Introduction to Psychology

1. Introduction to Psychology Child Development Chapter 3

2. Development • Study of growth and change: • Physical • Cognitive • Social-emotional

3. Central Issues in Development • Is development continuous or discontinuous? • Are developmental processes universal, or particular to certain cultures? • Nature vs. Nurture: What is the role of genetics and environment in development?

4. Developmental Level • An individual’s current state of physical, emotional, and intellectual development • Developmental level may be different from chronological age

5. Nature vs. Nurture • What is nature? • Genes, biology, heredity • How does nature impact development?

6. Nature vs. Nurture • Nurture: • Environment, external conditions • What are some “nurture” factors that impact development?

7. Perspectives on Nature/Nurture • “Genes alone” view: • Nature alone shapes our development

8. Perspectives on Nature/Nurture • Nurture factors: • Which nurture factors impact our development most? • Example: Group socialization theory

9. Interactionist Perspective • Both nature and nurture play a role • Nurture factors may determine whether or not certain genes are “turned on” • Heredity and environment interact dynamically at all points in development

10. Attachment Theory • Bowlby/Ainsworth • Attachments with primary caregivers impact our “attachment styles” and relationships as we develop

11. Attachment Theory • The securely attached infant: • Caregivers are responsive • Use the caregiver as a “secure base” as they explore and become more independent

12. The “Strange Situation” • Ainsworth study • Infants are left in a room with an unfamiliar adult • How do they respond to the mother upon her return?

13. Attachment Categories Caregiver is secure base to explore environment from Securely attached Shows insecurity by avoiding the caregiver Insecure avoidant Clings to caregiver, then resists by fighting against the closeness Insecure resistant Shows insecurity by being disorganized, disoriented Insecure disorganized

14. Attachment: Implications and Critique • Attachment in infancy/early childhood is a “protective factor” • 1st year of life: a “sensitive period” for attachment • Too deterministic? • Not relevant to some cultures?

15. Harlow: Monkey Study • Baby monkeys separated from mother at birth • “Surrogate mother” monkeys • Wire monkey with food • Soft, terrycloth monkey

16. Harlow Study • Monkeys clung to the terrycloth monkey • Even though wire monkey had food • Clung to cloth monkey when afraid • “Contact comfort” • Abnormal development when socialized

17. Parenting Styles: Activity • Think about the different “parenting styles”. Which parenting styles do you have experience with? • Is there an “ideal” parenting style? • How might parenting styles affect developing children?

18. Parenting Styles • “Goodness of fit”: does the parenting style match the child’s needs and temperament?

19. Baumrind: Parenting Styles • Authoritarian: rigid rules, demands obedience; children have few rights, many responsibilities • Outcomes: children are obedient, controlled, emotionally stiff, apprehensive, lacking in curiosity • Potential drug use and violence in adulthood

20. Baumrind: Parenting Styles • Authoritative: firm and consistent, loving and affectionate. Responsive, willing to explain their reactions. • Outcomes: children are competent, independent, assertive, inquiring

21. Baumrind: Parenting Styles • Overly Permissive: children are given little guidance, lots of freedom; no accountability; children have rights of adults, but few responsibilities • Outcomes: children are dependent, immature, and have behavior issues

22. Recent Research • More nuanced explanations: • Does the child believe the punishment fits the crime • Goodness of fit • Is the approach developmentally appropriate

23. Critique of Baumrind • Not culturally relevant: • African-American families: emphasis on loyalty and independence • Hispanic families: strict discipline, cooperation and respect emphasized • Asian families: interdependence • Arab: conformity and interdependence

24. High Quality Daycare: Doesn’t affect attachment with parents May improve social and cognitive skills Low Quality Daycare: Detrimental to attachment Correlated with behavioral problems Daycare and Attachment

25. Temperament • One’s typical mood • Temperaments: • Easy (40%) • Difficult (10%) • Slow-to-warm up (15%) • Evidence for the impact of genetics; may also be modified by learning and the environment

26. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) • Studied his three children • “Child-as-scientist” • Learning through discovery: independent learning • Stage theory of cognitive development

27. Schemas • Mental framework: • How do we think about different concepts? How do we classify/organize our knowledge? • “mammals” • “doctor” • To organize knowledge

28. Assimilation and Accommodation • Assimilation — incorporate new information into existing knowledge schemes • Accommodation — adjust schemes to fit new information and experiences

29. Assimilation • Using an existing mental framework in new situations • A child’s schema for “dog”= furry, four legged animal; sees a cat and calls it “dog”

30. Accomodation • Changing the schema to accommodate new information • The child comes to realize that four legged creatures can be “cats” or “dogs” • The schema was altered to accommodate this new knowledge

31. Four Stages of Cognitive Development • Sensorimotor: age 0-2 • Preoperational: age 2-7 • Concrete Operational: age 7-11 • Formal Operational: age 11-adulthood • Stages are universal

32. Sensorimotor Stage • Age 0-2 • Child uses the senses to explore surroundings • Largely non-verbal • Toward the end, object permanence

33. Sensorimotor Stage • Object Permanence: Understanding that objects and events continue to exist even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched

34. Preoperational Stage • Age 2-7 • Language • Symbolic thinking- symbols can represent ideas • Make-believe play • Egocentrism: unable to perspective-take

35. Preoperational Stage • Egocentrism: the child sees himself as the center of the universe • Cannot take the perspectives of others • Example: three mountains task

36. View 1 View 2 (d) (c) Child seated here (c) (d) (a) (b) (b) (a) Child seated here The Three Mountains Task Fig. 6.6

37. Concrete Operational Stage • Age 7-11 • Logical abilities • Reversibility of thought • Ability to classify (i.e. mammals, reptiles) • Ability to conserve

38. Piaget’s Conservation Task Fig. 6.8

39. Formal Operational Stage • Age 11+ • Abstract thought • Hypothetical examples • Full adult intellectual abilities • Research: most adults do not progress to this stage

40. Peer Relations • Downplayed social interaction except for peer relations • Conflicts between peers enhance cognitive development • Perspective taking

41. Piaget and Education • Facilitate rather than direct learning • Turn classroom into setting of exploration and discovery

42. Contributions: Children- active thinkers Comprehensive theory of cognitive development Critique: Underestimates or overestimates abilities Development not uniformly stage-like Downplays social interaction and culture Evaluating Piaget’s Theory

43. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) • Sociocultural theory • Importance of social interaction • Culture as a context for development

44. Social Interaction • Children develop through social interaction • InterpersonalIntrapersonal • We learn through interaction, and then we internalize this information

45. Socio-cultural Contexts • Role of various contexts • Culture as a context for development • Through social interaction, children become members of a culture

46. The Zone of Proximal Development • Zone of Proximal Development(ZPD) • Difference between Actual vs. Potential Level of Development • Tasks children cannot master alone, but can master with the help of a more skilled person • What I can do now vs What I can do with help

47. Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development Fig. 6.11

48. Scaffolding • Changing level of support over course of a teaching session to fit child’s current performance level • As the child learns, he/she requires less help

49. Private Speech: Vygotsky • Private speech: Self talk: promotes development as children work through their ideas • Contrast with Piaget: egocentric speech

50. Contributions Shift from individual to collaborative learning Importance of culture and social interaction Teachers facilitate and guide, not direct and mold Critique May overemphasize language’s role in thinking Not “individualistic” enough? Theory not fully developed Evaluating Vygotsky’s Theory