Developmental Psychology

1. Developmental Psychology Unit 5 Michael Hoerger

2. What is Lifespan Development? • Lifespan Development studies the growth and changes that occur in an individual across the lifespan – from Birth to Death! • Includes: • Cognitive Development • Personality Development • Moral Development • Social Development • Sexual Development & Reproduction • Physiological Development

3. 5 Perspectives of Developmental Psych • Multidirectional: The study of change from multiple directions of influence. • Butterfly Effect: One small action or event set of a much larger chain of major events!

4. 5 Perspectives of Developmental Psych • Multicontextual: There are many contexts that affect human development. • Historical events • Economic conditions • Cultural traditions • Race • Gender • Age • Socioeconomic status

5. 5 Perspectives of Developmental Psych • Multicultural: There are many, many cultures around the world! • Each one is influential • Each one has separate values, traditions, living standards, etc. that influence the individuals of that society.

6. 5 Perspectives of Developmental Psych • Multidisciplinary: We have to use many different fields in order to effectively study development. • Biology • Sociology • Psychology • Education • Economics • Religion • History • Medicine • Anthropology • Political Science • Art/Theater/Music/Cultural Studies

7. 5 Perspectives of Developmental Psych • Plasticity: Developmental changes occur throughout the lifespan and can be drastically altered at any point in time!

8. 3 Developmental Domains • Developmental domains are the main areas of study that focus on developmental changes.

9. 3 Developmental Domains • Biosocial Domain: Studies the influence of social factors on biological development. • Examples: • Availability of milk and bone growth • Nutrition and neurological development

10. 3 Developmental Domains • Cognitive Domain: Studies the thought processes, perceptual abilities, and language that influence our behavior and development. • Examples Affecting Brain Development: • Language heuristics • Schemas (“scripts”)

11. 3 Developmental Domains • Psychosocial Domain: Studies the interpersonal relationships that influence development. • Examples: • Personality studies • Relationships with family and friends • Relationships with society as a whole

12. Factors Affecting Development • Internal Factors: Things that are unique to the individual that can influence development. • Genetics • Physical maturation • Cognition • External Factors: Things that are outside of the individual that can influence development. • Socioeconomic status • Availability of resources • Social influences

13. Prenatal Development • Zygote-Fertilized Egg • Stages of Fertilized Egg • Blastula • Gastrula • Embryo • Dating a Pregnancy • Maternal Gestation: Counted from the 1st day of Mother’s last menstrual cycle • Fetal Gestation: Counted from the estimated date of fertilization, up to 5 days past ovulation

14. Prenatal Development • Periods of Pregnancy: • Zygote Period: Fertilization -> Completion of Implantation • ~ 1-5 Post-Ovulation – 14 Days • Typically from Day s 14-30 of Mother’s Menstrual Cycle • Embryonic Period: Implantation -> Formation of the major organs • Typically from around the day Mother’s missed menstrual cycle is due to around 4-6 weeks later, (weeks 4 to 6-8) • Fetal Period: Presence of organs -> birth

15. Newborn Capacities • Not a great deal of control over muscles • Movements of their eyes, mouth • More reflexive movements take place as months pass • By 5 Months: Extensive visual experience before crawling and reaching for objects • Responds to sounds, but sucking response lessened when other new sounds are introduced.

16. Responding to the Environment • Habituation: Decreased response to repeated stimuli • Dishabituation: A Stimulus change that produces an increase in a previously habituated response • Research Example: The Case of Little Albert • Remember Previous Theories: • Classical Conditioning, Operant Conditioning, Social Learning Theory

17. Ecological Approach • Developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner • States that development occurs as a result of interactions with the environment. • Based on ecological models of ecosystems • Human development occurs as we try to survive the ecosystem of our world! • Each context that impacts development has its own level in the model.

18. Ecological Approach • Individual: Factors directly impacting the individual. • Sex • Age • Health

19. Ecological Approach • Microsystem: Factors impacting development that are very close or in direct contact with the individual. • Work • School • Family • Peers • Neighborhood • Social Clubs • Religious Institutions

20. Ecological Approach • Mesosystem: Provides a link between each of the individual Microsystem factors. • Ex: When you work 40 hours a week it impacts your ability to study for classes, etc.

21. Ecological Approach • Exosystem: Factors impacting development that directly impact the Microsystem, but may not directly contact the Individual. • Neighbors • Friends of Family • Mass Media • Social Welfare • Politics • Schools • Medical Institutions

22. Ecological Approach • Macrosystem: Factors impacting development that directly impact the other systems, but do not have direct contact with the Individual. The individual may not be able to affect this level even if they try. • Culture • Societal Values • Customs • Laws • Government

23. Ecological Approach • Chronosystem: This level considers the impact of time and major life events on the individual. • Births • Deaths • Marriage • Divorce • Job Changes • Moving • Sociocultural Changes with time (ex. WOMEN in the work force!)

24. Psychoanalytic Theories • Freud’s Theory of Psychosexual Development: Personality develops based on changes in the libido (sexual energy) and fixation on erogenous zones. • 5 stages of Psychosexual Development • Personality is determined by the first 3 stages and is fixed by the age of 5

25. Stages of Psychosexual Development

26. Psychoanalytic Theories • Oedipal Complex: The belief that little boys resent the relationship that their fathers have with their mothers, and as a result, harbor a latent desire to murder their fathers and marry/engage in sexual relations with their mothers. • Electra Complex: The belief that little girls resent the relationship that their mothers have with their fathers, and as a result, harbor a latent desire to rebel against their mothers and marry their fathers (or someone eerily similar!)

27. Psychoanalytic Theories • Freud is widely accepted as a noted theorist, even today. However… • Criticisms: • Lack of scientific research • Subjects Freud observed were often greatly disturbed • First 2 stages of psychosexual development theory still unsupported using studies of children with normal development

28. Stages of Psychosocial Development • Theory developed by Erik Erikson • 8 stages at least partly influenced by Freud’s theory of Psychosexual Development • Each stage is a “crisis” that the person must resolve somewhere along a continuum.. • There is a potential positive and potential negative resolution for each!

29. Stages of Psychosocial Development

30. Stages of Psychosocial Development • 2 stages are being considered as additions to the original 8: • GROUP Identity vs GROUP Identity Diffusion • Who am I as a group? A band member? A cheer-leader? • Mortality vs. Immortality • Have I not made a difference, allowing my memory to be forgotten when I’m gone? Or will I live on through the next generation? • Disengagement Theory: Social circles narrow as the person disengages from life

31. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development • Jean Piaget: Children active participation in constructing new mental processes through environmental interactions • Schema: Organized way of interacting with the objects in your world • Assimilation: The process in which an individual applies an old schema to new items • Accommodation: Changes or modifies an old schema to fit a new item • An infant may grasp an new item in a different way to accommodate the different size and shape of the item • Equilibration: A level of harmony or balance between assimilation and accommodation

32. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

33. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development - Sensorimotor

34. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development - Sensorimotor

35. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

36. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

37. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

38. Other Cognitive Theories • Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) by Lev Vygotsky • The difference between what a learner can do on their own, and with a little bit of guidance/help from an instructor. • Scaffolding: The process of introducing new ideas with sufficient support so that the student can learn and achieve on a level they would not be capable of on their own.

39. Moral Development • Lawrence Kohlberg’sTheory of Moral Development: May be based roughly on the cognitive development of Jean Piaget. • Broken down into 3 Levels, with 2 stages in each level. • Tests to determine which stage the individual are in are dependent on responses to Kohlberg’s Dilemmas.

40. Moral Development • Level 1: Pre-Conventional: Moral choices are based on reward and punishment. • Stage 1: Might Makes Right aka Punishment-Obedience • Obedience to authority is to avoid punishment, while still furthering self-interest. • Very young children • Stage 2: Looking Out For Number One aka Tit-for-Tat aka Quid Pro Quo aka You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Your • Moral decisions are based on what the individual can get out of the situation. • Young/elementary aged children

41. Moral Development • Level 2: Conventional: Moral decisions are based on laws and trying to appear “good” to others. • Stage 3: Good Girl/Nice Boy aka Conformity aka Instrumental Conformity • Moral decisions are based on what will make others like and approve of the individual. • Middle school aged children. • Stage 4: Law and Order aka Law of the Land aka Judgment • Moral decisions are based on being a good, law-abiding citizen. • Teenagers and many adults.

42. Moral Development • Level 3: Post-Conventional: Moral decisions are based on using one’s own conscience to decide right and wrong. • Stage 5: Social Contract aka Social Conformity aka Social Contract and Individual Rights • Moral decisions are based on a social contract stating that the laws in place are for the greater good of society. Any deviance will violate this contract and could lead to chaos. • Only a small portion of society.

43. Moral Development • Level 3: Post-Conventional: Moral decisions are based on using one’s own conscience to decide right and wrong. • Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principles aka Universal Principles • Moral decisions are based on a universal values and rights that all individuals deserve. • Life, Love, Peace, Happiness, Property, Education, etc. • Only a handful of people have ever coded into this category.

44. Moral Development • Gilligan continued Kohlberg’s theory, stating that.. • Girls tend to develop morals based on compassion and care • Boys tend to develop morals based on justice and judgment

45. Developmental Studies • Research Methods • Different designs to investigate development • Cross-sectional study • Comparison of different groups or individuals of different ages at the same time • One difficulty arises to determine if the differences between two group are due to age itself • Cohort Effect: People born in one era differ from those born in different era

46. Developmental Studies • Longitudinal Studies: Single group of people followed over a time span • Selective Attrition: A certain number of people will end up leaving the study no matter what you do. • Ex: Older people Die, become disinterested, get sick etc. • These will be discussed more later!

47. Personality • Temperament: The core, genetically-based portion of personality tied to the biological responses of the child. • Easy-Going: 70% • Slow-To-Warm Up: 15% • Difficult: 10% • Mixed: 5% • Environmental Fit is important!

48. Attachment Theory • Attachment: Long-term feeling of closeness between people • In Erickson’s Theory attachment is a part of trust that occurs during the “Trust vs Mistrust” stage for infants • Biological needs • 1st year of life infant forms attachment to parents • Ainsworth’s Strange Situation is designed to measure infant attachment

49. Parent-Child Interactions • Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Test: • Bring parent and infant into an experimental room • Parent allows infant to explore • Stranger enters room with parent • Parent leaves inconspicuously • Stranger interacts with infant • Parent returns and comforts infant

50. Parent-Child Interactions • Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Test: • Stranger and parent leave • New stranger enters while infant is alone • Parent enters the room, picks up infant, stranger leaves