Chapter 3: Developmental Psychology Flashcards
Developmental Psychology
Study of progressive changes in behavior and abilities; involves
every stage of life from conception to death (“the womb to the
tomb”)
Nature (Heredity)
Think “inherit” – from somewhere/from someone
- Biological genetic transmission, via genes, of physical and psychological characteristics from parents to their children
Nurture (Environment)
Sum of all external conditions that affect a person, especially the effects of learning, a product of experience and exposure
childhood experience
Our childhood experience (fears & likings), how we were raised (parenting styles), surrounding culture
- Deprivation – Lack of a certain stimulation
- Enrichment – Environment is complex, stimulating and developmentally supportive
Developmental Level/Stages
Neonates (newborns)
motor development (physical)
* Toddler
* Pre-school
* School
* Teenager
* Young Adult
* Adult
* Old-Age
Social Development
rooted in emotional attachment to primary caregivers and need for physical contact
Emotional attachment
the close emotional bond that infants form with parents, caregivers, or others
sign of emotional attachment
is separation anxiety: crying and signs of fear when a child is left alone or is with a stranger
Separation anxiety disorder
severe and prolonged distress displayed by some children when separated from parents/caregivers; children usually grow out of this
Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory
Eight developmental stages confront a person with new developmental tasks or psychosocial dilemma
Psychosocial dilemma
conflict between personal impulses and the social world
Developmental tasks
any skill that must be mastered, or personal change that must take place, for optimal development (e.g., learning to read and
adjusting to sexual maturity)
Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory stages
Stage One: Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth–1)
Stage Two: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (1–3)
Stage Three: Initiative vs. Guilt (3–5)
Stage Four: Industry vs. Inferiority (6–12)
Stage Five: Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence)
Stage Six: Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood)
Stage Six: Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adulthood)
Stage Seven: Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood)
Stage Eight: Integrity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood)
Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget (1896-1980), a Swiss psychologist – a pioneer in cognitive development Believed that all children passed through a set series of four stages during their cognitive
development, and devised his theory as such
Cognitive Development theory stages
The Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 Years)
The Preoperational Stage (2-7 Years)
The Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 Years)
The Formal Operational Stage (11 Years and Up)
Kohlberg’s Moral Development
- Moral development: period starting in childhood and continuing into adulthood during which we acquire values, beliefs, and thinking abilities that guide responsible behavior
Kohlberg’s Three Levels of Moral Development: level one
Preconventional moral reasoning: moral thinking based on consequences of one’s actions (punishment, reward,
exchange of favors) or choices
Kohlberg’s Three Levels of Moral Development
Conventional moral reasoning: reasoning based on a desire to please others or to follow accepted rules and values
Kohlberg’s Three Levels of Moral Development
Postconventional moral reasoning: follows self-chosen moral
principles, not those supplied by outside authorities
Entering Middle to Later Adulthood
Five Basic Reactions to Death: reaction o
Denial and isolation: denying death’s reality and isolating oneself
from information confirming that death will occur
- Anger: asking, “Why me?”; anger may then be projected onto the
living - Bargaining: terminally ill will bargain with God or with themselves
- Depression: feelings of futility, exhaustion, and deep sadness
- Acceptance: if death is not sudden, many will finally accept death
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Developmental Psychology
is the study of human development and the changes that occur within-person life span
