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Welcome to Developmental Psychology, ps241 B1

Welcome to Developmental Psychology, ps241 B1. Syllabus at front and rear of class Professor Harris Teaching Fellow: Courtney Horwitz. Turn in at end of class: Write out one of your questions about human psychological development from birth to adolescence.

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Welcome to Developmental Psychology, ps241 B1

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  1. Welcome to Developmental Psychology, ps241 B1 Syllabus at front and rear of class Professor Harris Teaching Fellow: Courtney Horwitz Turn in at end of class: Write out one of your questions about human psychological development from birth to adolescence

  2. A contrast with theories of early/mid 20th century • Freud's stages of development: prescientific, unhelpful ideas; left harmful, destructive legacy • Erickson's extension of the stages: an overly general taxonomy of little more use than astrology • Skinner, behaviorism: ideas only apply to limited contexts • Bandura, social learning theory: useful, but does not explain interaction of multiple factors • Piaget's theory of cognitive development: helpful starting place, but now relevant only as a historical foundation

  3. Instead of the grand theorists, focus on empirical phenomena Basic Science • Characterize behavior at each developmental stage (describe) • Discuss specific theories about that behavior (explain) Applied Science • How relevant to: parenting, education, health, public policy, personal decisions

  4. What will receive less focus in this class…

  5. What will receive more focus in this class…

  6. Out with single-factor causality • Use statistical, multi-factor approach as in medical models of disease • Think in terms of risk factors, protective factors

  7. Ideas from dynamical systems theory • Notion of a space of possibilities • Multiple trajectories are possible through this space; many factors influence movement in this space • A single factor is usually insufficient to cause more than a temporary chang. • Examples: • Climate, weather • Stock market • Public opinion on a topic • Evolution of life forms

  8. Internal mental models of experience Psychologists used to state generalizations about the likely impact of some environmental event. • But the exact same event can have a different impact on two different people. • The story that gets told about why an event occurs can be more important that what actually happened. Examples: • Attachment style, divorce

  9. Cross cultural Consider the space consisting of all known solutions to the organization of human societies -- solutions to the problems of: • living in social groups • raising children • Securing resources. Cultures colonize different parts of this space. Some parts of the space are avoided by all human cultures.

  10. Evolutionary Psychology Which behaviors are adaptive, meaning they led to increased fitness of our Evolutionary Ancestors? Thinking about adaptive pressures helps us avoid extremist positions such as: • people are inherently selfish • the purpose of civilizing society is to minimize the bad in all of us -- Freud) -- or • humans inherently good, e.g., Rousseau, or, in the 20th century, Maslow.

  11. Thinking about adaptive pressures sheads light on the "worst" and the "best" of human nature • "Worst" -- Homicide of family members; infant abandonment, free loading, cheating; sexual coercion • "Best" -- Group cooperation, parental care, pair-bonding, curiosity

  12. Ideas about how people learn • Punishments don't work. • But rewards don't work either. • Where does motivation come from?

  13. Origin of the desire to excel • Choice, self-direction • Intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic

  14. Fundamental Questions in Developmental Psychology • Why are individuals so different? • How can we predict developmental outcomes? • How do genes and environment interact? • Does development advances in discrete stages or is it continuous?

  15. Example of a now discredited view • "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select--doctor, lawyer, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggarman and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors." (1930)/JB Watson

  16. Exceptions to statistics? Donald Koshland Jr., editor of Science, writes; "Some individuals who have normal genes become overwhelmed by adversity in their environment, sink into depression, and attempt suicide. At the other extreme, some who have loving parents, ideal schooling; and a stress-free life are overwhelmed by their internal chemistry and also succumb to depression and suicidal intentions. Still others are pushed into depression by stresses that are easily surmounted by individuals with different genetic components."

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