Developmental
Psychology I
7-9% Of AP Psychology Exam
Development includes the
processes and stages of
growth from conception
across the lifespan. Includes
changes in physical,
cognitive, moral and social
behaviors.
Pre-Natal
Development
• Germinal Stage = 1-2
wks (Zygote)
• Embryonic Stage = 2
months (heart, nerv
syst, etc.)
• Fetal Stage =
remainder of
pregnancy(organs…)
Risks
During
Pregnancy
ILLNESSES
-RUBELLA
-TERATOGENS
-DRUGS
-ALCOHOL
Video: The Biology of Prenatal
Development
Take notes as you view the video:
Infancy
Infacy Physical
Development
 Growth rate declines but is faster than any other
post natal period
 Neo-Natal Reflexes (until about 4 months) such as:
 Babinski (big toe moves toward the top surface
of the foot and the other toes fan out after the
sole of the foot has been firmly stroked)
 Startle Reflex
 Grasping, Stepping, Rooting, Pursing lips,
Withdrawal from pain
Infancy - Cognitive
Development
 Preference for facelike patterns
 6-12 mo =
remember,
recognize, & react
 12 mo = reasoning
& higher level
cognitive functions
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=4o-VplYrqBs
Development of Knowledge
Theory = Piaget
 Building blocks of human dev =
SCHEMAS
 Generalized mental
representation
 Assimilation = using existing
schemas & apply to new info
 Accommodation = change
schema (ex: butterfly flies, but is
not a bird)
Four Stages
1.
Sensorimotor
birth – 2 yrs
2.
Preoperational 2-7 yrs
3.
Concrete Operational
4.
Formal Operational
7-11 yrs
11 into adulthood
•Infant = learn about the world
through senses and body
movements
1 to 4 mo = Learn to combine
two reflexes
4 to 8 mo = Improve hand-
eye coordination
8 to 12 months
• Intentional behavior
•Learn certain actions lead to certain results
•Imitates others
•Love playing Peek-A-Boo
•Learn Object Permanence
12 to 18 mo =
• Trial and error:
Push a cracker off a high
chair and watch it fall to the
floor. Then does it again
•Can find hidden objects
•Understands that objects
exist independently
18 to 24 mo= experiment mentally as well as
physically
•They think about what they are going to do
before they do it
• Ages 2 to 7
•Basic Mental operations
start replacing sensorimotor
activities as the primary way
to learn
•Make-believe play is used
to create and express all
kinds of mental images
Children learn mostly by language and mental images
I “eated” my apple
No, it’s ate
Then I “ated” my apple
Everyone
views the
world like
I do
I don’t want to go to
sleep! I’m not tired!
Use
feeling to
solve
problems
rather
than logic
He hurt my feelings
so I hit him!
•learning multiple classification–
ability to understand that an object
may fit into more than one category
•learning seriation—the ability top
order groups of things
•They think the same
amount of liquid is
more when poured
into a tall think glass.
•To them taller means
more!
My birthday is
before Christmas
and after
Halloween
•Children may not
be aware of what is
real and what is
make-believe
http://www.ted.com/talks/alison_gopnik
_what_do_babies_think?language=en#