April 30, 2013
• What types of toys and games appeal to a
gender specific role according to today’s
society? How have they changed since you
were little?
Infancy and Childhood
Chapter 10 and 3
Physical, Perceptual, and Language
Development
• Developmental Psychology – study of how an
individual’s physical, social, emotional, moral,
and intellectual development
• Study the Following:
– Continuity versus stages of development
– Stability versus change
– Nature vs. Nurture
Newborns
• Development begins long before an infant is
born
– Capable of certain inherited, automatic,
coordinated movement patterns called reflexes
– Grasping Reflex – response to a touch on the palm
of the hand
– Rooting Reflex – infants response to turn toward
the source of touching that occurs around his or
her mouth
Physical Development
• Average weight = 7.5 pounds at birth
• Maturation
– Internally programmed growth
• We all learn at our own rates
• No amount of coaching will get a child to do something
before it is ready
The Development of Language
• How Children Acquire Language
– Some Psychologists argue that language is reinforced
behavior, while others claim it is inborn
– First Year
• Average child makes many sounds
• Late in the first year the babble sounds like the language the
child hears
– 2 years old – Vocabulary consists of about 50 words
– 18 months to 5 years old
• Children add 5 to 10 words a day to their vocabulary
– 4 to 5 years old
• Several thousand words in their vocabulary
The Development of Language
• Telegraphic Speech – verbal utterances where
words are left our but the meaning is usually
clear
– Where my apple
– Daddy fall down
– Cat gone
The Case of Genie
an·thro·pol·o·gy . The scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical,
social, and cultural development of humans.
developmental psychologynThe branch of psychology concerned with the study of
progressive behavioral changes in an individual from birth until death.
lin·guist 1. A person who speaks several languages fluently.
2. A specialist in linguistics.
so·ci·ol·o·gy
The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins,
organization, institutions, and development of human society.
neu·ro·psy·chol·o·gy The branch of psychology that deals with the relationship
between the nervous system, especially the brain, and cerebral or mental functions
such as language, memory, and perception.
psy·cho·ther·a·py (s k -th r -p )
n. pl. psy·cho·ther·a·pies
The treatment of mental and emotional disorders through the use of psychological
techniques designed to encourage communication of conflicts and insight into
problems, with the goal being relief of symptoms, changes in behavior leading to
improved social and vocational functioning, and personality growth.
Cognitive Development
• Jean Piaget
– Intelligence or the ability to understand, develops
gradually as the child grows
• Object Permanence – Even if the object is
“gone” it’s still real
– Infant = Hide a toy the child thinks it’s “gone”
– 7 to 12 months = Hide a toy under a blanket they
will look under the blanket
– 12 to 18 months = Watches you closely and
searches for the toy in the last place they saw it
Experiments with Animals
• Imprinting
– Baby Geese
• A few hours after they struggle out of their shells
goslings waddle after the first thing they see move
(usually mom)
• Imprinting is important for survival purposes
Parenting Styles
• Authoritarian Families
– Parents are the bosses - period
• Democratic Families
– Children Participate in decisions that affect their
lives
• Permissive Families
• Children have the final say
• Parents are not solely responsible for the way
children turn out – Who is?
Child Abuse
• Child Abuse – physical, mental, sexual,
negligent, or mistreatment of children under
the age of 18 by adults who have been
entrusted with their care
• Reasons For Child Abuse
– Many abusive parents were mistreated as children
– Overburdened and stressed parents
Social Development
• Socialization – to live with other people
children have to learn what is considered
acceptable and unacceptable behavior
– Society encourages boys to express aggression but
not fear
– Girls have been raised to express emotions but
not ambitions
Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial
Development
• Psychosocial Development – Life periods in
which an individual’s goal is to satisfy desires
associated with social needs
– Example: A 2 year old is applauded for mastering a
task then he will develop a sense of independence
• At the same time if he is punished or ignored he may
doubt his achievement
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral
Development
• Stage 1 – Children do not consider other
people’s points of views and have no sense of
right or wrong
• Stage 2 – Know how to receive rewards as
well as to avoid punishment
• Stage 3 – Children become sensitive to what
other people want and think
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral
Development
• Stage 4 – Children are less concerned with
the approval of other and more about law
and order
• Stage 5 – Concerned with whether a law is
just and fair and believes that laws must
change as the world changes
Adolescence
Chapter 4/
Physical and Sexual Development
• Adolescence – transition period between
childhood and adulthood
– American Society views adolescence as a time of
preparation for adult responsibilities
– Rites of Passage
• Birthdays – 16, 18 and 21
• Bar Mitzvahs
Physical Development
• Puberty is the biological event that marks the
end of childhood
– Girls start to mature physically as early as 8
– Boys start to mature at age 9 or 10
• Just before puberty boys and girls experience
a growth spurt
– Girls begin between 10 and 14
– Boys begin between 11 and 16
Reactions to Growth
• When Adolescents talk about what they
don’t like the most about themselves they
usually talk about physical appearance
– How has media helped this idea?
Sexual Development
• Increase in sexual awareness and activity of
teens has raised many questions over the role
of family, religion, and government
– 1 million pregnancies occur each year among
adolescents
• Studies show children of teenage mothers are more
likely to become teenage mothers themselves, do
poorly in school, and serve time in prison
– 2 million cases of STDs
Personal Development
• During Adolescence a sense of identity and
self-esteem are very important and depend a
lot on friends
• Rationalization – seek to explain unpleasant
emotions or behavior
– You fail a test – you rationalize why you failed the
test
– Less than half of 17 year olds have reached this
stage one study found
Personal Development
• Some problems adolescents develop as a
result of immaturity
– Finding fault with authority figures
– Argumentativeness
– Indecisiveness
– Apparent Hypocrisy
– Self-Consciousness
– Invulnerability
Erikson’s Theory of the Identity Crises
• Identity Crisis – time of inner conflict during
which they worry intensely about their
identities
– Children tend to live in the present – adolescents
begin to think about the future
The Role of the Family
• Before 1970 the typical American family had a
wage earning father who worked outside of
the home and a mother who worked in the
home
• Today – Almost half of all marriages end in
divorce, more than half of all adult women
are in the workforce, typical family has two
wage earners
The Role of Peers
• High Schools are important places for
adolescents get together
• Early in adolescence groups are determined by
sex but later the sexes mix
• Peers set the standards on such matters as
fashion and taste in music
Difficulties During Adolescence
• Natural and normal that adolescents
experience some temporary psychological
difficulties
– Most adjust fairly quickly
• Troubled adolescents do not “outgrow” their
problems but carry them through life if not
treated
Teenage Depression and Suicide
• Events that trigger depression = loss of a loved
one through separation, family relocation,
divorce, or death
• Depressed teens may appear to be extremely
angry
– Best way to deal with a depressed teen is to
communicate
– If the teen is not willing to talk to the parent or
family member then professional help is needed
Eating Disorders
• Anorexia Nervosa – refusing to eat and not
maintaining weight
– Adolescents see themselves as fat even if they are thin
– Treatment – focusing on encouraging weight gain
and dealing with the psychological problems
• Bulimia Nervosa
– Binge eating followed by purging – vomiting, using
laxatives etc.
– Treatment – therapy and antidepressant drugs
Gender Roles and Differences
• Parents dress baby girls in pink and boys in
blue and give them gender specific names and
expect them to act differently
• Gender Identity and Gender Roles are two
different things
– Gender Identity – physical and biological makeup
– Gender Role – defined by society and culture
Gender Roles
• Men are traditionally viewed as dominant,
competitive and emotionally reserved
• Women are traditionally viewed as
submissive, cooperative, and emotional
responsive
• Gender Stereotypes – prejudiced opinions
and attitudes concerning the way men and
women should behave
Gender Differences
• Personality
– Differences in males and females do exist
– Males are more confident than females
• Academic areas such as math or science
– Females engage in more verbal aggressive acts while
males participate in more physical aggression
– Who talks more?
• Men talk more than women and interrupt women more
while they are talking
• Women are more sensitive to nonverbal cues
Origins of Gender Differences
• Psychoanalytical Theory
– Freud
• When a child identifies with a parent of the same sex
gender identity results
• Social Learning Theory
– Children learn their gender roles by observing and
imitating models such as parents, friends, teachers,
etc.
• Cognitive Developmental Theory
– Children acquire gender roles by interacting with
their environment and thinking about those
experiences
Changing Gender Roles
• Before 1960 – Few women sought careers
• Mid-80s – Most women had jobs outside of the
home
• However. . .
– Women do not advance as quickly as men
– Women occupy lower levels of leadership positions
– Women interrupt their careers for child care and miss
opportunities for promotion and salary increases