Lecture 10: DevelopmentalPsychology

A) Birth Adolescence Physical Development

-perception, motor skills

Cognitive Development -thinking, problem solving

Social/Moral Development -right from wrong, morality

Developmental Psychology

Getting from here

To here

B) Life Span Development Birth Adolescence Middle Age Old Age

decline (development stops at earlyadulthood) vs.

lifespan development (some types ofgrowth continue)

RAISING BABY: - changes -John Watson (1928) - advice examples

before now-no affection attachment concerns-spanking no/illegal ??-mother’s job two caregivers-kids “superbabies” (stressed kids)

NewbornsPrecocial Altricial

many abilities few(most mammals) (humans)

In Uteroa) nerve growthb) first response - reflex

7 ½ weeks – head away

c) touch receptors – 12-15 weeks

palms feet

d) 15 weeks grasp, squint, grimace, suck thumb, swallow

e) 24 -feel movement

-respond to sound

f) 25 weeks – can survive -shine light on abdomen, fetus turns

g) 32 weeks –eyes open -sees hand “awareness” ?? -brain scans – deep sleep

Reflexes andMotor Skills -feeding -“rooting reflex” -grasping reflex

Disappearing -reaching 4 weeks 4 months

Swimming 4 months

why disappear withoutexperience????

(video: knowing yourbaby – 5 min)

Perception Visually overwhelmed????

vision restricted to 9” can’t change focus no peripheral

Vision Research Color Perception

method – “habituation” – discrimination iflook longer at new compared to old see example

Bornstein (1976) – 4 months color spectrum into red, yellow, green, blue

Roots of Social Perception Fantz (1961) – 2 months spent 50% more time looking at face-like discs 6 weeks – smiling face elicits return smile (empathy or inherited reflex??)

Parts of Faces: Haith (1977)

-3 – 11 weeks – edges -2 months – eyes, when parents talk - promotes bonding

MOTOR MILESTONES-2 months – raise head to 45 0

- 2.8 - roll over-4 months – sit with support-5.5 – sit-7.6 – pull self to stand-9.2 – walk – furniture-10 – crawl-11.5 – stand-12.1 – walk

(video – motor development – 10 min)

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT -talk “stream of consciousness”

to 2 yrs. old - be quiet -until 3 – no lies – public knowledge -baby humor – doesn’t make sense to us -hide & seek (2 yrs)

“egocentrism”

-logic 2 ½ - just developing Eg. Harry’s diving lessons -(Mac dived and is never coming back)

Later Cognitive Development

A) Quantitative-as age, think differently because….have more information/experience-continuous

-e.g. Social Learning Theory

A) Qualitative - Piaget - children pass through stages in which

thought at each period is radicallydifferent

- mental functions are reorganized andchild passes into more advanced stage

discontinuous: each stage buildson prior stages but is different

STAGES 1) Sensory-motor Stage – 2yrs

-explore envir. through reflexes -becomes purposive

-no symbolic thought at start

-beginnings of “object permanence” (symbolicthought)

2) Preoperational (Symbolic) – 2----7 years -symbolic thought – represents objects verbally and

cognitively

-rudimentary reasoning Cognitive Limitations:

-“conservation” - see illustration -“egocentrism”

-mountain problem -show picture (via phone)

Irreversibility: logical operations arereversible

Q: Do you have a brother?A: Yes

Q: What’s his nameA: Jim

Q: Does Jim have a brother?A: No!

3) Concrete Operations – 7 --- 11-dramatic changes in logic-role-taking-conservation-seriationi.e., logical, organized thoughtfor concrete (not abstract)

4) Formal Operations 12 ----logic fully materializes“If all blue people live in red houses, are all

people who live in red houses blue?”

formal – attempt an answer

concrete – silly, there are no bluepeople

Cognitive ProgressionAssimilation: “new” is made to fit existing

knowledge

cats Dogs that meow

Accommodation: if new is too new, ignoreif slightly new - accommodateor change way of thinking

Research Difficulties e.g. Perception

method of habitution Emotion???

How to proceed with 2 mo. old?

Assumptions: -only pleasure-pain

- but, maybe more

Method to measure emotions in babies -Ekman -facial action coding system nonverbal indicators (on face) of emotions

thus, present baby with stimulus, analyze faceemotions

Legerstee (1994) [York U.] Ss 2, 4, 6, 8, & 10 months

INDEP a) mother or doll b) - interactive - passive (immobile, plexiglass) - masked and interactive METHOD

videotaped F.A.C.S.

DEPENDENT – 6 emotions -interest -enjoyment -anger -fear -sadness -surprise

-example subject – video 10 min. a) doll b) mommy – plexiglass c) interactive mommy d) doll – mask e) mommy – mask f) doll – plexiglass

Results - overall, even at 2 months they have

many and varied emotions specific examples:

-mother passive -doll passive -mother interactive -doll interactive -masked mother -masked doll

attachment Bowlby – biological/evolutionary conceptKids Parents(smile, (cuddle, nurture)cling)

preprogrammed responses -because of temperament/experience,

children develop different patternsof attachment – some more adaptivethan others

-responsible, warm availablecaregiver ---- secure attach

{ Ainsworth – 6 years before leave overnight !! }

Patterns of Attachment - Ainsworth -assess – “Strange Situation Paradigm » a procedure involving short separations from

and reunions with the parent that assesses thequality of the attachment bond

Strange Situation Procedure 8 steps

1) Experimenter introduces parent and baby to playroom andleaves

2) Parent is seated while baby plays with toys 3) stranger enters, is seated, and talks to parent 4) parent leaves room, stranger responds to baby and offers

comfort is baby is upset 5) parent returns, greets baby, and if necessary, offers comfort.

Stranger leaves room 6) parent leaves room 7) stranger enters room, offers comfort 8) Parent returns, greets baby, if necessary offers comfort, tries

to interest baby in toys

Secure Attachment – distressed by parentalseparation but easily comforted on return

Insecure Attachment – a) Avoidant attachment – not distressed, avoids

parents on return b) Resistant Attachment – remains close to parent

before leaves and is angry and resistive upon return c) Disorganized/disoriented attachment – responds

in a confused, contradictory fashion when reunitedwith parents

attachment promotes psychological health e.g. Elicker et al., (1992)

assessed at 2 assessed at 11 secure – more friends

-more socially skilled -“closer” friendships

video (10 min, Scien. Amer, monkeyattachment)

- Early Pioneering Research –Harlow 1950’s -rhesus monkeys -raised

½ wire mesh mothers (feeding) ½ cloth mothers (feeding)

-frighten monkeys

Results: Raised Available TargetsWire/feed wire mother

cloth mother

Cloth/feed wire mother

cloth mother

-attachment not due to feeding/positive reinforcement but due to “comfortvalue”

Social Development Piaget – fundamental to social life -

“moral development” Stages:

Moral Realism Moral Autonomy (morality of reciprocity)

Mature morality: understand/accept social rules concern for equity and reciprocity

Moral Realism: -rules are divine, unchanging -rigidity in social interactions “my mommy says …” -immanent justice -judgments – objective (what

happened, how much) not subjective(intentions) responsibility

Moral Autonomy: -rules are arbitrary -can be changed judgments: subjective responsibility intentions “accidents” (miracle concept)

-story technique – eg. from Piaget