Do Now
 Fresh start, new semester…
 Write down some goals for the next 90 days—how do you
want to leave HS?
 Write down some achievements that have gotten you this far.
 Write down some ways that you have been successful, and how
to continue to do so.
Developmental Psychology
FROM WOMB TO TOMB
6 days (Jan 26-Feb 10th)
Day 1
 Review objectives
 Remember Dr. Chew? Was he wrong?
 Discuss plans and outcomes
 Theories of development (see handout)
 Assignment list
Unit 7-Development 7-9%
 Discuss the interaction of nature and nurture (including cultural variations) in the determination of
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behavior.
Explain the process of conception and gestation, including factors that influence successful fetal
development (e.g., nutrition, illness, substance abuse).
Discuss maturation of motor skills.
Describe the influence of temperament and other social factors on attachment and appropriate
socialization.
Explain the maturation of cognitive abilities (e.g., Piaget’s stages, information processing).
Compare and contrast models of moral development (e.g., Kohlberg, Gilligan).
Discuss maturational challenges in adolescence, including related family conflicts.
Explain how parenting styles influence development.
Characterize the development of decisions related to intimacy as people mature.
Predict the physical and cognitive changes that emerge as people age, including steps that can be taken
to maximize function.
Describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development.
Identify key contributors in developmental psychology (e.g., Mary Ainsworth, Albert Bandura, Diana
Baumrind, Erik Erikson, Sigmund Freud, Carol Gilligan, Harry Harlow, Lawrence Kohlberg, Konrad
Lorenz, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky).
Evolutionary Evidence for Attachment Theory (Bowlby &
Lorenz)
We are programmed by evolution to emit endearing behaviors cooing, smiling, clinging. Triggers affectionate parental response
& protection.
Attachment: Deep & enduring emotional bond that
connects one person to another across time &
space.
Does not have to be reciprocal.
One person may have an attachment with an
individual which is not shared.
Attachment is characterized by specific behaviors in
children, such as seeking proximity with the
attachment figure when upset or threatened.
Evolutionary Evidence for Attachment Theory
Children biologically pre-programmed to form
attachments with others, because this will help them
to survive.
The infant produces innate ‘social releaser’
behaviors such as crying & smiling that stimulate
innate caregiving responses from adults.
Determinant of attachment is not food but care &
responsiveness.
Bowlby: a child would initially form only 1 primary
attachment (monotropy) & that the attachment
figure acted as a secure base for exploring the
world. Acts as a prototype for all future social
relationships so disrupting it can have severe
consequences.
Suggests that there is a critical period for
developing at attachment (about 0 -5 years). If an
attachment has not developed during this period
then the child will suffer from irreversible
developmental consequences: such as, reduced
intelligence & increased aggression.
Babies’ smiles are powerful
things leaving mothers
spellbound and enslaved. Who
can doubt that the baby who
most readily rewards his mother
with a smile is the one who is
best loved and best cared for?’
- Bowlby 1957
Mid-1950s: Behavior Theory of Attachment came into
question as a result of Harry Harlow's famous studies of
attachment in infant rhesus monkeys.
Harlow removed newborn monkeys from their mothers at birth &
raised them in the laboratory with two types of artificial mothers.
Which mother do you think
the monkey will choose?
1/2 fed by a wire mother & the other 1/2 fed by the cloth
mother.
The young monkeys' attachment to their substitute mothers was
measured by monitoring how much time the monkeys spent with
each type of mother.
Which mother do you think
the monkey will choose?
YouTube: Harlow's Monkey Experiment
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT. Pioneers - Jean Piaget.
Piaget noticed that his children were able to handle logical
problems differently at different ages.
Further, he noticed that as children age, their ability to handle
logical problems changes. Piaget then spent years studying
how cognitive development occurred on average.
From this intensive study, Piaget developed a theory of cognitive
development that described how people are able to deal with
logical problems differently at different points in their lives.
Piaget: STAGES of Cognitive Development
STAGE THEORY
Piaget: all human beings pass
through all stages in same order,
& we all go through ALL stages
during our lifespan.
Object Permanence: Concept
acquired in stage 2.
Lack of object permanence is why
babies love the game peekaboo.
But it is no longer interesting for
toddlers.
Conservation: Principle that
things stay the same no matter if
the form changes. (physics)
Lack of conservation also can be
seen in length, mass, number &
volume.
Piaget believed that babies up to 18 months lacked the
development to determine if an object is still there or not:
Object Permanence
Piaget: most important issue that children are concerned
with is adapting to their environment (adaptation). To adapt,
children use different strategies at different ages.
Accommodation process relies on the notion that we develop a
series of schemas to ease adaptation process.
Schema is an organized body of knowledge. They are not part of
the inborn knowledge structures of children.
Piaget: Once we develop schema, we spend a lot of time fitting
new experiences into existing schema or --- assimilation.
We need both accommodate & assimilate throughout life.
Schemas need to be developed through experience.
Process of developing new schema is called accommodation.
YouTube: Conservation
YouTube: Object Permanence Experiment with 10 month old
YouTube: Memorize Piaget’s Stages by Michael Britt’s Psych Files
How to Memorize Piaget’s Stages
1. Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs: Object Permanence)
2. Preoperational (2-7 yrs: Magical Thinking, Conservation of
Energy is difficult, Egocentric, Assimilation
3. Concrete Operations (7-12 yrs: Logical Thinking,
Accommodation)
4. Formal Operations (Adult: Abstract Thinking)
SPCF -or- “SPeCiFy”
How to Memorize Piaget’s Stages
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Fruit
1. Sensorimotor - “motor” --> Motorcycle
Object Permanence: “Pair of Ants” (stage is to age 2)
2. Preoperational - “opera” or “operation” or “preacher”
Magical Thinking: “rabbit out of a hat”
Conservation: “Smokey the Bear”
Assimilation: “Ass (or donkey)” or “Butt!”
3. Concrete Operations - Logical Thinking, Accommodation
“Concrete Block” “Logs” “Comb”
4. Formal Operations - Abstract Thinking
“Suit” “4 Males”
Critics of Piaget:
Underestimated children’s skills on one end &
Overestimated their skills on the other end
Several researchers rephrased Piagetian tasks & found that
younger children were able to understand the
questions & respond appropriately
Children seem to acquire cognitive abilities
earlier than Piaget predicted
In addition, the children seemed to have internal
representation prior to Preoperational ages.
On the other end, another researcher gave a
variety of Piagetian tasks to college freshmen &
found that only 40% of them displayed
characteristics of formal operations.
100% should have been in formal operations, according to Piaget.
Children may enter formal operations later in life.
Kohlberg built upon Piaget's ideas.
Stage Theory: people pass through stages and substages of
moral reasoning.
YouTube: Kohlberg's Heinz Dilemma.
YouTube: Memorize Erikson’s 8 Stages by Michael Britt of PsychFiles
LEV VYGOTSKY: Contemporary Rival of Piaget
Alternative approach to cognitive development
Disagreed w/Piaget that children moved through stages
of cognitive development in an orderly fashion.
Vygotsky: children learn according to their
own schedule.
Have a range of abilities under which they are able to
operate. Following an adult’s example, they eventually
develop the ability to do certain tasks alone. This included a
cultural & language base that helped to determine
individual development.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): Gap (difference)
between what a child can do w/o help & what he can do
only w/support. scaffolding: help children move their ZPD.
Scaffolding: children build high level
cognitive functioning by isolating
ZPD & providing assistance - to
solve more complex problems.
Vygotsky’s theory is not as structured as Piaget’s, but it
provides an alternative explanation for cognitive
development.
Many argue that Vygotsky’s theory provides
a better fit for the educational environment
because of its focus on individual differences
10 Minutes to Teach
 Outcomes:
 10 min lesson teaching classmates about the C, S, M, P development
of the stage you’ve been assigned.
 Guide classmates in their understanding of your topic, and build
enough understanding to help them effectively complete their
“CONCEPT MAP”, vocabulary and understanding of your stage.
 Collaborate w/in your group of 2-4 (no more, no less) on objectives
and leveled questions relevant to your specific development stage.
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Group
Birth-2
List person(s) in charge, summary of findings,
theories/ theorists relevant to stage.
Physical:
Cognitive:
Moral:
Social:
Objectives
Goals for today (and before next class)
Assign w/in your group a sub-concept *note, some groups will have 2 people assigned to a sub
topic. Be flexible and fair.
 Together compare the objectives w/your topic. Find any and ALL
relevant objectives that you’ll need to “TEACH” to. List them on your
sheet.
 Brainstorm ideas for research, swap emails etc.
 Due @ the beginning of next class: 1 page SUMMARY of your topic
including:
 summary of your research (general idea of your stage, in depth summary of your
sub-topic)
 any relevant vocabulary
 Theories/theorists