Module 8

Development During Infancy and Childhood

Recap Module 8 – Infancy and ChildhoodCognitive development

Jean Piaget’s theory Schemas - Assimilation / accommodation Stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational,

& formal operational Object permanence, egocentrism, conservation, theory of

mind

Social development Attachment

Stranger anxiety, attachment through touch, attachment through familiarity (imprinting during a critical period)

Attachment through familiarity

Critical Period an optimal period when an organism’s

exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development

Imprinting the process by which certain animals form

rigid attachments during a critical period very early in life

Attachment Differences Attachment can be measured

Strange Situation Test:A parent-infant “separation and reunion” procedure that is staged in a laboratory to test the security of a child’s attachment

Securely attached vs. insecurely attached

Attachment is influenced by parenting and by child temperament Responsive mothers tend to have securely attached children Infants with difficult temperaments are less likely to be securely

attached

Attachment styles have consequences for subsequent development and adulthood interpersonal relationships Infants who are securely attached have basic trust – the world is

predictable Secure vs. anxious or avoidant attachment styles

Conclusions about social development in infancyAll humans need to form an attachment to a

caring and responsive caregiver early in life (first 8 months of life)

Total deprivation from attachment has strong negative consequences: Some of those consequences may be physiological Later emotional development Later interpersonal relationships Later parenting behaviors

Parenting

Variations in parents’ attempts to socialize their children

7

Neglecting, ignoring, indifferent, uninvolved

Permissive: few demands, following child’s desires

Undemanding Undemanding low in control low in control attemptsattempts

Authoritarian

Power assertive, not inductive, not flexible

Authoritative: High in bidirectional communication, high in explanation

DemandingDemanding

ControllingControlling

Rejecting

Unresponsive

Parent-centered

Accepting

Responsive

Child-centered

Par

ents

Dem

andi

ngne

ss

Parents’ responsiveness

Parenting Styles

The Influence of Parenting Styles on Social DevelopmentHarsh and inconsistent parenting impedes the

social development of children. Power assertive parenting practices serve as

models and disinhibit the similar behaviors of the children.

The inability to set limits perpetuates the child’s ongoing behavioral problems (e.g. noncompliance, aggression).

The Influence of Parenting Styles on Social Development

Authoritative parenting

High self esteem, high social

competence

Authoritarian parenting

Unquestioning obedience, low levels of autonomy, low in

empathy

These associations are correlational!

Module 10 - Adulthood

Physical development

Cognitive development

Social development

Physical Development

Physical Development – declining physical vigor

+/- age 35

Physical DevelopmentOur physical abilities peak around mid 20s and

then start to decline. more related to a person’s health and exercise habits

than to age

Decline of fertility Women - menopause (~50): the time of natural

cessation of menstruation and associated emotional changes

Men – gradual decline of sperm count, testosterone, sexual function

Most older adults have satisfactory sexual activity

Declining sensory abilities: vision

10 30 50 70 900

0.25

0.50

0.75

1.00

Proportion of normal (20/20) vision when identifying letters on an eye chart

Age in years

65 year-old retina receives 1/3rd of the light that 20 year-old receives

Declining sensory abilities: smell

10 30 50 70 9050

70

90

Percent correct whenIdentifying smells

Age in years

Declining sensory abilities: hearing

10 30 50 70 9050

70

90

Percent correct whenidentifying spokenwords

Age in years

Changes in healthThe immune system weakens

increased risk of cancer, pneumonia, etc. accumulation of antibodies – protection from cold & flu

Neural processing slows down Reaction time increases

Implications for driving: 75 year olds get into as many accidents as 16 year olds per mile of driving

Memory loss increases Brain loses 5% of its weight by 80

Brain can still form new neural connections adults who remain active retain more of their capacities

Aging proceeds more slowly in women.

Cognitive Development

Memory For some types of learning and remembering,

early adulthood is a peak time. Recall declines but recognition does not

Ability to remember names decline Ability to remember meaningless syllables decline Ability to recognize words in a list does not decline

Can remember meaningful type of information better. They can situate new information in the context of existing

knowledge Emotional information is retained well.

Memory

The ability to recall new information declined during early and middle adulthood, but the ability to recognize new information did not.

NumberOf wordsremembered

20 30 40 50 60 700

4

8

12

16

20

24

Age in years

Number of wordsrecalled declineswith age

Number of wordsrecognized is stable with age

Types of intelligence

Crystallized Intelligence one’s accumulated knowledge and verbal skills tends to increase with age (WISDOM)

Fluid Intelligence ones ability to reason speedily and abstractly tends to decrease during late adulthood (~ 75)

We lose recall memory and processing speed, we gain vocabulary and knowledge

Social Development

Emotional development

Females

Males

No early 40semotional crisis

33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 Age in Years

24

16

8

0

EmotionalInstability

Score

Satisfaction with life

Multinational surveys show that age differences in life satisfaction are trivial.

Older adults tend less to negative information

0

20

40

60

80

15 25 35 45 55 65+

Percentage “satisfied”with lifeas a whole

Age group

Adulthood life eventsLife events

New jobs Marriage Children Death of a loved one

Social clock Culturally determined normative time to experience

life events These norms have loosened

Commitments: EriksonTwo basic aspects of our lives dominating

adulthood Intimacy (forming close relationships) Generativity (being productive and supportive of

future generations) Freud & Tolstoy agree that satisfaction with life

requires love and work

Love and WorkLove

An enduring emotional bond that includes intimacy, support, warmth, and sexual attraction

An enduring attachment increases life satisfaction Marriage tends to be the preferred social institution of

demonstrating attachment Child rearing diminishes marital bonds Most couples with grown children enjoy re-affirmed

loveWork

Most young adults change careers and employment Work that matches one’s interests provides a sense

of accomplishment

DeathDeath of a spouse is experienced by 5 times

more women than menDeath brings more grief if it is out of sync with

the social clock and when it is suddenHow grief is experienced is cultural