Lecture Notes for Exam One

This covers Chapter 1 through 10 in the textbook. These are Dr. Moeschl's notes given in class.

Lecture Notes for Exam One

1/9/08
Historical background of human development:

It wasn’t until the 17th century in philosophy (psychology?) that we began the idea of childhood as a special period in which children were seen to have unique educational, psychological and physical needs.

In the mid-nineteenth century we get the dawn of contemporary developmental psychology. Abstract speculation about the child’s nature was replaced by empirical efforts to record and study the behavior of the young.

Empiricism: something factual, studied. Searching for truth and backed up with scientific study.

Due to evolutionary biology (Darwin) the child became the best natural lab for the study of evolution and the idea of development dominated the science of people.

G. Stanley Hall founded Human Development/Child psychology. Freud worked with rich women.

Founder of developmental psychology was G. Stanley Hall. (Tied penis to leg). He devised objective methods as a substitute for casual observation and studied groups of children over a wide age range.

Studied such traditional topics as perception, memory and learning.

1/16/08

Binet: developed IQ test in children. (Known for his work on intelligence in children).
DQ: development (children’s test, how quick develop vs other kids) early vs late developers.
IQ: test to determine if child will do well in this certain environment. I.e.: suburban elementary school. It should be culturally biased based on environment.

Freud argued that the experience of early childhood seemed to account for unusual patterns of behavior in adulthood. Original guilt.

Watson and the behaviorists: argued that the environment is very important in a person’s psychological development. Ie: if your child chooses not to be successful it is your fault for not creating the environment that would make them want to do so.




Issues In Developmental Psychology

1. Nature vs nurture controversy (biological vs environmental, determinance of behavior or heredity vs environment issue.) The question is how much of the individual’s behavior is determined by his or her biological and genetic makeup, and how much is by social and environmental influences. The number one issue in child psychology.

2. Continuity vs discontinuity in human development. Two types of behavioral change are identified in the study of human development. Those that are gradual and continuous, and those that are sudden or discontinuous. (discreet) Ie: how children learn by computer chip.

Learn in stages. Can memorize, but not understand until reaching that stage. (discontinuity)

Environment=continuity

These terms keep coming back with different names.
Ie: biological=discontinuity=stages

3. Three major theories of child development:
A. maturational theory: Gesell emphasized biological influences on development. The basic idea behind this theory is that most of the changes we see in children over time occur because of a specific and prearranged plan within the body. Maturation (according to this view) reveals the natural unfolding of the plan. (heredity)
B. psychoanalytic theory: Freud argued for the importance of early experience for laying down patterns that will endure through the entire lifespan. The major principle of psychoanalytic theory is the notion that humans are not always conscious of their own motives. (social learning environment)
C. social learning theory: Vandura stresses environmental influences while maturational theory emphasizes biological influences. (watching violence=violent actions)

Experiences that they see on TV are in the kids. Have to teach them if the behavior is right or wrong. If shown the punishment for the act, they won’t do it. Ie: movie on kids. Received candy for bad behavior, when changed to good behavior in movies…the kids changed their actions to mirror it.

If you fall asleep with the tv on,k it will become part of your memory/experience. Especially very sensitive people.

Jeff Dahmer had fantasies as a child that could have been prevented if he told parents. He didn’t feel safe telling them. Psychologists could have helped him.



1/30/08

Piaget

Stage theorists believe a “computer chip” comes down and then understanding forms. Before that it is memorization.

1. Sensorimotor stage: child is very limited. Only one inference: if ……..then.

2. pre-operational stage (2-7):
Child completely defenseless. Pedophiles love this stage. Only see what is in front of them, not depth. Sees only the puppy, candy, etc, not the danger.

Can’t look at intentionality, only amount of damage. 2 glasses with water experiment.

3. concrete operational stage:

Erickson

Erickson’s stages are called psycho-social stages whereas Freud’s are called psychosexual stages.

The first to have a lifespan theory with stages from birth to death.

8 ages, 8 issues, 8 stages

Psychosocial issues are choices. Even if you make the wrong choice, you still learn from it.

6-11 crucial time, esp 10-11.

2/6/08

Maturation: physical development that progresses according to a genetic code or plan.

Growth: the improvement of size, function and complexity of an organism up to the point of optimal maturity.

Learning: a basic process whereby the environment causes lasting changes in behavior.

Socialization: by which one learns the attitudes, customs, values and expectations of the culture.

Critical period: if a particular aspect of development can only be affected by the environment during a specific time period then that time period is referred to as critical.

An optimal period differs from a critical period in that the optimal period is not the only time during which the behavior may develop.

Longitudinal design is when a study repeatedly tests the same individuals at different points in their lives.

Sequential age cohort design (all people born the same years as each other): will enable a researcher to separate the effects of age from the effects of the socio-historical period.

Cohort: educational or age or collegues

Laws of learning have difficulty explaining language acquisition.

A major strength of the cognitive theories is in their ability to explain intellectual and language development.

Information processing theorists use a computer as a model for the human information processor.

2/13/08

Piaget

In Piaget’s conservation tasks, preschool children base their answers largely on perceptual processes.

People can explore all the logical solutions to a problem and reason about abstract concepts in Piaget’s formal operational period.

Piaget referred to a mental structure as a schema.

2 words to know for Piaget:

Assimilation: the process by which information presented to a person fits with existing structure.
Accommodation: if new information does not fit with existing structures the mind may change itself to accommodate the information.

Freud

Freud developed psychoanalytic theory. He emphasized the unconscious as the primary determinant of behavior.

According to Freud, the personality develops by means of a series of psychosexual stages.

Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development focused on conflicts throughout the lifespan.

Sociobiology is a belief that social behavior is largely determined by heredity.

Humanistic psychology focuses on the self concept. (2 theories)
1. Maswell’s theory of self stresses the full development of potentialities which is called self-actualization.
2. Rogers used the term positive regard to refer to the warm positive acceptant attitude of a person for what he or she is.

Definitions to Know:

Maturation: the gradual unfolding of a genetically programmed sequential pattern of change.

Ageism: a prejudicial view of older adults that characterizes them in negative ways.

Social clock: a set of age norms defining a sequence of life experiences that is considered normal in a given culture and that all individuals in that culture are expected to follow.

Cohort: a group of individuals who share the same historical experiences at the same times in their lives.

Average life expectancy: at the beginning of the 20th century 49 years, end…76

cross sectional research design: a research design in which groups of people of different ages are compared.

Sequential design: combines longitudinal and cross-sectional

critical period: a specific period in development when an organism is especially sensitive to the presence (or absence) of some particular kind of experience.

Case study: an in-depth examination of a single individual

Self-efficacy: expectancies about what we can and cannot do

Age norms: aka social clock

Sensitive period: a span of months or years during which a child may be particularly responsive to specific forms of experience or particularly influenced by their absence.

Locke, John:

Russo:

Domains of development: age related changes in 3 broad categories,
1. physical domain: changes in the size, shape, and characteristics of the body
2. cognitive domain: changes in thinking, memory, problem-solving, and other intellectual skils.
3. social domain: change in variables that are associated with the relationship of an individual to others.

Plasticity: the capacity for positive change