Development Flashcards
Zygote
Fertilized egg, a fusion of mom and dads genetic material. It enters a 2 week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo
Embryo
2 weeks after conception - 2 months
Fetus
9 weeks after conception until birth
Issues in developmental psychology
Nature vs. Nurture. Stability vs. Change, Continuity and stages
Kohlberg
Stages of Moral Development
Piaget
Cognitive Development
Erikson
psychosocial development (intimacy v. isolation)
The competent infant
has sight, taste, smell
Sight
babies almost immediately show in human faces, know their mothers face and prefer that objects are 8-12 inches away (about the distance when breast feeding)
Taste
Babies prefer sweet tastes from birth
Smell
- Most developed sense at birth.
- drawn to the scent of breast milk from birth & can distinguish mom’s breast milk at 2 weeks
- Newborns turn toward pleasant smells
Language/Hearing Development in the Womb
- Prefer mother’s voice to other voices almost immediately after birth.
- If mom is bilingual interested in both of mothers languages if she is bilingual
- Cries will match sound of mom’s language (ex. french mom babies cry diff than english mom babies cry)
- Fetuses get used to the sound and vibration placed on their mothers abdomen
The Babinski Reflex
When touching a babies bottom of the foot and their toes open up
The Moro Reflex
- Startle response when the baby’s head is dropped slightly.
- Disappears by 3-4 months
Temperament
- Difficult/Feisty
- Easy
- Slow to warm up
- Parent Baby Temperament Match
Teratogens
Outside agents such as drugs or viruses that damage the embryo or fetus
Cocaine/Amphetamines
- Low birth weight
- congenital heart defects
- dependency on drug at birth
- withdrawal symptoms
- Future problems with attention and regulation
Rubella Virus
- Congenital heart defects
- deafness & blindness
- Abnormal brain & organ development
- Characteristic bluish-red skin known as “blubbery muffin spots”
Alcohol
- Puts infant at risk for birth defects
- hyperactivity
- lower intelligence
- Predisposition to abuse alcohol as adults
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
- 1 in 800 children
- not reversible
- Physical and brain abnormalities
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Characteristics
- Small eye Openings
- Smooth Philtrum
- Thin upper lip
Methods of studying Babies: Psychology
- Exploiting Habituation
- Eye Tracking
Perpetual Development
- 5 senses
Habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation
Congenital
From birth
Children reason across development with schemas adjusted by?
Assimilation and Accommodation
Assimilation
Fit new experiences into existing schemas
Accommodation
Adjust our schema to incorporate new experiences
Jean Piaget’s Stage Model
- Sensorimotor: 0-2 yrs Old
- Pre-operational: 2-6/7 yrs Old
- Concrete Operational: 7-11 Yrs Old
- Formal Operational: 12yrs+
Sensorimotor Stage
- 0-2 yrs old
- Experience the world through the senses
- Little Capacity for symbolic though
- Egocentrism: Can’t consider another persons viewpoint (ex. making yourself “invisible”)
- Lack Object Performance: Objects remain even if you are not aware of it
Pre-operational Stage
- 2-6/7 yrs old
- Lack conservation: quantity is conserved despite changes in shape
- (Theory of mind) The ability to infer others mental stages develop in this stage
- False beliefs of others (the 3 yr. old vs. 4 yr old during the box of bandaids vs. pencils test.
Concrete Operational Stage
- 7-12 yrs old
- Develop ability to conserve
Formal Operations Stage
- 12 Yrs old+
- systematic reasoning
- can work with hypothetical
- abstract thinking
Assessment of Piaget
- May have underestimated children’s cognitive capabilities
- Symbolic Thinking: may appear in 3 year olds (can locate a hidden toy in a room when presented with its location on a model of a room)
Cognitive Development: Lev Vygotsky
- Vygotsky stressed how cognitive abilities develop through social interactions
- internalizing social conversations
Autism & Theory of Mind
- Difficulty inferring the mental states of others is a significant feature
- Tendency to understand the world through rules or laws
- 4:1 Female:Male Ratio
Social Development
- Stranger anxiety in infants develops at 8 months & peaks around 13 months
Attachment
- Ainsworth & Bowlby explore the developmental importance of a sustained attachment to a caregiver
Harlow’s monkeys
- attached to a blanket b/c of its comfort
- used blanket as secured base
- eliminated theory that infants were attached to the caregiver bc it fed it
Adolescence
- Time period of adolecence culturally and socially determined
- in the U.S puberty marks adolescence
- Inadequate myelenization of the frontal lobes accounts for the impulsivity and recklessness of many adolescents
task of adolescence
Identity Role Vs. Role Confusion
Kohlberg Moral Reasoning Stages
- Preconventional Morality based on Self-Interest
- Conventional Morality—obey the law simply because it’s the law; conformity to group norms
- Post conventional Morality—do what you believe is right
Preconventional Morality
- based on self interest, do what gets rewards and avoids punishmentss
Conventional Morality
Obey the law bc it is the law; conforms to group norms
Post Conventional Morality
do what you believe is right
Physical Changes and Development in Adulthood
- Menopause in women
- Sexual function declines in the mid 70’s
- Life expectancy rose from 49 to 69 worldwide
- Aging population
Cognitive Changes/ Development in Adulthood
- Processing Speed declines
- Some degeneration of neurons in frontal-lobe: your grandmothers’ inappropriate comments!
Psychosocial Aspects of Aging
- Social Clock
