Chapter 3Infancy and Childhood

Developmental Psychology- the study of changes that occur as as individual matures. Continuity v. stages of development Stability v. change Nature v. nurture

How much of development is the result of inheritance and how much is the result of what we have learned?

Newborns

Newborns have the ability to see, hear, smell and respond to the environment.

Grasping, rooting, moro, babinski-reflexes

Average baby is 7.3 pounds at birth- 20 to 25 pounds by end of the first year. 18-22 inches at birth

Maturation

Internally programmed growth Rolling over -2-3 months Sitting up-6 months Creeping- 10 months Walking- 11.5 month

Must be ready physiologically!

Perceptual Development/Language

Visual Cliff

Language Development Learn to make the signs Learn the meaning of the signs. Learn grammar Symbols at the end of the second year Telegraphic Speech- 2 years of age By 4/5 years of age- several thousand words

Section 2Cognitive and

Emotional DevelopmentHow do we construct the world?

Schemas: mental representations of the world. Assimilation: try to fit the new object into this schema. Accommodation- change our schema to fit the

characteristics of the new object. Object Permanence

Before 6 months – no object permanence 7-12 months- search for the object the last place that it

was seen/will soon forget it. 12-18 months- - search for the object the last place

that it was seen/will not forget it. 18-24 months- will actively look for it.

Representational Thought

ConservationWhen a child reaches object permanence, can

now use symbols remember.

Conservation: the principle that a given quantity does not change when its appearance is changed.

Conservation happens because children are Egocentric- see and think of the world from their own standpoint.

Piaget’s Stages

1. Sensorimotor Stage: schemas that use body and sensations.

2. Preoperational Stage: use mental images or symbols to understand things.

3. Concrete Stage: Can use logical schemas…but only see things in black and white terms.

4. Formal Operations Stage: solve abstract problems.

Emotional Development

Imprinting: Konrad Lorenz

Surrogate Mothers and Monkeys

Human Infants attachment seems to be especially strong between the ages of 6 months and 3 years.

Section 3Parenting Styles

Benefits of authoritative families: Establishment of limits Responding to the child with warmth and

support Make their own decisions with or without advice

Assume responsibility gradually Identify with parents who love and respect Present a model of responsibility and

independence

Child Abuse

Includes the physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, negligent treatment, or mistreatment of children under the age of 18 by adults entrusted with their care.

Nebraska statistics and Project Harmony

Overburdened and overstressed parents

Physically , mentally disadvantaged, hyperactive experience a higher than normal incidence of abuse

Social Development

Cookies

Socialization- learning the rules of behavior of the culture in which you are born and grow up . When to apply rules and when not to.

Freud’s Theory- Psychosexual Development

Erikson’s Theory-Psychosocial Development

Moral Development

What would you do?

Consider the following:

Your bank’s ATM dispenses $10,000 to you, and there is no way that this error would ever be discovered. You keep the money, but you donate half of it to the soup kitchen in your town. Should you have kept the money? How did you decide what to do?

Lawrence Kohlberg

Moral reasoning- developed moral dilemmas or situations:

Moral reasoning develops in six stages, which is arranged into three levels: Preconventional: children base decisions about right or wrong

based on the ability to avoid punishment or to gain rewards. Conventional – children/adults can understand rules and

expectations that others may have for them. Moral reasoning is based on the standards of the group or society.

Postconventional- people base their judgments of right or wrong on contractual or universal principles of morality. - Golden Rule, not everything can be applied to the same situation.