1. Child Development

2. Developmental Psychology Studies how people grow and change –Covers the entire life span (conception – death) Why is each stage important to study?

3. Nature vs. Nurture Nature To what extent is human behavior determined by heredity Nurture To what extent is human behavior determined by your environment

4. Key Terms Maturation The automatic and sequential process of development that results from genetic signals »Because of this, infants tend to sit up before they crawl – and crawl before they walk Critical Period A stage or point in development during which a person or animal is best suited to learn a particular skill »Research suggests that there is a critical period for language development

5. Physical Development Height & Weight Babies grow at an amazing rate, but most dramatic is before a baby is born –Grows from microscopic to almost 20 inches long in just 9 months Motor Development Proceeds in stages in which babies will master one task before others The rate is different from infant to infant and culture to culture

7. Perceptual Development The process by which infants learn to make sense of the sights, sounds, tastes and other sensations to which they are exposed Remember that eye sight at this age is not fully developed

8. Depth Perception & The Visual Cliff Creates an illusion of a drop-off – like a cliff Found that very young infants seem unafraid when they are placed on the edge By 9 months, infants respond with fear (seems to be correlated to the time in which they learn to crawl as well)

9. Infants & Other Senses Smell Newborns immediately distinguish strong odors »Wrinkle noses at pungent odors & smile at the sweet smells Taste Humans are born with an innate sweet tooth & tend to prefer sweet tastes over salty or bitter Hearing Seems to be much more developed at birth than vision Respond more to high-pitched sounds, but are soothed by low- pitched sounds (like singing or humming)

10. Attachment Emotional ties that form between people Infants & children try to stay close to those with whom they are attached Mary Ainsworth Theorist who studied children around the world Findings: – that newborns prefer being with anybody over being alone –By about 4 months, infants develop specific attachments to their main caregivers –By 6 to 8 months, attachment grows much stronger and will cry/complain when they are separated

11. Attachment Other key terms: Stranger Anxiety »Children cry and reach for their parents when strangers are around Separation Anxiety »Causes infants to behave erratically when they are separated from their main caregivers (usually mom) Contact Comfort »The instinctual need to touch and be touched by something soft, such as skin or fur »Most studies done with Monkeys by Harry Harlow Imprinting »The process by which some animals form immediate attachments »Studies done by Konrad Lorenz

12. Language Development Language is developed in a sequence of steps It is the same for nearly all children But it may happen at a faster or slower rate, depending on the child See Transparency to fill out your note sheet

13. 1-5 months - Reflexive Communication Cooing, laughing, crying at random 6-18 months - Babbling Stage Verbalizes in response to others and responses increasingly approximate human speeh 10-13 months - First Words Uses words; typically to refer to objects 12-18 months - One Word Sentence Phase Vocabulary grows slowly; nouns primarily 18 – 24 months ~ Vocabulary Spurt Fast-mapping facilitates rapid acquisition of new words

14. 2 years – Two word Sentence Phase 2 – 5 years – Three word Sentence Phase 3 years – Complete simple active sentence structure Sentences to tell stories that can be understood by others & can use plurals 3.5 years – Expanded grammatical forms 4 years – Uses Imaginary Speeh 5 years – Well developed and complex syntax 6 years – Metalinguistic Awareness The ability to objectify language as a process and as a thing

15. Jean Piaget Theory of Cognitive Development Began career as a biologist studying how we as humans come to know things Became very interested in children and how they think Piaget identified 4 Stages of Cognitive Development

16. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

17. Piaget  Key Terms Conservation Can a child understand that there is an equal amount of liquid, even if the glasses look different? Even if something changes shape, it is still the same item? Ex. Water to Ice? Object Permanence The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard or touched Reversibility The awareness that actions can be reversed Egocentrism Children working through the preoperational stage have difficulty seeing things from another’s point of view ~ they can only understand theirs

18. Erik Erikson A theorist who believed that the journey of life consisted of 8 stages At each stage, there is a task that must be mastered in order for healthy development

20. Fried Green Tomatoes Assignment Pass out the Worksheet You will be using Erik Erikson’s 8 Stage Theory of Psychosocial Development to explain how 6 of the characters develop throughout the film. As you watch the film, fill out the worksheet accordingly.