developmental psychology
study of how people change physically, mentally and socially through the lifespan.
psychologists investigate the biological, social, cultural, envt and behavioral factors
stages of the lifespan
prenatal-conception to birth
infancy and toddlerhood-birth to 2 years
early childhood-2 to 6 years
middle childhood-6-12 years
adolescence-12-18 years
young adult-18-40 years
middle adult-40-65 years
late adult-65 years to death
nature and nurture
interaction between envt and heredity
genotype
23 chromosome pairs of genetic makeup
teratogens
harmful agents or substances that cause abnormal developement or birth defects
some such as cocaine, cigarette smoke, or alcohol can damage the developing fetus at any stage before birth
newborn's senses
keenly attuned to people
human face holds newborn's attention longer than any other object
temperament
inborn predispositions to consistently behave and react in a certain way
two thirds of babies
classified into one of three patterns: easy, difficult, and slow to warm up
one third of babies
average babies because they did not fit into one of the three categories
easy
readily adapt to new experiences, positive moods and emotions, regular sleeping and eating patterns
difficult
intensely emotional, irritable and fussy, and cry alot
slow to warm up
low activity level, withdraw from new situations and people and adapt to new experiences very gradually
genetic and biological vs. envt
individual differences in temperament have this basis
envt experiences can modify a child's basic temperament
attachment
emotional bond that forms between the infant and her caregivers, especially parents
secure attachment
parents consistently warm, responsive, and sensitive to infants needs
insecure attachment
infants parents are neglectful, inconsistent or insensitive to moods or behaviors
strange situation
researchers measure attachment
use infants between 1 and 2 years old
baby and mother brought into unfamiliar room with toys
stranger enters room, mother eventually departs
after few minutes, mother returns, spends a few minutes in the room, leaves then re
secure attachment and preschoolers
tend to be more prosocial, empathic, and socially competent, than are preschoolers with insecure attachment
secure attachment and middle school
higher levels of social and cognitive development
secure attachment and adolescents
fewer problems, do better in school, have more successful relationships with their peers
cognitive development
thinking, remembering, and processing info
Jean Piaget with maturation
children actively try to make sense of their envt rather than passively soak up info in the world
4 cognitive stages
sensorimotor stages
preoperational stage
concrete operational stage
formal operational stage
sensorimotor stage
extends from birth until about two years of stage
infants acquire knowledge about the world through actions that allow them to directly experience and manipulate objects
-senses
object permanence
understanding that an object continues to exist even if it cant be seen
schemas/mental representation
develop mental representations of the word
preoperational stage
age 2-7 years
logical mental activities
engage in symbolic thought
symbolic thought
ability to use words, images, and symbols to represent the world
egocentrism
the inability to take another person's perspective or point of view
centration
tendency to focus or center, on only one aspect of a situation and ignore other important aspects of the situations
irreversability
inability to mentally reverse a sequence of events or logical operations
concrete operations
around age 7
capable of true logical thought
can focus simultaneously on two aspects of a problem
conservation
holds that two equal physical quantities remain equal even if the appearance of one is changed as long as nothing is added or subtracted
formal operations
beginning of adolescence
more systematic and logical than the concrete operational child
reflects the ability to think logically along with abstract concepts or hypothetical situations
Lev Vygotsky
believed that cognitive development is strongly influenced by social and cultural factors
able to attain higher levels of cognitive development through support and instruction received from other people
zone of proximal development
gap between what children can accomplish on their own and what they can accomplish with the help of others that are more competent
parent and adolescent relationship
generally positive
most teenagers report that they look up to their parents and ask for advice
those who have a more positive relationship with parents are considered to have more self esteem and likely to follow parents guidance
peer relationships
reinforce traits and goals that parents fostered during childhood
traits and goals of peers
similar in age, social class, race, and beliefs about drinking, dating, church attendance and educational goals
Erikson's psychosocial development theory
trust vs. mistrust
autonomy vs. doubt
initiative vs. guilt
industry vs. inferiority
generativity vs. stagnation
ego integrity vs. despair
identity
the values and beliefs that guide someone's behavior
trust vs. mistrust
positive-reliance on consistency and warm caregivers produces sense of predictability and trust in envt.
negative-physical and psychological neglect leads to fear, anxiety and mistrust of envt
autonomy vs. doubt
positive-encourage independence and self-sufficiency-promoting positive self esteem
negative-overly restrictive caregiving leads to self doubt in abilities and low self esteem
initiative vs. guilt
positive-learns to initiate activities and develop sense of social responsibility concerning rights of others-promotes self confidence
negative-parental overcontrol stifles the child's spontaneity, sense of purpose, and social learning, promotes guilt and
industry vs. inferiority
positive-experiences with parents and keeping up with peers, develops a sense of pride and competence in schoolwork, home and social activities
negative-negative experiences with parents and failure to keep up with peers leads to pervasive feelings of inf
generativity vs. stagnation
positive-through child rearing, caring for others, productive work, and community involvement, the adult expresses unselfish concern for the welfare of the next generation
negative-self indulgence, self absorption, and a preoccupation with one's own needs
ego integrity vs. despair
positive-overview of life, adult experiences strong sense of self acceptance and meaningfulness in accomplishments
negative-regret, dissatisfaction, disappointment about accomplishments
martial satisfaction
tends to decline after the birth of the first child
creates a whole new set of responsibilities, pushes and pulls on the relationship
not all relationships experience a decline after the birth of the first child
it rises again after the kids leave home
cognitive changes
these changes occur after the adult grows older and either can stimulate and not decline because of a person's growth and accomplishments or decline with age because they are dissatisfied with their lives
basic parenting styles
authoritarian
permissive
authoritative
control and responsiveness
styles differ because parents need to have control, be authoritative but also let their children become their own human beings
authoritarian
demanding but unresponsive to their children's needs or wishes
believe they should shape and control their child's behavior so that it goes along with an absolute set of standards
obey rules-no questions asked
permissive-indulgent
responsive, warm, and accepting of their children but impose few rules and rarely punish
permissive-indifferent
both unresponsiveness and uncontrolling-result in child neglect
authoritative
warm, responsive, and involved with their children
set clear standards for mature, age-appropiate behavior and expect their children to be responsive to demands
parents feel reciprocal responsibility to child's demands and points of view
authoritative parenting is associated
higher grades, lower rates of bad behavior and lower rates of substance abuse
authoritarian behavior is associated
rebellion and resentment, anxiety and aggression in children
permissive is associated
never learn self control, failing to reach full potential
affects some cultures in a good way