Developmental Psychology Portage Module 1

Developmental Psychology Portage Module 1 Major periods of lifespan development 1. prenatal development 2. infancy and toddlerhood 3. early childhood 4. middle childhood 5. adolescence 6. early adulthood 7. middle adulthood 8. late adulthood What does it mean that development is multidirectional? Development involves both improvement and decline. Specific terms, such as growth, aging, and maturation reflect the multidirectional nature of development. (example: adults who are aging and facing some physical declines but are becoming more emotionally mature at the same time) 00:0201:39 Maturation becoming more developed and advanced / can be physical, emotional, and/or cognitive Multidisciplinary involving two or more subject areas (understanding human development is important to health sciences, social sciences, and education) Multidimensional biological, social, emotional, cognitive (and moral) Continuity we perceive smooth, continuous patterns rather than discontinuous ones Discontinuity A view of development as taking place in stages that are distinct from one another rather than as one gradual, continuous process. One stage ends before the other begins. Sigmund Freud psychosexual stages, each of which involves a conflict and a fixation with an area of the body that is associated with sexual gratification Id emerges at birth, unconscious impulses, demand immediate fulfillment ego emerges in infancy, conscious mind, weighs desires of the id with reality Superego emerges in early childhood, internalization of social norms and standards oral personality dependent, needy, chewing gum, biting fingernails 00:0201:39 anal retentive order, cleanliness, control environment Freud's stages of developement Oral Stage (Birth - 18 months) *feeding Anal Stage (18 months - 3 years) *toilet training Phallic Stage (3 years - 5 years) *Oedipal conflict Latency Stage (5 years - puberty) *social development & new skills/interests Genital Stage (puberty - adulthood) *sexual maturity phallic stage psychosexual stage that focuses on the male genitals latency stage develop friendships, skills, and interests genital stage psychosexual stage that focuses on sexual maturity, healthy relationships, and productive work Erik Erikson Known for his 8-stage theory of Psychosocial Development Behaviorism studying behavior in a measurable and observable way classic conditioning a learned response to a specific stimilus classic conditioning can help... phobias operant conditioning Learning based on rewards and punishments B.F. Skinner behavioralist, operant conditioning, pigions pecking for food social learning theory Bandura's view of human development; emphasizes interaction, modeling Jean Piaget Known for his theory of cognitive development in children / regarded cognitive development as a process which occurs due to biological maturation and interaction with the environment / believed children were born with basic units of knowledge (schemas) / discovery learning Schemas units of knowledge Assimilation interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas accommodation when existing schema needs to be adjusted Equilibration the process by which children (or other people) balance assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding (Piaget) sensorimotor stage in Piaget's theory, the stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities preoperational stage in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic concrete operational stage in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events formal operational stage in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts Piaget's Theory had a large impact on... primary education information processing theory human brain=computer, continuous Ethological Theory biological, animal behaviour-imprinting (Konrad Lorenz) sociocultural theories (Lev Vygotsky) how children are influenced by people of authority Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner) views the child as developing within a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the surrounding environment Controversies in Lifespan Development: Nature vs. Nuture and Continuity vs. Discontinuity Nature vs. Nurture name for a controversy in which it is debated whether genetics or environment is responsible for driving behavior Continuity vs. Discontinuity growth occurring gradually versus in distinct stages Why is lifespan development multidisciplinary? Is there a reason why various disciplines study lifespan development? While lifespan development is relevant to many disciplines, it is particularly important to the health professions, education, and the social sciences. For each of these professional fields, an understanding of the issues and complexities of specific age groups is key to helping people. In addition, it is important to study the whole person—for instance, health, thought processes, and emotions—since each type of development affects the others. One cannot have a good handle on how to promote healthy behaviors in a client without knowing at least a little about adaptive and maladaptive emotional states. On the other hand, without some understanding of the biological underpinnings of emotions, professionals may be misguided in the decisions they make as they attempt to help. You learned how development is multidimensional. Now, try to create brief definitions of the following dimensions: biological, social, emotional, cognitive. Biological: physical changes going on in the body. Also, it is important to note how external influences (for instance, drugs, healthful behaviors) influence biology and vice versa. Social: how does the individual change in his/her social interactions with others? Emotional: how does the individual change in how she/he regulates and experiences emotion? Cognitive: how does the individual change in the way he/she thinks? Summarize each side of the nature/nurture controversy. The Nature side emphasizes biology and maturation. Essentially, one’s genetics, personality, and innate characteristics will naturally enfold and cause one to develop in a particular way. The Nurture side emphasizes the role of parents, other individuals, and the context in which one lives in assessing what primarily influences development. Most modern psychologists accept both as being integral to development, although some researchers and theorists may lean toward one or the other side. Consider how Freud, Erikson, Skinner, and Piaget lean toward the nature or the nurture side. Freud incorporated both nature and nurture perspectives in his theories of development. While his emphasis on nature is more clearly seen in his view of the development of personality (id, ego, superego—not discussed in this module), his emphasis on nurture is evident in his emphasis on early childhood experiences influencing the psychosexual stages. Erikson, in his emphasis on social influences, leaned toward the nurture side. The Behaviorists certainly emphasize nurture over nature. Piaget’s theory, however, swings back to the nature side. Consider how Freud, Erikson, Skinner, and Piaget view development as being discontinuous or continuous. Stage theorists such as Freud, Erikson, and Piaget would view development as being discontinuous (in general), while the Behaviorists are more apt to view development as being continuous. Compose four sentences to summarize the following theories: information-processing, sociocultural, ecological. Ecological: Bronfenbrenner’s theory focuses on an environment of development, rather than the natural environment. Sociocultural: Vygotsky - Cultural transmission and the role of key individuals in a person’s life are extremely important to development. Information processing: Like a computer, the human brain actively manipulates information in specific ways. (no stages, continous) Behavioralists study: human and animal behavior and focus on what is observable a