PSY210 - Introduction to Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology - scientific study of changes/continuities in organism between its initial conception and death Child development - study field accounting for gradual evolution of child’s cognitive, social, and other capacities by describing changes in observed behaviours and uncovering processes or strategies that underlie these changes Basic Research vs. Applied Research Basic research - understand development for sake of science. For example, do children have an inborn attraction to

Introduction Mark Baldwin (1861- 1934) Theoretical basis for experimentation is important. Preformed experimental research such as infant handedness and tested proposals derived from theories. SRCD Society for Research in Child Development- came together in 1933. Applies Developmental Science- uses developmental research to promote healthy development, particularly for vulnerable children and families. In child development a theory is an organized set of ideas that is designed to explain and ma

Fertilization In Vitro Fertilization - Mixing sperm and egg together in a laboratory dish and then placing a few of these fertilized eggs in the mother’s uterus. Likely to have twins Expensive Higher risk for early birth babies Autosomes - First 22 chromosomes 23rd chromosome determines the sex of the child (XX,XY) Each chromosome actually consists of one molecule of DNA Genotype - Complete set of genes Genetic instructions, in conjunction with environmental influences, produce a phenotype, an i

Prenatal Development Early stages of Development: Zygote (2w) = Implantation into uterine wall. Developing organism from the time of the union of the sperm and egg to about the second week gestation. Embryo (2-8w) = (begins first, ends in the second trimester) amniotic sac develops and important physiological structures differentiate + cells form 3 layers: ectoderm skin + NS, mesoderm muscles + blood + bone, endoderm lungs + digestive tract Fetus (8-38w) = Rapid development of muscles, CNS, Refl

Period of Zygote (Week 1-2) Rapid growth while traveling threw the fallopian tube to the uterus. Within hours of fertilization the zygote divides for the first time, then every 12 hours. Identical twins - zygote separates into 2 clusters. Fraternal twins - when 2 eggs are released at the same time and each is successfully fertilized. After 4 days the zygote consists of 100 cells, a hollow ball called Blastocyst. After a week the zygote reaches the uterus and implantation is left. Implantation -

Growth Growth follows two distinct trends Cephalocaudal - Head to tail Proximodistal - Close in to farther out Head and trunk grow faster than the legs in infants Secular growth trends- physical development from one generation to the next Mechanisms of Physical Growth Sleep Infants have more time in the day of sleep than awake The amount of time that children spend asleep drops gradually from 12 hours at age 3 to 10 hours at age 7 and 8 hours at age 12 Growth hormone- 80 percent is secreted by

Cognition - mental activities through which humans acquire knowledge; combination of mental processes – perception, attention, learning, memory, and reasoning Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development How children got the same wrong answers at the same developmental stages Method Observations of his own children Interviews Interviewing the children in certain ways The child is a scientist- generating a hypothesis, measuring it, proving right or wrong of the hypothesis the child makes Schema - or

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory Cognitive development is driven by collaborative dialogues Development varies from culture to culture. Collaborative/cooperative learning More motivated when working with others To explain ideas and resolve conflicts More likely to use high quality cognitive strategies While working with others primary way adults pass down culture/customs Zone of proximal development Difference between learner can accomplish alone and potential that learner can accomplish w guidan

Sensory and perceptual processes are the means by which people receive, select, modify and organize stimulation from the world. Habituation - Novel stimuli - babies pay much attention. More familiar stimuli- pay less attention. This is used in studies of perception. Smell, Taste and Touch Smell and touch help them recognize their mothers and make it much easier for them to learn to eat. Class Notes Hearing Auditory Threshold - refers to the quietest sound that a person can hear. Adults can hea

Basic Principles of Piaget’s Theory Children are naturally curious and want to construct their understanding of the world. Assimilation Accommodation - revision Equilibration Schemas Three times of major changes - 3, 7, 11 Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor Basic reflex activity Primary circular reactions Secondary circular reactions Coordination of secondary schemes Tertiary circular reactions Symbolic problem solving Preoperational Pre-conceptual Intuitive Concrete operational Forma

Intelligence Continues Psychometrician Designer of intelligence tests (always guided by a particular theory of intelligence) Test Norms are the values or sets of values that describe the typical performance of a specific group of people Individual differences rather than commonalities in development Qualitative rather than qualitative Concerned with products (IQ) rather than underlying processes Pragmatic rather than theoretical Validity Vs. Reliability Validity is the extent to which a test a

Origin of Memory Carolyn Rovee-Collier - A ribbon tied to an infant’s foot is connected to a mobile, shortly after the child learns to kick for the mobile to move. The infant remembers what to do even a few days later, but after a long period of time the child doesn’t remember to kick for the mobile to move. Rovee-Collier’s experiments show that three important features of memory exist as early as two and three months of age - An event from the past is remembered Over time, the event can no long

Language - Continued Cooing - 2 Months “Oohhh”/ “ahh” Babbling - 4-10 Months Reduplicative babbling Canonical babbling First Words - 10-12 Months Consistent use of sounds in situations Just vocables? Vocabulary Growth First word around first birthday 50 words by 18 months Naming Explosion 200-300 words by 24 months Interesting over and under extension errors made Productive Vocabulary - Words children say Receptive Vocabulary - Words children understand Children understand more language tha

Psychometric Theories Psychometricians - Psychologists who specialize in measuring psychological characteristics such as intelligence and personality. Fluid intelligence - The ability to perceive relations among stimuli. Crystallized intelligence - Comprises a person culturally influenced accumulated knowledge and skills, including understanding printed language, comprehending language, and knowing vocabulary. Charles Spearman (1904) - Reported findings supporting the idea that a general factor

Moral Reasoning Moral Reasoning Piagets’ Cognitive Theory of Moral Development Pre-moral stage 0-5 years shows little concern for rules Moral realism 5-11 years shows respect for rules but applied inflexibly (difficulty understanding that rules are flexible/can change) and evaluate seriousness of act solely in terms of consequences Moral Absolutism - Only right/wrong without consideration for context. Imminent Justice - Deviation from rules will inevitably lead to punishment/retribution example-

Anatomical Brain Lateralization Male More specialized Female Less lateralized and have language centres on both sides of brain-advantageous-recover from stoke better Physical, motor, sensory development Male More mature muscular growth, larger lungs/heart, more likely to be miscarried or have atypical development, higher infant mortality rates; better at gross motor skills (ex. jumping distance, throwing) Female Tend to walk and experience puberty earlier; better at fine motor skills (ex

Gender Development- Continue Kohlberg’s Cognitive Theory of Gender Development: Children use physical and behavioural cues to differentiate gender roles and to gender type themselves very early in life Gender Identify (2-3) Self as male or female Gender Stability (4-5) Gender is stable over time Gender constancy (6-7) Superficial changes in appearance or activity do not alter gender Gender Schema Theory: Information Processing Kids develop schema/naive theories to help organize and structure