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Developmental Psychology
* prenatal development
* physical development
* cognitive development
* social/moral development
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* 3 phases
* germinal stage = first 2 weeks
* conception, implantation, formation of placenta
* embryonic stage = 2 weeks – 2 months
* formation of vital organs and systems
* fetal stage = 2 months – birth
* bodily growth continues, movement capability begins, brain cells
multiply
* age of viability
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*Jean Piaget (1920s-1980s)
*Assimilation/ Accommodation
*4 stages and major milestones
*Sensorimotor
*Object permanence
*Preoperational
*Centration, Egocentrism
*Concrete Operational
*Decentration, Reversibility, Conservation
*Formal Operational
*Abstraction
* cognitive development through stages
* driving force behind development: making
sense of our experiences
* schemas
* assimilation
* accommodation
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*sensorimotor stage
* birth to 2 years
* infants know the world mostly in terms of their
sensory impressions and motor activities
* object permanence
* the awareness that things continue to exist even
when not perceived
*preoperational stage
* age 2 to 6-7
* child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the
mental operations of concrete logic
* conservation
* properties such as mass, volume and number remain the
same despite changes in the form of objects
* lacking in the preoperational stage
* centration
* the tendency to focus on just one feature of a problem,
neglecting other important aspects
* egocentrism
* the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of
view
*concrete operational stage
* age 6 to 7-11
* children gain the mental operations that enable
them to think logically about concrete events
* understand conservation and mathematical
transformations
*formal operational stage
* beginning at age 12, person can think logically
about abstract concepts
* thinking about actual experience to thinking
about imagined reality and symbols
* children construct their knowledge
* development can not be separated from its
social context
* learning can lead development
* language plays a central role in mental
development
* scaffolding
* zone of proximal development
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*attachment
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*
:
an emotional tie with another person, shown in young children by
their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on
separation
intense parent/child bond
* stranger anxiety
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*
infants’ fear of strangers
8 months
* critical period
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an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to
certain stimuli or experiences produces optimal development
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* secure attachment
* 60% of infants
* explore environment in mother’s presence, distressed
when she leaves, seek contact when she returns
* insecure attachment
* less inclined to explore environment
* persistent distress when she leaves and/or indifference
when she returns
* temperament
* a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and
intensity
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*parenting styles
* authoritarian
* parents set rigid rules, enforce strict punishments,
and rarely listen to their child’s point of view
* authoritative
* parents set firm rules, make reasonable demands,
and listen to their child’s viewpoint while still
insisting on responsible behavior
* permissive
* parents set few rules, make minimal demands, and
allow their children to reach their own conclusions
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* Stage theories, three components
* progress through stages in order
* progress through stages related to age
* major discontinuities in development
* Erik Erikson (1963)
* Eight stages spanning the lifespan
* Psychosocial crises determining balance between opposing
polarities in personality
* social tasks and challenges of adolescence
* psychosocial stages:
* Erikson’s theory that individuals pass through
eight developmental stages, each involving a
crisis that must be successfully resolved
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* trust vs. mistrust
* a totally dependent infant will develop an
optimistic, trusting attitude toward the world
depending on whether his biological needs are
adequately met by his caregivers and sound
attachments are formed
* autonomy vs. doubt and shame
* child aged 2-3 years must begin to regulate some
behavior, taking some personal responsibility for
feeding, dressing, and bathing. The child will
develop a sense of self-sufficiency or a sense of
personal shame and self-doubt depending on
whether his efforts are met with approval or
dissatisfaction
* initiative vs. guilt
* a child aged 3-6 years begins to take initiative
that conflicts with parental wishes. Overcontrolling parents may instill feelings of guilt
and damage self-esteem. Supportive parents
encourage emerging independence while
providing appropriate controls.
* industry vs. inferiority
* a child aged 6 – puberty extends social
functioning beyond the family. The child must
learn that productivity is valued in this sphere to
achieve a sense of competence, or he will
develop a sense of inferiority.
* identity vs. role confusion
* from ages 12- 20, the major task is to build a
consistent identity, a unified sense of self.
Failure of teens to achieve a sense of identity
results in role confusion and uncertainty about
the future
* intimacy vs. isolation
* from ages 21 – 40, the major task is to achieve
intimacy (deeply caring about others and having
meaningful experiences with them). Otherwise,
we experience isolation, feeling alone and
uncared for in life.
* generativity vs. stagnation
* from age 45 – 65, adults need to express their
caring about future generations by
guiding/mentoring others or producing creative
work that enriches the lives of others. Failing
this, people become stagnant and preoccupied
with their own needs and comforts.
* integrity vs. despair
* from age 65 to death, people who look back on
their lives with satisfaction develop a sense of
wholeness and integrity. Those in despair look
back with regret and disappointment in the lives
they have led.
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* Kohlberg (1976)
* Reasoning as opposed to behavior
* Moral dilemmas
* Measured nature and progression of moral reasoning
* 3 levels, each with 2 sublevels
* Preconventional
* Conventional
* Postconventional
* nature and nurture
* continuity and stages
* stability and change
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