Slide 1
Developmental
Psychology
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Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology
• Focuses on development across life span –
a field of psychology that focuses on
development across the life span.
• Development
– More-or-less predictable changes in behavior
associated with increasing age
• Nature or nurture?
– Nature: behavior unfolds like a plant over time
– Nurture: behavior is molded by experiences
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Slide 2
Developmental Psychology
Basic Processes of Development
• Maturation
– Biological process of systematic physical
growth
– Experience plays a role in specific contexts
• Children change dramatically from birth to
adulthood
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Slide 3
Developmental Psychology
Slide 4
Early Experiences and Critical Periods
• Imprinting (Lorenz)
– Inborn tendency or instinct
– Sensitive period – critical period
• Early social deprivation
– Harlow’s monkeys, social isolation, and
continuing detrimental effects
– Controversy over effects on children
• Some abnormal effects may be irreversible
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Developmental Psychology
Variations in Development
• Normal for children to be variable in their
development
– Discontinuities in development are the rule
– Parents make important decisions about raising
children that impacts on development
• Raising deaf child
• Impact of technology and medicine
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Slide 5
Developmental Psychology
Stage Theories of Development
• Stages – series of abrupt changes from one
period to another –
– All children must pass through in same order
– Many advocate unfolds over time
– More qualitative than quantitative (such as
child mastering physical properties of object)
• Decentered thought allows
conservation problem solutions
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Slide 6
Developmental Psychology
Slide 7
Piaget’s Developmental Theory
• Identified 4 stages of cognitive development
– Sensorimotor stage – infant experiences world
in sensory information and motor activities
– Preoperational stage – children sometimes
think illogically by adult standards
– Concrete operational stage – increased abilities
– Formal operational stage – use of full adult
logic
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Slide 8
Developmental Psychology
Piaget’s cognitive development theory
Birth to 2 Sensorimotor
yrs
2 - 7 yrs
7 - 11 yrs
Uses senses and motor skills, items
known by use; Object permanence
Pre-operational Symbolic thinking, language used;
Concrete
operational
11 yrs on Formal
operational
egocentric thinking, imagination/
experience grow, child de-centers
Logic applied, objective/rational
interpretations; conservation,
numbers, ideas, classifications
Thinks abstractly, hypothetical
ideas; ethics, politics, social/moral
issues explored
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Slide 9
Developmental Psychology
Kohlberg’s Theory
• Moral development
– Three level, six stage theory
– Premoral level – child has no sense of morality
as adults understand it
– Child’s moral view based on what others think
until highest level of development creates
independent thinking
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Slide 10
Developmental Psychology
Kohlberg’s Theory
• Moral development
– Gilligan critical of Kohlberg’s research
results – had her own theory
• Morality as Individual Survival
• Morality as Self-Sacrifice
• Morality as Equality
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Slide 11
Developmental Psychology
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development
Level I:
Preconventional
moral reasoning
Stage 1 “might
Punishment/obedience
makes right” orientation: self-interest
Stage 2 “look out for
number one”
Stage 3 “good girl,
Level II:
Conventional
nice boy”
moral reasoning
Stage 4 “law and
order”
Stage 5 “social
Level III:
contract”
Postconventional
moral reasoning Stage 6 “universal
ethical
principles”
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Instrumental/relativist
orientation: quid pro quo
Proper behavior for the
social approval
Proper behavior of the
dutiful citizen, obey laws
Mutual benefit to all,
obey society’s rules
Defend right/wrong, not
just majority, all life is
sacred (reflective)
Developmental Psychology
Development Across the Life Span
• Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory
– Focuses on the individual’s developing
relationships with others in social world
– Eight stages - development continues over
life span
– Crisis at each stage of development
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Slide 12
Slide 13
Developmental Psychology
Trust vs. Mistrust
Autonomy vs. Shame/doubt
Initiative vs. Guilt
Industry vs. Inferiority
Identity vs. Role confusion
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Generativity vs. Stagnation
Integrity vs. Despair
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Erikson’s
psychosocial
theory
Developmental Psychology
Development Across the Life Span
• Average ages at which changes in
development take place portray
pattern of age-related changes
–
–
–
–
–
–
Neonatal Period
Infancy
Early childhood
Middle childhood
Adolescence
adulthood
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Slide 14
Developmental Psychology
Development in Infancy and
Childhood
• Neonatal period
– First two weeks of life
– Marks transition from womb to independence
– Reflexively grasps anything placed in hand
– Rooting reflex
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Slide 15
Developmental Psychology
Development in Infancy and
Childhood
• Infancy
– Age: 2 weeks until 2 years
– Time of rapid physical, perceptual, cognitive,
linguistic, social, and emotional growth
– During sensorimotor stage – infants stare at
interesting visual stimuli
– Preference for human faces
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Slide 16
Developmental Psychology
Development in Infancy and
Childhood
• Infancy
– Physical development
– Cognitive development
• Object permanence
• Telegraphic speech
– Rovee-Collier’s studies of memory
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Slide 17
Developmental Psychology
Slide 18
Development in Infancy and
Childhood
• Infancy – emotional and social development
– Visual cliff and depth perception
– Attachment
• Strong attachments formed between infants
and caregivers
• Separation anxiety
• Fear of strangers
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Slide 19
Developmental Psychology
Early Childhood
• Growth less explosive and rapid than
during infancy
– Lasts 2 to 7 years of age
– Cognitive development
• Children in preoperational stage show
egocentric thought
• Animism
• Transductive reasoning
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Slide 20
Developmental Psychology
Early Childhood
• Emotional and social development
– Most notable changes in peer relationships
and types of play
• Solitary play
• Parallel play
• Cooperative play
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Slide 21
Developmental Psychology
Early Childhood
Cooperative play
Parallel play
Solitary play
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Slide 22
Developmental Psychology
Middle Childhood
• Lasts from 7 to 11 years of age
– Characterized by slow physical growth
– Important cognitive changes occur
– Conservation and reversibility
– Child decenters – allows conservation
problems to be solved; learns some
matter changes shape but not volume
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Slide 23
Developmental Psychology
Middle Childhood
• Emotional and social development
– Child enters with close ties to parents
– Peer relationships become increasingly
important
• Friendships more important, last longer
• Cliques or groups formed, mostly same
sex
• Terms boyfriend and girlfriend have little
meaning at this stage
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Developmental Psychology
Slide 24
Adolescent Development
• Adolescence
–
–
–
–
–
Physical changes of puberty
Adolescent growth spurt
Heightened sexual and romantic interest
Peers become more important than parents
Cognitively – capable of abstract reasoning
• Ponders abstract issues like justice or equality
– No clear cut end to adolescence in society
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Developmental Psychology
Slide 25
Adolescent Development
• Physical development
– Puberty becomes production of sex hormones
– Primary sex characteristics appear
• Females – menarche: menstruation, ovulation
– Secondary sex characteristics appear
• Females – breasts, pubic hair, wider hips
• Males – testes and penis growth, facial and
pubic hair, broadened shoulders
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Slide 26
Developmental Psychology
Adolescence
• Cognitive development
– Formal operations stage entered
• Ability to use abstract concepts
• Shift to stage varies among individuals;
some never reach this stage, others reach it
in early adulthood
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Slide 27
Developmental Psychology
Adolescence
• Adolescent egocentrism
– Imaginary audience – everyone is watching
– Personal fable – belief that s/he is unique
– Hypocrisy – okay for one to do it but not
another
– Pseudostupidity – use of oversimplified logic
• Social development
– Time of drifting or breaking away from family
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Slide 28
Developmental Psychology
Adolescence
• Emotional development
– G. Stanley Hall – time of storm and stress
– Most adolescents are happy, well-adjusted
– Areas of problems
• Parent-child conflicts
• Mood changes - self-conscious, awkward,
lonely, ignored
• Risky behavior - aggression, unprotected
sex, suicide, use of substances or alcohol
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Slide 29
Developmental Psychology
Adulthood
• Young adulthood through older adulthood
– Developmental changes continue throughout
adulthood: not a single phase of life
– Taking on adult responsibilities in work and
social relationships
– Challenges: love, work, play continue changing
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Slide 30
Developmental Psychology
Adulthood
• Physical development
– Growth and strength in early adulthood, then
slow process of decline afterwards
• Speed and endurance
• Vision and ability to see in weak lighting
• Hearing and detection of tones
• Taste – intact until later in life; men tend to
lose hearing and taste earlier than women
– Decline affected by health and lifestyles
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Slide 31
Developmental Psychology
Adulthood
• Cognitive development
– Continues throughout adulthood; some abilities
improve while others decline
• Fluid intelligence peaks in 20s, declines
therafter
• Crystallized intelligence improves until 30s;
then declines slowly afterwards
• Overall, individual rates vary depending on
lifestyle and health
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Slide 32
Developmental Psychology
Adulthood
• Emotional and social development
– Many aspects of personality are fairly stable
over time, and changes are predictable
• On average, adults become
– less anxious and emotional, socially
outgoing, and creative
• People become more dependable, agreeable,
and accepting of life’s hardships
• Gender differences lessen over time
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Slide 33
Developmental Psychology
Adulthood
• Emotional and social development
– Much disagreement about when and how
changes occur during aging – differences
between stages of infant/child development
and adult development
• Not all adults go through every stage
• Order of stages can vary for individuals
• Timing of stages not controlled by
biological maturation
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Slide 34
Developmental Psychology
Stages of Adult Life
• Early adulthood
– Erikson
• Intimacy versus isolation (17 to 45 years)
– Levinson - Early adulthood has three stages
• Entry into early adulthood (17-28)
• Age 30 transition (28-33)
• Culmination of early adulthood (to age 40)
– Challenges of career, marriage, and parenthood
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Slide 35
Developmental Psychology
Middle Adulthood
• Erikson –
– Generativity versus stagnation (40-65 years)
• Taking stock of what one has, who s/he is
• Some are happy, some are disappointed
• Generativity – reaching out, not self-centered
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Slide 36
Developmental Psychology
Middle Adulthood
• Levinson – four brief stages
–
–
–
–
Midlife transition (early 40s)
Entry to middle adulthood stage (45 to 50)
Age 50 transition
Culmination of middle adulthood
• Climactic –
– Female sexual ability to reproduce declines
– Not all adult development timed by social
clock rather than biological clock
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Slide 37
Developmental Psychology
Later Adulthood
• Erikson (age 65 and onward)
– Integrity versus despair
• Looks back over life as a whole: satisfying
existence or merely staying alive
• Levinson devotes little to later years
• Life expectancy dramatically increased as
have conceptions of old age
– many have healthy years after retirement
– Second careers and activism launched
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Developmental Psychology
Slide 38
Evaluating Stage Theories
• Gender differences – more focus on men
• Cultural differences and historical change
– Few cultural comparison studies done
• Inconsistent evidence
• Questions about idea of stage theories
– Mid-course correction, not mid-life crises
– Predicted changes do not occur at ages indicated
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Slide 39
Developmental Psychology
Causes of Aging
• Biological – human body deteriorates
• Psychological
– Happy or unhappy aging
– Social activity and slowed intellectual decline or
disengagement and isolation
– Maintain healthy or unhealthy lifestyle
– Optimism linked to happier, healthier, longer life
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Slide 40
Developmental Psychology
Death and Dying: The Final Stage
• Kübler-Ross – five stages
–
–
–
–
–
Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
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Developmental Psychology
Application of Psychology: Parenting
• Parents play a key role in children’s lives
–
–
–
–
Parenting and infant attachment
Parenting and discipline style
Effect in childrearing: Two-way street
Common discipline mistakes
• Lax parenting, verbosity, overreactivity, and
reinforcement of inappropriate behavior
– Sociocultural factors in parenting
– Myth of the perfect parent
– Day care, divorce, and parenting
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Slide 41
Slide 42
Baumrind: Three Parenting Styles
Style
Authoritarian Permissive Authoritative
Warmth
low
high
high
Discipline
strict
rare
moderate
Expected Maturity
high
low
moderate
Communication:
parent-child
high
low
high
Communication:
child-parent
low
high
high
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved
