pour water back and forth. The younger child will say the tall one has more water, while the older knows both have the same. 100 pennies or 20 quarters. A younger child will choose the 100 pennies ($1), an older child will choose 20 quarters ($5)

Egocentrism Self-centered Young children—seeing and thinking of the world from one’s own standpoint, not able to understand another’s view point/perspective/feelings, physically or mentally Examples Children do not know why it hurts when they hit you because it doesn’t hurt them. Children do not understand why parents cry (sad/hurt) when someone passes away because they don’t understand death, therefore they are not sad This is why “sharing” is difficult to teach to children because every toy is “mine.” They don’t understand that other children enjoy playing with the same toys.

Animistic Thinking Giving human-like qualities to non-living objects Example: hitting head on table and blaming the table—”bad table”

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Describes all the changes as the child progresses to the ability to form abstract (adult) thoughts. Concrete=can see, feel, touch, tangible Abstract=in head, can’t be defined, an idea Every child goes through the stages in the same order; may vary in exact ages

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development StageApproximate Age General Characteristics Sensorimotor (senses) (actions) Birth to 2 years Simple motor responses to sensory stimuli No object permanence Preoperational2-7 years Lacks operations—ability to solve problems solving logic Egocentrism Lacks conservation Animistic thinking Symbols used to think of things not present Concrete Operational 7-11 years Has conservation Can’t grasp abstract objects Good classification of objects Inductive reasoning (specific to general) Formal Operational 11 years and on Understands abstract ideas and hypothetical situations Logic and deductive reasoning (general to specific)

Imaginary Friends As children gain representational thought, some create these. Studies show children with imaginary friends are less aggressive and more cooperative. Children with imaginary friends are rarely bored and have advanced vocabulary, watch less TV, and can better concentrate than peers without them. Approximately ½ of all kids have them.

Emotional Development The human infant develops attachments to specific people and care about what they think and feel In animals, experiments with baby birds and monkeys have shown that early in life, there is a maturational determined time of readiness for attachment. Human Infants form attachments to mothers (or surrogate mothers)

Animal Experiments Imprinting (Konrad Lorenz) Imprinting A social learning capacity in some species by which attachments are formed to other organisms or to objects very early in life Lorenz discovered baby geese become attached to their mothers in a rapid, virtually permanent learning process, by waddling after and attaching to the first thing they see move. Critical period revisited Reminder: critical period=a time in development when a human or animal is best able to learn a skill or behavior. For geese, the critical period for attachment to a caregiver is hours after birth. Whatever is learned during that period makes a deep impression resistant to change. Imprinting is important for survival, but the process is different for humans

Animal Experiments Harry Harlow—Contact Comfort Studied the mother/child relationship in rhesus monkeys Took baby monkeys away from mothers at birth and exposed them to two substitute monkeys. They had to choose between one made of wood and wire with food and one made of soft cloth without food. The monkeys attached to the soft monkey This shows touching and physical attachment rate more than food. Contact comfort=reassurance from physical touch; infants need this

Human Infants Attachment: deep, caring, close, and emotional bond between an infant and a caregiver Attachment and the critical period Attachment is strongest between 6 months and 3 years. After that, the child is more able to accept that his/her mother is not there and to maintain his/her relationship with her. Once the attachment bond has been formed, separation can be disturbing for the infant. Stranger anxiety: When an infant encounters a stranger, the child may display anxiety, even if the mother is present, although it may pass if the mother remains nearby. Separation anxiety: Whenever a child is suddenly separated from the mother. If this persists, this could lead to psychological disorders

Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby: Strange Situation Experiment Studied attachment Mom and children went through a series of incidences where mom left and came back into the room and a stranger did the same. They found several styles of attachment from these experiments.

Ainsworth/Bowlby: Attachment Styles Secure attachment Balance need to explore and need to be close Welcome mother back and are free from anger Display confidence and security later in life Mothers who are sensitive and responsive tend to have securely attached infants Avoidant Attachment Infant avoids or ignores his mother when she leaves and returns Has difficulties forming and holding relationships later in life. Resistant Attachment Not upset when mother leaves but rejects her or acts angrily when she returns Clingy later in relationships with a lot of trust issues Disorganized attachment These infants behave inconsistently Seem confused and act in contradictory ways. Not upset when she leaves and avoids her upon return.