Developmental Psychology
Algemeen:
- Open vragen niet te gedetailleerd beantwoorden
- Houd antwoorden bij het boek en de lectures
Lecture 1: Theories in Developmental Psychology
Developmental Theories (Slater & Bremner, Chapter 2)
What is a theory?
A theory is a coherent set of ideas, hypotheses and explanations
- Descriptive, explanatory, predictive, make assumptions, is a reduction of reality, is
generalizable, is testable
Science -> create order in the data
A theory will be replaced when:
- It is falsified on the basis of observations
- A new theory explains the observations better
Theory testing: empirical cycle (observation, induction (theorie opstellen), deduction (testbare
predictie opstellen/operationalization), testing, evaluation)
Minor theories: about a single phenomenon e.g. learning to see depth
Major theories: broad e.g. development of cognition
Good developmental theory:
- Relates to ontogeny (individual development)
- Focuses on change over time
- Explains the emergence of new properties
- Is preferably useful in education/interventions
Dimensions in theories about development
Main dimensions:
- Nature – nurture
o Nature/endogenous: knowledge is innate and gets expressed during the course of
development
o Nurture/exogenous: only learning mechanisms are innate, all the rest of
development is determined by the environment
o Nature & nurture: both innate predispositions and the environment shape
development
- Continuous – stages
o Continuous: development is gradual; children are not qualitatively different from
adults; children lack experience
o Stages: Development occurs in transitions; children are qualitatively different from
adults
o Continuous & stages: development is gradual; but some behaviours dominate
temporarily and that’s why development appears to occur stagewise (ziet eruit alsof
kinderen iets de ene dag nog niet kunnen en de andere dag wel kunnen, dus lijkt dan
op stages maar is gradueel)
, o
o Kinderen moeten eerst nog de juiste strategieën ontwikkelen
- Passive – active
o Passive: Child plays a passive role; development occurs automatically
o Active: Child plays an active role in its own development; constructs its own
knowledge
o Passive & active: some processes develop automatically; other processes need an
active role of the child
Motor development (example)
Andere voorbeelden in boek komen in latere colleges terug
Milestones motor development (kruipen, staan, lopen): sequence is the same for everybody,
differences in timing.
Maturational theory of Gesell: biologically directed maturation; the same developmental patterns
independent of environmental input. Key points:
- Maturation of central nervous system determines the development of the child, behavioural
development follows
- Cephalocaudal trend = development from head to foot
- Proximodistal trend = development from centre of body to periphery
- Differences in child’s temperament play important role in pace of development
- Role of parents is to provide the right environment (when the child is ready; no pushing)
Criticisms:
- Not all children follow the same pattern
- Does not necessarily generalize to all cultures
- Environment can play guiding role (McGraw study)
o Environment can shape motor development
o Twin study: one received extra training in swimming, skating and climbing; his
development was accelerated. Maar in de basis dingen ontwikkelde deze jongen niet
sneller dan zijn broer (kruipen, zitten etc.), beïnvloedt dus niet het algemene
patroon.
Dynamic systems theory (DST; Esther Thelen)
- Development is a complex interaction between properties of the system and environment
- System = collection of components that are interrelated
- Dynamic system = collection of changing components that influence each other. Describes
how a state changes into another state over time
- An important property is self-organisation (system changes without external help)
- The effects are non-linear: small changes in one variable may bring qualitative changes in the
whole pattern
- Motor development is shaped by:
, o Development central nervous system (nature)
o Development motor skills (nature)
o Environment (context and task)
Action influences physical properties & environment
Psychological Assessment (Chapter Gregory)
Why PA?
- PA = collection and integration of psychological data in order to make a diagnosis, using tools
such as clinical interviews, behavioural observations, tests of intellectual functioning,
behaviour rating scales, specifically designed tasks
- Knowledge: psychology, psychopathology, aspects of psychometrics & decision making, types
of instruments, ethics, diagnostic process
- Skills: administration and scoring of instruments, interpretation of instruments, observation,
communication, written report
Milestones in the history of psychological assessment (Chapter Gregory)
- 2200 B.C.: “tests” to measure fitness for working for Chinese emperor
- Around 18th century: the outside is an indication of the inside: physiognomy (judge the inner
character of people from their outward appearance), phrenology (bumps in skull, Gall)
- Late 19th century: “brass instruments”: perception and response speed are indicators of
intelligence (Wundt, Galton, Cattell)
- Early 20th century:
o First intelligence tests as we know them today (Binet, Simon), based on statistics,
normal distribution, individual tests
, o Group tests/army recruits/educational testing (e.g. SAT)
o Fist specific aptitude tests (what you are good at (skills), factor analysis) (Spearman
(general intelligence, positive manifold), Thurstone)
o Personality assessment by projective testing (Rorschach, inkblots)
o Structured personality tests (e.g. MMPI, big 5)
o Big 5 dimensions of personality (OCEAN):
Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
- Important names:
o Gall -> Phrenology
o Wundt -> Founder first psychological laboratory
o Galton
o Cattell
o Binet, Simon
o Spearman, Thurstone
o Rorschach
Important names in the history of psychological assessment: self-study (Gregory chapter)
- Galton – 19e eeuw
o Invented the first battery of tests, sensory and motor measures
o Brass instruments era
- Cattell – 19e eeuw
o Kwam met het idee om grote groepen individuen te testen, individuele verschillen
Wissler, leerling van Cattell, heeft zo’n groot onderzoek toen gedaan
o En dat dit gebruikt kan worden in training en het leven en ziekte aan kan geven
o Kwam met de term mental test
- Binet – begin 20e eeuw
o Heeft eerste intelligentie testen ontwikkeld -> gebruikt voor identifying those with
special needs
- Simon – begin 20e eeuw
o Werkte samen met Binet: Binet-Simon scale -> intelligentie testen per leeftijd van
kinderen.
o Was tegen “IQ”
- Spearman – 20e eeuw
o Deed onderzoek naar de primaire aptitudes (vaardigheden), factor analysis
o Aptitude testing kijkt naar specifiekere en meer vaardigheden dan intelligentie
- Thurstone – 20e eeuw
o Thurstone Personality Schedule
o Om neurose op te sporen
o Een van de eerste inventories om de methode van interne consistency te gebruiken
o Factor analysis allowed Thurstone to conclude that there were specific factors of
primary mental ability
- Rorschach – 20e eeuw
o Projective personality testing
Algemeen:
- Open vragen niet te gedetailleerd beantwoorden
- Houd antwoorden bij het boek en de lectures
Lecture 1: Theories in Developmental Psychology
Developmental Theories (Slater & Bremner, Chapter 2)
What is a theory?
A theory is a coherent set of ideas, hypotheses and explanations
- Descriptive, explanatory, predictive, make assumptions, is a reduction of reality, is
generalizable, is testable
Science -> create order in the data
A theory will be replaced when:
- It is falsified on the basis of observations
- A new theory explains the observations better
Theory testing: empirical cycle (observation, induction (theorie opstellen), deduction (testbare
predictie opstellen/operationalization), testing, evaluation)
Minor theories: about a single phenomenon e.g. learning to see depth
Major theories: broad e.g. development of cognition
Good developmental theory:
- Relates to ontogeny (individual development)
- Focuses on change over time
- Explains the emergence of new properties
- Is preferably useful in education/interventions
Dimensions in theories about development
Main dimensions:
- Nature – nurture
o Nature/endogenous: knowledge is innate and gets expressed during the course of
development
o Nurture/exogenous: only learning mechanisms are innate, all the rest of
development is determined by the environment
o Nature & nurture: both innate predispositions and the environment shape
development
- Continuous – stages
o Continuous: development is gradual; children are not qualitatively different from
adults; children lack experience
o Stages: Development occurs in transitions; children are qualitatively different from
adults
o Continuous & stages: development is gradual; but some behaviours dominate
temporarily and that’s why development appears to occur stagewise (ziet eruit alsof
kinderen iets de ene dag nog niet kunnen en de andere dag wel kunnen, dus lijkt dan
op stages maar is gradueel)
, o
o Kinderen moeten eerst nog de juiste strategieën ontwikkelen
- Passive – active
o Passive: Child plays a passive role; development occurs automatically
o Active: Child plays an active role in its own development; constructs its own
knowledge
o Passive & active: some processes develop automatically; other processes need an
active role of the child
Motor development (example)
Andere voorbeelden in boek komen in latere colleges terug
Milestones motor development (kruipen, staan, lopen): sequence is the same for everybody,
differences in timing.
Maturational theory of Gesell: biologically directed maturation; the same developmental patterns
independent of environmental input. Key points:
- Maturation of central nervous system determines the development of the child, behavioural
development follows
- Cephalocaudal trend = development from head to foot
- Proximodistal trend = development from centre of body to periphery
- Differences in child’s temperament play important role in pace of development
- Role of parents is to provide the right environment (when the child is ready; no pushing)
Criticisms:
- Not all children follow the same pattern
- Does not necessarily generalize to all cultures
- Environment can play guiding role (McGraw study)
o Environment can shape motor development
o Twin study: one received extra training in swimming, skating and climbing; his
development was accelerated. Maar in de basis dingen ontwikkelde deze jongen niet
sneller dan zijn broer (kruipen, zitten etc.), beïnvloedt dus niet het algemene
patroon.
Dynamic systems theory (DST; Esther Thelen)
- Development is a complex interaction between properties of the system and environment
- System = collection of components that are interrelated
- Dynamic system = collection of changing components that influence each other. Describes
how a state changes into another state over time
- An important property is self-organisation (system changes without external help)
- The effects are non-linear: small changes in one variable may bring qualitative changes in the
whole pattern
- Motor development is shaped by:
, o Development central nervous system (nature)
o Development motor skills (nature)
o Environment (context and task)
Action influences physical properties & environment
Psychological Assessment (Chapter Gregory)
Why PA?
- PA = collection and integration of psychological data in order to make a diagnosis, using tools
such as clinical interviews, behavioural observations, tests of intellectual functioning,
behaviour rating scales, specifically designed tasks
- Knowledge: psychology, psychopathology, aspects of psychometrics & decision making, types
of instruments, ethics, diagnostic process
- Skills: administration and scoring of instruments, interpretation of instruments, observation,
communication, written report
Milestones in the history of psychological assessment (Chapter Gregory)
- 2200 B.C.: “tests” to measure fitness for working for Chinese emperor
- Around 18th century: the outside is an indication of the inside: physiognomy (judge the inner
character of people from their outward appearance), phrenology (bumps in skull, Gall)
- Late 19th century: “brass instruments”: perception and response speed are indicators of
intelligence (Wundt, Galton, Cattell)
- Early 20th century:
o First intelligence tests as we know them today (Binet, Simon), based on statistics,
normal distribution, individual tests
, o Group tests/army recruits/educational testing (e.g. SAT)
o Fist specific aptitude tests (what you are good at (skills), factor analysis) (Spearman
(general intelligence, positive manifold), Thurstone)
o Personality assessment by projective testing (Rorschach, inkblots)
o Structured personality tests (e.g. MMPI, big 5)
o Big 5 dimensions of personality (OCEAN):
Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
- Important names:
o Gall -> Phrenology
o Wundt -> Founder first psychological laboratory
o Galton
o Cattell
o Binet, Simon
o Spearman, Thurstone
o Rorschach
Important names in the history of psychological assessment: self-study (Gregory chapter)
- Galton – 19e eeuw
o Invented the first battery of tests, sensory and motor measures
o Brass instruments era
- Cattell – 19e eeuw
o Kwam met het idee om grote groepen individuen te testen, individuele verschillen
Wissler, leerling van Cattell, heeft zo’n groot onderzoek toen gedaan
o En dat dit gebruikt kan worden in training en het leven en ziekte aan kan geven
o Kwam met de term mental test
- Binet – begin 20e eeuw
o Heeft eerste intelligentie testen ontwikkeld -> gebruikt voor identifying those with
special needs
- Simon – begin 20e eeuw
o Werkte samen met Binet: Binet-Simon scale -> intelligentie testen per leeftijd van
kinderen.
o Was tegen “IQ”
- Spearman – 20e eeuw
o Deed onderzoek naar de primaire aptitudes (vaardigheden), factor analysis
o Aptitude testing kijkt naar specifiekere en meer vaardigheden dan intelligentie
- Thurstone – 20e eeuw
o Thurstone Personality Schedule
o Om neurose op te sporen
o Een van de eerste inventories om de methode van interne consistency te gebruiken
o Factor analysis allowed Thurstone to conclude that there were specific factors of
primary mental ability
- Rorschach – 20e eeuw
o Projective personality testing
