Psychology: Unit 3- Developmental Psychology

Temperament

-A person's inborn characteristic of emotional reactivity & intensity. -Heredity influences temperament & attachment style.

Concrete Operational- 7-11 Years

-Able to think logically -Should demonstrate conservation at this stage -Should demonstrate the theory of mind at this stage -Extremely literal

Formal Operational- 12 to Death

-Able to think logically & abstractly -High school students are in this stage -Some developmental psychologists believe this stage is too large

Mary Ainsworth's "Strange Situation" Experiment

-Ainsworth observed mother-infant pairs at home during the first six months. -Later Ainsworth observed the 1 year olds in a "strange situation" (her laboratory) with/without their mothers. -Ainsworth described 2 types of attachment: Secure and Insecure

Children (also adults) use schemas 2 ways...

-Assimilate- adding new info into an existing schema -Accommodate- correcting or modifying a schema based on new info

preoperational stage (2 to 6/7 years)

-Basic language, no logic -Does NOT demonstrate conservation -Uses pretend play -Egocentric behavior -May develop the theory of mind later in this stage (most do not)

Aging on the Brain

-Brain regions related to memory atrophy upon aging. -Blood-brain barrier declines in the hippocampus which impacts new memory creation. -Brain cell decay happens with a reduction of 5 percent by age 80. -Older adults do better with recognition tasks; younger adults do better with recall tasks.

Nurture (Walking)

-Certain cultures may establish traditions that may accelerated certain maturation benchmarks. -Caregivers may massage and exercise babies to make them walk faster (India, Africa, Caribbean).

Neurocognitive Disorders (NCDs)

-Cognitive deficits related to Alzheimer's disease, dementia, brain injury, disease, or substance abuse. -Example: Alzheimer's Disease -Neural plaques usually after age 80 involve a progressive decline in memory/cognition. -Alzheimer's may last from 5-20 years causing emotional flatness, disorientation & disinhibited. -MRI scan of Alzheimer's patient vs. non-Alzheimer's patient.

Stages of Prenatal Development

-Conception (fertilization) -Zygote (10 days-2 weeks) -Embryo (6 weeks), outer cells become the placenta -Fetus (9 weeks to birth), organs develop from inner cells; body parts develop

Self-Concept

-Developed by age 12. -An understanding of whom children believe they are. -Parenting styles can encourage self-concept based on how responsive/demanding they are.

Impact of Experience on Neural Development

-Due to the brain's plasticity, neural tissue changes/reorganizes in response to new experiences. -New neurons are created. -The image shows the impact of a monkey pressing a lever with the same finger many times a day, leading to changed neural tissue.

male and female similarities

-Each person receives 23 chromosomes, for a total of 46. -45 are unisex, with the X or Y chromosome being the determiner. -Males & females have comparable creativity, intelligence, emotions & self-esteem levels.

Nature (Walking)

-Genes guide motor development (maturation). -In the United States, 25% of all babies walk at 11 months, 50% after 1 year, and 90% by 15 months.

Midlife & Old Age

-In middle adulthood, some adults experience a midlife crisis or fear the social clock running out about life milestones. -Erikson referred to middle age as Generativity vs. Stagnation; Freud referred to the major conflict as attempting to balance love & work. -Erikson referred to old age as Integrity vs. Despair; elderly people reflect back on a life that is meaningful & worthwhile. -Emotions become less extreme with age, guided by a life of experience.

Imprinting

-Konrad Lorenz studied imprinting which is the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life by raising ducks. -Humans do NOT imprint.

Role of association areas

-Linked with thinking, memory & language; last cortical areas to develop -Fiber pathways supporting agility, language & self-control are created during puberty -Influenced by adrenal hormones, billions of synapses are formed -Unused synapses are pruned/removed if not used

Rosenzweig & Krech Rat Experiment Results

-Mark Rosenzweig & David Krech wanted to experiment on the impacts of neural development in the brain. -Rats were raised either... Alone without stimuli or other rats ("impoverished") or with several rats enriched with stimuli ("enriched") -Rats in the enriched environment had larger cortexes & increased number of synapses.

male and female differences

-Men are generally more physically aggressive; women are generally more relationally aggressive. -Males tend to play in larger groups growing up which are competitive; females tend to play in small groups often with friends. -Males are generally paid more than females, who have more "additional" responsibilities. -Men tend to offer opinions; women tend to express support.

Impact of Peers

-Modeled behavior is extremely important among peer groups. -Including: Liking/disliking certain foods, Hearing a language spoken may lead to certain accents/phrases/slang within the group, Engaging in either prosocial (supportive)/antisocial (hazing) behaviors

sensorimotor stage (birth-2 years)

-Most basic stage -Gain object permanence at around 8 months -Some developmental psychologists believe Piaget underestimated small children

Insecure Attachment (2 Types)

-Mothers were insensitive & unresponsive to infant needs. -Infants were either... -Anxious attachment: clingy -Avoidant attachment: resisted closeness

Secure Attachment

-Mothers were sensitive & responsive to infant needs. -Infants showed basic trust, exploring new areas, only showing temporary distress when caregiver left/comforted when caregivers returned.

Impact of Parenting

-Parents are generally given an equal share of credit/blame depending upon child outcomes. -Cultural differences may account for differing parent expectations, demands, and attachment styles. -Parents also have the ability to select neighborhoods, schools & potentially peer groups.

Impact of Aging

-Physical abilities begin to decline starting with mid-twenties. -Aging brings a decline in fertility in women ending in menopause; men also experience a decline in fertility. -Telomeres, tips of chromosomes, are affected by smoking, drinking, obesity, drugs & stress; when telomeres shorten, neurons die.

Jean Piaget

-Piaget spent his career studying cognition, mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering & communicating. -Piaget believed that a child's mind develops in stages & physical interaction with an environment. -Piaget used the concepts of schemas (models) to understand how a child views the world.

Impact of Practice on Neural Development

-Practicing an activity before age 12 (such as music) can lead to larger, more complex neural circuits. -Such information has motivated improvements for children in early childhood educational institutions.

Vygotsky described 3 major ideas...

-Scaffolding- a framework that provides temporary support -Zone of proximal development (ZPD)- the area of what a child can & cannot accomplish without help -Inner voice- a child may use this to develop social interactions before talking to others

Proper Sequence of Motor Development

-Sitting -Crawling -Walking -Running The sequence is the same globally, but babies may reach them at varying ages.

Impact of Touch & Stimulation on Neural Development

-Stimulation by touch/massage also benefits humans & animal babies. -"Handled" infants of both species develop faster neurologically & gain weight faster. -Babies in neonatal care units sleep better, experience less stress & show better cognitive development.

Sensory Changes

-Visual sharpness, distance perception/adaptation & light change ability steadily declines. -Muscle strength, reaction time, stamina, smell, hearing & touch also experience decline.

Estrogen (small amount in men)

-X Chromosome -Lighter voice, leg hair, shorter height -Preserves body, longer lifespan (in general 5 years difference)

Testosterone (small amount in women)

-Y Chromosome -Deeper voice, facial hair, taller height -Builds muscle, shorter lifespan (in general 5 years difference)

People do not remember consciously before age ____.

4 (Infantile amnesia goes away allowing for better memories)

Permissive

A parenting style characterized by the placement of few limits on the child's behavior.

Roles

A set of expectations/norms about social positions defining how a person ought to behave

Gender roles

A set of expected behaviors, attitudes & traits for males & females

Gender Typing

Acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.

Teratogens

Agents such as chemicals or viruses that may harm the embryo/fetus that may impact development. Examples: Alcohol (can lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAS), Tobacco, Drugs, Viruses, Medicines

attachment

An emotional bond between another person; shown in young children by seeking closeness with caregivers & separation distress.

Baurmid's four parenting styles

Authoritarian, Permissive, Negligent, and Authoritative

Maturation

Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.

Sex

Biologically influenced characteristics by which people defined- examples: male or female.

Cross-Sectional Studies

Compares people of different ages at the same point in time.

Longitudinal Studies

Follows & retests the same people over time.

startle (moro) reflex

If a baby hears a loud noise or sees a sudden movement they will become startled. It will then cry and extend its neck and limbs. This reflex lasts until the baby is 2 months old.

Erik Erikson

Psychosocial development (8 stages)

Babinski reflex

Reflex in which a newborn fans out the toes when the sole of the foot is touched. The big toe then moves upward or toward the top surface of the foot. The other toes fan out.

grasping reflex

Reflex that causes a newborn to grasp any object touching the palm or fingers or placed in the hand. This reflex lasts until the baby is 5 to 6 months.

Lev Vygotsky

Russian psychologist who focused on importance of social interaction

Gender identity

Sense of being male, female, gender neutral, etc.

Gender

Socially influenced characteristics by which people are defined- examples: boy, girl, man, woman

Developmental Psychology

Studies physical, cognitive & social change throughout the life span

What continues to develop into adolescence allowing for more advanced memory creation?

The hippocampus & frontal lobes

social learning theory

Theory that people learn gender behavior by observing/imitating & by being rewarded/punished.

Harlow study of attachment

Used a wire monkey and a cloth monkey with baby monkeys and they always liked the cloth mother

rooting reflex

When the corner of a baby's mouth is stroked or touched the baby will turn his or her head and open his or her mouth to follow and root in the direction of the stroking. This helps the baby find the breast or bottle to begin feeding. This reflex lasts about 4 months.

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

Authoritarian

a parenting style characterized by high levels of control and low levels of affection

maturation theory

babies must meet growth benchmarks

Jean Piaget

cognitive development

From 3-6, what lobe's size increases helping develop planning ability?

frontal lobe

middle aged adults

generativity vs stagnation

Nature vs. Nurture

genes or environment

Stability vs. Change

growth is a stable process or change-filled

Continuity vs. Stages

growth occurs continuously or in stages

adolescent

identity vs role confusion

elderly adults

integrity vs despair

neural networks

interconnected neural cells; Neural networks develop in humans, growing increasingly complex as the person ages

young adult

intimacy vs isolation

Lawrence Kohlberg

moral development

Carol Gilligan

moral development studies to follow up Kohlberg. She studied girls and women and found that they did not score as high on his six stage scale because they focused more on relationships rather than laws and principles. Their reasoning was merely different, not better or worse

Critical periods

optimal periods to facilitate proper development

Authoritative

parenting style characterized by emotional warmth, high standards for behavior, explanation and consistent enforcement of rules, and inclusion of children in decision making

Negligent

parents are uninvolved. They are neither demanding nor responsive. They are careless, inattentive, and do not seek a close relationship with their children.

association areas

parts of the cerebral cortex that receive inputs from multiple areas

Separation anxiety from parents

peaks at 13 months then declines

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

people with this may demonstrate deficiencies in communication & social interaction/impaired theory of mind

Preconventional

stage of moral development in which children seek to avoid punishment or gain reward when determining right from wrong (7 years old)

Postconventional

stage of moral development wherein individuals use abstract reasoning to determine right from wrong, often by citing agreed-upon rights (e.g. "the right to live") or personal ethical principles (adults)

Stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers developed by infants beginning at 8 months

Coventional

traditional, ordinary (adolescents)

infant

trust vs mistrust

sucking reflex

when the roof of the baby's mouth is touched, the baby will begin to suck