GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
Professor: Claire B. Steinberger
Course Code: SSY101.1939
Assignment: Exam 2
Name: Astrid N. Avalos-Rosales
Submitted May 23, 2008
I.
Nature and Nurture
Fraternal twins were separated at birth. Each child was adopted by different
families. In elementary school the girl did best in art and music and the boy
did well in math and sports. She was somewhat shy and he was very
outgoing. The girl grew up to be and elementary school teacher and the
boy became a lawyer. What could account for their differences and
similarities?
Genes would account for the similarities. Fraternal twins, who develop from
separate eggs, would share some physical characteristics, as any other ordinarily
brothers or sisters.
In the other hand, environment influence would account for the differences. The
experiences affect the brain development. Children placed in different
environment would have different stimulus. Through their families, social
relationships, and communities these children learn their own way to think and to
act. They were confronted with different scenarios. They might share genes but
their experiences formed them.
II.
Development
1. How do developmental areas interact throughout the life cycle?
The developmental areas are:

Physical Development: It starts the development of the brain, and nerve
cells. In the Infancy and childhood, there is a motor development, in which
children can perform tasks such as walk, or sit, and there is a maturation
of the Infant memory. In the adolescence, it starts a process of sexual
maturation. In the adulthood there are physical changes, such menopause
in women and there is physical decline from middle adulthood.

Cognitive Development: In the Infancy and childhood, mind develops
forming schemas that help to assimilate experiences. In the adolescence,
teens develop the capacity for formal operations which lead them to
reason abstractly.

Social Development: In the Infancy and childhood, attachment can predict
the later social behavior and a self-concept starts to develop. In the
adolescence, teens solidify their sense of self to form their own identity. In
the adulthood, develop intimacy and a sense of contribution.

Emotional Development: Though their life cycle, people experience felling
of love, happiness, sadness, according to the events that they live.
All the development areas work or interact together in the developing of a
person. People cannot separate one from another because one influences the
other ones.
2. Describe the cognitive approach of Piaget.
The cognitive approach of Piaget is divided in four stages. The four stages are:

Sensorimotor: This stage includes babies from birth to nearly two years.
Piaget says that babies from this age range experience the world through
senses and motor activities, for instance touching objects or looking at
different shapes. In the sensimotor stage two phenomena are likely to
happen. The first one is Object Permanence, in which babies develop the
concept that things exist even when they do not perceive them. The
second one is Strangers Anxiety, in which babies are not able to adjust to
the people that do not know.

Preoperational: This stage includes children between two and six years. In
this stage, Piaget says that children are able to represent things with
words and through images but they lack logical reasoning. This stage is
characterized by three phenomena. The first one is that children pretend
to play, in which the child develops imagination. The second one is
Egocentrism, in which children do not see another’s point of view. The
third one is Language Development, in which the child learns how to
communicate throughout a language.

Concrete Operational: This stage includes children between seven to
eleven years. Piaget says that children from this age range think logically
about concrete events, and that are able to understand analogies and
perform mathematical operations. In this stage two phenomena are likely
to happen. The first one is Conservation, that is the principle that
properties such mass, volume, and number remain the same regardless
changes in the form of objects. The second one is Mathematical
Transformations, in which children can understand and perform
mathematical operations.

Formal operational: This stage includes children from 12 years and goes
to adulthood. According to Piaget, in this stage humans are able to have
an abstract reasoning. The phenomena in this stage are Abstract logic
and Potential for mature moral reasoning.
3. Describe the Psychosocial model of Erik Erikson.
The Psychosocial model of Erik Erikson is divided in eight stages. The stages
are:

Infancy: This stage includes children from birth to 1 year. If children
needs are met, infants will develop a sense of basic Trust. In the other
hand, if needs are not met, infant will develop a sense of Mistrust.

Toddlerhood: This stage includes children from one to two years.
Children learn to exercise will and do other things by themselves
developing Autonomy, or they doubt of their abilities.

Preschooler: This stage includes children from three to five years.
Children learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans developing in this way
Initiative, or they feel guilty about efforts to be independent.

Elementary School: This stage includes children from 6 years to puberty.
Children learn the pleasure to apply themselves to task developing the
sense of Competence, or they feel inferior.

Adolescence: This stage includes teenagers to people in their 20’s.
Teenagers work in solidify a sense of self, integrating different roles to
form a single identity, or they become confused about who they are.

Young Adulthood: This stage includes people from their 20’s to early
40’s. Young adult’s task is to form close relationships and to gain the
capacity for intimate love, or they would feel socially isolated.

Middle Adulthood: This stage includes people from their 40’s to 60’s.
Adults develop a sense of contribution to the world or they feel lack of
purpose.

Late Adulthood: This stage includes people from late 60’s to up. Older
adult develop a sense of satisfaction or failure when reflecting on his or
her own life.
4. How does research in human and animal attachment help psychologists?
Research in human and animal attachment helps psychologists to understand
how the social development of a person or animal occurs. Infants become
attached with their parents because they fulfill their needs but also because their
comfortable and familiar with them.
When deprivation of attachment occur monkeys and humans may become
anxious or even abusive. For example, the experiments that the psychologist
Harry Harlow did with monkeys, showed that monkeys reared in total isolation
that later are place with other monkeys from their same age, either get frightened
or react aggressively. Most of them are incapable of mating as adults, and in the
case of female monkey, when artificially impregnated, they become neglectful,
abusive and in some cases murderous with their first born. In humans the same
patron is shown. David Meyer says that “the unloved often become the unloving”.
In other word most abusive parents report that they were neglected as children.
Disruption of the attachment, also, can cause lasting damage. Studies show that
after babies, humans or monkeys, are separated from their mothers they get
upset an even despaired.
5. What are the challenges of people living longer lives in most Western
societies?
The challenges of people living longer lives in most Western societies are:

To adapt at the decline of the physical abilities, for example visual
sharpness diminishes, and adaptation to changes in light levels slows.

To adapt at the decline of cognitive abilities that affects memory, creativity
and intelligence.

To achieve a sense on integrity, the feeling that one’s life has been
meaningful and worthwhile.
6. If you were a Principle of an elementary school how would you apply
cognitive and social theory to a sound educational program?
I would create a program for children whom native language is not English to
improve their abilities, vocabulary and skills in the language.
The cognitive theory would be applied in the development of the language.
Children would learn new words in English, and they would form new schemas or
concepts to organize and to interpret the new information. After assimilate these
new words they would be able to use them to accommodate new information.
The social theory would be applied in the development of competence. Children
would improve their skills in English, and they would become competent at the
language. In this way they would avoid or overcome feelings of inferiority among
their pairs.
7. Compare a child of elementary school age with one in Junior or High
School. What are the cognitive, social and emotional expectations? What
are the challenges of each stage?
Elementary School vs. High School Child

Cognitive Expectations: Elementary school children are expected to
represent things with words and images, but they lack logical reasoning.
They also are not able to see other’s point of view. In the other hand, high
school teens are able to think logically about abstract events.

Social and Emotional Expectations: Elementary school children are
expected to deal with issues of competence. In other words, they learn
how to overcome task, but if they are not able to do that they would have
feelings of inferiority. In the other hand, high school teens are expected to
deal with issues of identity. They would integrate different roles to form a
single identity. If they are not able to do it they would be confused about
who they are.