Unit XIII: Developmental Psychology
Advanced Placement Psychology
Mr. Landry
2011-2012
Major topics
For this unit, the basic pattern will be that we will break down human development form prenatal to death into different stages.
And within each of the stages, we will look at different forms of development at each of the stages: physical, cognitive, social,
moral, etc. Some of the topics will be more relevant than others, depending on the stages.
 Background
 Newborn
 Adolescence
 Three major areas
 Background
 Background
 Three types of studies
 Mental development
 Physical Development
 Physical development
 Cognitive Development
 Prenatal
 Conception
 Cognitive development
 Reasoning development
 Physical development
 Piaget
 Adulthood and beyond
 Brain development
 Physical
 Infancy & Childhood
 Brain
 Mental development
 Maturation
 Social Development
 Social development
 Across the lifespan
People to know
Know why each person is important to developmental psychology (theories, works, important studies, etc. that each on
is associated with)
 Jean Piaget
 Mary Ainsworth
 Diana Baumrind
 Harry Harlow
 Erik Erikson
 Lawrence Kohlberg
Theories/Stages/etc. to know
Know why each theory is important to developmental psychology (if there are levels/stages involved, know each
stage/level [name of level, ages, description, etc.], people involved, etc.)
 Focuses of developmental psychology (nature & nurture, continuity & stages/discontinuity, stability & change)
 Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
 Affects of forms of attachment (Ainsworth) (Secure Attachment, Insecure attachment - Resistant Attachment,
Insecure attachment - Detached/avoidant Attachment)
 Parenting styles (Baumrind) (Authoritarian, Authoritative/democratic, Permissive/laissez faire,
uninvolved/neglectful/indifferent)
 Kohlburg’s Moral Ladder
 Stages of Psychosocial development(Erikson)
Terms/concepts to know
Background and prenatal
 Developmental psychology (what it  Physical development: Stages –
 Premature and effect on brain
is, three main focuses)
know differences/order (Zygote,
development
Embryo,
Fetus)
 Methods of study (Longitudinal
 Teratogens: what they are, major
studies, Cross-sectional studies,
 Twins (Monozygotic vs.
ones and their effects
Cohort effect)
Dizygotic)
 Viability
 Prenatal Developmental
 Brain development & Neuron
 Maturation (define, give examples,
(differenced between women and
production (why overproduces
what can influence)
men)
neurons)
 Conception - basics
Newborn: know physical and cognitive/mental milestones
 Critical period
 Neural networks formation and
 How children’s cognitive
effects on physical & motor
development was viewed before
 Survival instincts & reflexes
development
Piaget
 Rooting reflex

Gross
vs.
fine
motor
actions

Schemas
 Sensation (old vs. new theories,
 Assimilation
order of development)
 Accommodation
 Four stages of logical reasoning
 Conservation
 Animism
capabilities (know them!)
 Egocentrism
 Artificialism
 Object permanence
 Theory of mind
Infancy & Childhood
 Brain development during their period – what is
 Insecure attachment - Detached/avoidant Attachment
developing & how this influences mental and physical
 Social competence
development
 Basic trust
 Social development during this period – what is forming  Early childhood treatment by parents only one indicator
 Attachment (two parts: contact & familiarity)
 Cognitive reaction of above
 Stranger anxiety
 Disruption of attachment: short vs. long term)
 Separation anxiety
 Self concept
 Contact theories on why it is important
 Self esteem
 Harlow’s experiment with monkeys
 Self-efficacy
 Familiarity
 How the above three are influenced by early attachments
 Imprinting
and influence later attachments)
 How humans become familiar with caregivers/form
 Child rearing practices (know each of the four major
attachments
ones, basic description of each, and which is considered
 How early attachments influence how we relate to others the best)
in early & later life
 Authoritarian
 How parenting styles effect attachments
 Authoritative/democratic
 Strange situation design & three general responses/types  Permissive/laissez faire
 Know basics
 uninvolved/neglectful/indifferent
 Secure Attachment
 Insecure attachment - Resistant Attachment
Adolescence
 What it is, when it begins, when it
 Limbic system and frontal lobe
 Moral feeling (order and
ends, as well as changes in these
development – effect of
relationship to Schachter’s Two
ages over time and why
Factor Theory)
 Reasoning development (early vs.
 Puberty (what it is, when it begins)
late adolescence)
 Moral feeling/cognition vs action
and what influences it
 Primary & secondary sexual
 Imaginary audience or spotlight
characteristics (know what they
effect
 Social development and identity
are, examples of each)
formation
 Personal fable
 Menarche
 Intimacy - gender differences
 Moral development & Lawrence
 Spermarche
Kohlberg’s moral ladder (know
 Independence and relationship with
stages,
etc.)
parents
 Maturation effects/examples
 Heinz dilemma
 Social clock (definition and
 Physical vs. Cognitive
examples)
development - not usually in synch
Adulthood and beyond
 Physical development/changes
 Crystallized intelligence
 Alzheimer’s disease (define, causes
(examples and how they relate to a
and effects)
 Fluid intelligence
person’s mental state)

Relationships (changes, etc.)
 Dementia (define, causes and
 Menopause
effects)
 Changes in memory & intelligence
Across the life span
 Well being across the life span
 Stages of Psychosocial development (know the different levels, names, ages, characteristics, etc.)
Reading guide
Main Heading - 1: Background
I. Developmental psychology – definition
II. Three major areas
A. Nature & nurture
B. Continuity & stages
C. Stability & change
III. How do we study development: in class
A. Longitudinal studies
B. Cross-sectional studies
C. Cohort effects
Main Heading - 2: Prenatal Developmental
I. Conception
A. Women
B. Men
C. Intercourse
II. Physical development
A. Stages
B. Twins: in class
1. Monozygotic – identical twins
2. Dizygotic – fraternal twins
III. Brain development
A. Neuron production
B. Premature
IV. Teratogens
A. Definition
B. Kinds
V. Viability: in class
Main heading 4: maturation
I. Maturation – definition
II. Influences
III. Nature vs nurture
Main heading 5: Newborn
I. Background
A. Critical period
B. Survival instincts & reflexes already in place
II. Mental development
A. Sensation
B. Neural networks begin forming rapidly
III. Physical development (Motor development)
IV. Cognitive development
A. Background
1. Jean Piaget
2. Before Piaget
3. Piaget’s theories
B. Terms
1. Schemas
2. How we adjust and use our schemas
a. Assimilation
b. Accommodation
C. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
1. Four stages of logical reasoning capabilities
2. First stage
Main Heading – 6: adolescence
I. Background
A. Transition between childhood and adulthood
B. Western world – roughly teens
C. Changing ages
II. Physical development
A. Puberty
1. Period of sexual maturation
Main heading – 5: Infancy & Childhood
I. Brain development
A. Frontal lobe developing
B. Cerebellum develops
C. Memory
II. Neural network development
A. Age: To puberty
III. Neurons
IV. Social development
A. Background
B. Attachment
C. Piaget’s Levels
D. Contact
1. Background
2. Body contact: Harry Harlow
3. Experiments showed
B. Familiarity
C. Parenting
1. Forms of attachment
a. Mary Ainsworth
i. Three general responses/types
(I) Secure Attachment
(II) Insecure attachment - Resistant
Attachment
(III) Insecure attachment Detached/avoidant Attachment
F. Effects of Attachment
1. Background
2. Social competence
G. Self concept
1. Sense of one’s identity, personality, strengths,
weaknesses, personal worth, etc.
a. Cognitive competence
b. Social competence
c. Physical competence
2. Self esteem
a. Your judgments and feelings about your own
value and worth
3. Self-efficacy
a. Beliefs about whether you are capable of
achieving certain goals
4. Identify
H. Child rearing practices
1. Diana Baumrind
2. Parenting styles:
a. Authoritarian
b. Authoritative/democratic
c. Permissive/laissez faire
d. uninvolved/neglectful/indifferent
3. Ranking parenting style
2. Developing of:
a. Primary sexual characteristics
b. Secondary sexual characteristics
3. Milestones
B. Maturation
1. Order in which events
2. Timing is changeable
a. Growth spurt
occur – same for everyone
i. Girls – early as 9
ii. Boys – late as 16
III. Cognitive development
A. Physical vs. cognitive
B. Background
IV. Reasoning development
A. Developing reasoning powers
1. Early adolescence
2. Later adolescence
B. Moral development
1. Background
a. Lawrence Kohlberg
b. Heinz dilemma
2. Stages/levels (chart)
3. Moral feeling
4. Moral action
C. Social development
1. Identity
2. Intimacy
3. Becoming independent
Unit XI, XII, & XII ½ test question breakdown: Versions A & B
Matching
Matching theories with related topic
1–7
Matching people with related topic
 8 – 14
Previous Units
Thinking
 Methods of Making Decisions and Forming Judgments:
Framing Effect 15
 Methods of Making Decisions and Forming Judgments:
Heuristics 16
 Concepts 16
Nature vs. Nurture
 Behavior Genetics (twins) 17
Biology of Psychology
 Neurotransmitters 18
Learning
 Classical Conditioning – identifying responses & stimuli
19
Research Methods
 Correlation 20
Sensation
 Background Laws (Signal Detection Theory) 21
 Sense Processing Background (wave information) 22
 Sense Processing Background (transduction) 24
 Vision (biology) 24
 Hearing (biology) 24
Motivation
Background & Key terms
 25 – 37, 58
Theories
 38 – 48
Representative motivators: hunger
 49 – 55
Representative motivators: sex
 56-62
Main heading – 7: Adulthood and beyond
I. Background
II. Physical development
A. Physical abilities decline after adolescence
B. Physical changes bring on psychological responses
C. Women
D. Men
III. Mental development
A. Memory
B. Intelligence
C. Flaws of studies
D. Mental diseases
E. Social development
1. Relationships
2. Marriage
Main Heading – 8: across the life span
I. Well being across the life span
II. Erik Erikson
A. Stages of Psychosocial development (chart)
Representative motivators: belonging
 63 – 65
Representative motivators: work/achievement
 66
Emotion
Background
 67 – 69
Theories
 69 – 77, 79
Biology of emotions
 78, 81 – 83, 85
Fear
 80
Anger
 80, 88
Polygraph
 84 – 85
Expressed Emotion
 86, 87
Happiness: Go Good, Feel Good
 89
Happiness: Adaptation Level Phenomenon
 90, 92
Happiness: Relative Deprivation Phenomenon
 91, 93
Happiness: Subjective Well Being
 94
Stress
General Adaptation Theory
 95, 96
Background & Key Terms
 97
Categories of Stressors
 98
Categories of Conflicts
 99, 100
Bold-Faced Words (BFW’s)
You do need to know these for the test, even if they are not listed above.
 Accommodation
 Adolescence
 Alzheimer’s disease
 Assimilation
 Attachment
 Autism
 Basic trust
 Cognition
 Concrete operational stage
 Conservation
 Critical period
 Cross-sectional studies:
 Crystallized intelligence
 Developmental psychology
 Egocentrism
 Embryo
 Fetal alcohol syndrome
 Fetus
 Fluid intelligence
 Formal operation stage
 Habituation
 Identity
 Intimacy
 Imprinting
 Longitudinal studies
 Maturation
 Menarche
 Menopause
 Object permanence
 Preoperational
 Primary sex characteristic
 Puberty
 Rooting reflex
 Schemas
 Secondary sex characteristic
 Self concept
 Sensorimotor
 Social clock
 Stranger anxiety
 Teratogens
 Theory of mind
 Zygote
Vocabulary
Due the day of the test
1.
2.
3.
4.
Animism
Artificialism
Cohort effects
Dementia
5.
6.
7.
8.
Dizygotic
Imaginary audience/spotlight effect
Monozygotic
Personal fable
9.
10.
11.
12.
Viability
Self esteem
Self-efficacy
Spermarche
Reading assignment due dates
Assignment

Reading/BFT (Unit XIII: Developmental Psychology) 164171, 135-150, & Erickson & Kohlburg chart

Reading/BFT (Unit XIII: Developmental Psychology) 150163, 172-190

Test & Vocab (Unit XIII: Developmental Psychology)

Reading/BFT (Unit XIV: Intelligence) 419 – 452

Test & Vocab (Unit XIV: Intelligence)
Topics covered
Erickson and
Kohlburg, prenatal
to cognitive
&social
development of
infants & children
Social development
of infants &
children to death
Intelligence
Due date
“A” Day
“B” Day
Monday,
February 13
Tuesday,
February 14
Wednesday,
February 22nd
Thursday,
February 23rd
Friday, February
24th
Tuesday,
February 28th
Thursday, March
1st
Monday,
February 27th
Wednesday,
February 29th
Friday, March
2nd