Developmental Psychology_1

Developmental Psychology_1

1. Cognitive

   • nature vs nuture
     • roles not seperated
     • critical periods in development
       • nervous system is sensitive forming new synapses between neurons
     • Maturation
       • biological based changes
         • Teratogens: harmful enviromental agents that damage the embryo or feotus. e.g. alcohol
         • the compentent newborn
           • intermodal processing: can asscoicate sensations of an object from different senses & match their own actions to behaviour
           • eye-blink reflex: closes eyelids in bright light or in response to loud sudden noise
           • Palmer reflex: spontaneous grasp when hand is presented
           • rooting reflex: a tendency to open the mouth when touch on cheek; searching for nipple
     • sensitive periods in development
       • times that are important to subsquent development development than others
   • Stage Theories
     • Piagets theory of cognitive development
       • asslimation and accomdation
         • asslimation- interupting actions or events in terms of ones schema
         • Accomdation- the modifcation of scehma to fit reality
           • equilibration *complimentary to accomdation*- driving force behind devleopment. Balancing both asslimation and accomdation to adapt to the world
         • scehmas: organised repeatedly excerised pattern of thought & behaviour
           • e.g.: a babies tendency to suck on anything
         • adaptation: process of building scehmas through direct interaction with enviroment
       • sensorimotor -> preoperational ->concrete -> formal operational
         • sensorimotor- 0-2 years, egocentric, thought & action the same
         • preoperational- 2-7 years, symbolic thought develops,irreversibilty,egocentorism, animism, theory of mind, centration, conservation
         • formal operational- 12 plus years, beigns to think logically about abstract and scientific concepts, solving hypothetical propositions and deducing consquences
         • concrete- 7-12 years, mentally manipulate representations of concrete objects, begin to understand and follow convo, cognitive maps
   • what is cognition?
     • mental process including; attention, memory and understanding language
   • Vgotsky theory
     • role of social interaction for the child as motivation for cognitive gains and learning:imitative learning, zone of promiximal development (ZPD), learn more when socialising co-operatively with skilled parent
   • infomation-processing approach
     • automatic processing
     • knowledge base
     • metacognition
     • processing speed

2. Social

   • attachment
     • Harlows experiment: (monkeys & mums), found that percieved security is the curical element in forming attachment
     • Contact comfort: the ties that bind an infant to its cargivers
     • enduring ties kids form with their main cargivers
     • Bowlbys theory of attachment:
       • imprinting- tendenancy to follow an animal they are exposed to during a senstive period
       • attachment behaviour- emerges over 1st few months, peaking around 2
       • seperation anxiety- 6-7 months, seen across cultures
     • Infant attachment
       • secure: welcome mothers return , seek closness
       • avoident: seem unfazed by mothers return
       • ambivalent- angry/upset but still wants closeness
       • disorganised- behave in contradciting ways
     • Temperament
     • adult attachment: life cicrumsatnces can change attachment styles
   • social cognition: understanding of self, others and realtionships
   • self concept: an oragnised view on how we ourselves; devloped over time
   • moral devlopment
     • Kolbergs 3 stages of moral devlopment
       • preconvential- follow moral rules to either avoid punishment or get rewards
       • convential- define what is right from the standards they have learnt from others
       • post convential- people reason using abstract, self defined morals, not covential
     • prosocial behaviour
     • empathy
     • moral development also comes from parents: parenting style
       • AUTHORITRIAN: high value on obidnence & respect for authority
       • PERMISSIVE: impose minimal controls on their children
       • AUTHORIATIVE: enforce standards but explain thier views & encourage verbal give and take
       • UNINVOLVED: consistently place own needs over children
       • GUDIANCE APPROACH: parents help kids manage thier emotions and learn considerate behaviour
   • Eriksons theory of psychosocial devlopment
     • trust vs mistrust
     • autonmy vs shame
     • intative vs gulit
     • industry vs infeority
     • identity vs idneitity confusion
     • intamcy vs isolation
     • generavity vs stagnation
     • intergity vs despair

3. Studying development

   • longitutional studies- assess the same indivuals overtime
   • cross sectional- compare groups of particpants of different ages at a single time: provides picture of age difference
   • sequential studies- minimise cohort effects by studying multiple cohorts overtiime