What is developmental psychology? Flashcards
what is developmental psychology?
changes in lifespan
How children develop perceptual and cognitive abilities
Why is it important to define normative development?
To define abnormal processes in development
Has our conception of
childhood changed across
time?
Has changed over course of centuries
“For approximately 2000 years, from antiquity to the 18th century,
children in the West were merely seen as imperfect adults. They were
considered deficient, and entirely subordinate to adults.”
J. A. Schultz (1995).
History of Childhood
What are three stages of life?What did aristotle propsose?
Dante Alighieri → three stages of life:
- Adolescenzia (birth to 25-years).
- Gioventutte (25 – 45-years).
- Senetutte (45 – 70-years).
- Aristotle argued (2) were morally superior.
- (1) = too trusting, (3) = too cynical
But some sources acknowledge childhood this include?
But other sources suggest childhood was acknowledged
• Æthelstan (1st
King of England, 10th Century)
“Any child over 12-years who steals goods worth
more than 12p should be put to death”.
But thought it cruel…
“to put to do death such young people for such slight
offences”, declaring that “thieves under the age of 15 should not be
slain, unless they tried to defend themselves or escape”
Did cultural institutions recognise childhood development?
Cultural institutions such as medicine and law recognises stages of development. Medical texts adopted the
Hippocratic tradition:
- Infantia (0 – 7-years).
- Pueritia (7 – 14-years).
- Adolescentia (14 – 21 years).
What was the belief in 12th century about children?
as Jesus was born virtuous believed children meant they could • have celestial visions • denounce criminals • Serve as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth.
Did childhood exist in Middle Ages?
Yes but it was ambiguous.
Had a belief of doctrine of original sin and children are born with sinful nature
But they only focused on this because they needed to protect and save children from sinful nature
what is influence of wealth expansion and enlightenment in childhood history?
Increased wealth led to increases in occupation specialisation (and social mobility), prepared child for occupation that would yield wealth for family
• Enlightenment: emphasis on reason and
individualism rather than tradition.
Advocates of scientific method to advance knowledge.
History of childhood
Capitalism and industrial revolution
Emergence of large middle class, who were
concerned with preserving family wealth (through
educating children).
• Increase in paid jobs in cities → movement of
peasantry to cities .
• Led to modern mass education.
• Parallels between factories and schools.
• Formal education requires theory and practice,
therefore some assumptions about children
and their development.
History of Childhood
What did Locke propose?
Lock (1693). Some Thoughts concerning education
Children should be considered “only as white paper, or
Wax, to be moulded and fashioned as one pleases”.
• Locke heavily influenced by the doctrine of
empiricism, which he used as an attack on notion of original sin.
Children not born with sinful nature but could experience it
• Children should be taught through reason.
History of Childhood
Who opposed the proposition Locke made about children?
• Rousseau vehemently argued against
concept of original sin in favour of “the cult
of the innocence of the child”.
• “everything is good as it leaves the hands of the
Author of things … (but) degenerates in the hands
of man”.
• Scorned Locke’s emphasis on teaching through reason and adults must teach children everything;
Rousseau
argued that children have own way of “seeing, thinking and feeling”
History
what was perception of child throughout 19th to 20th century
• Zelizer: 19th through 20th century saw the emergence of
concept of “economically worthless but emotionally priceless
child”
Remove children from child labour, promoted as being emotionally priceless, that we should mould and educate
History of Childhood
What was perception of Child in 20th century
Hall (1904) Adolescence saw the first scientific recognition of what we might call “teenagers” based on the
law of recapitulation. ( the repetition of an evolutionary or other process during development or growth)
Who was the first developmentalist?
Freud (1856-1939), founder of psychoanalysis
Proposed psychosexual theory of personality
