Professional Documents
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Developmental Psychologists
Study physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the human life cycle, and find common patterns which are important.
Prenatal Development
Zygotes are fertilized eggs In the first week, the cell divides to produce a zygote of about 100 cells After the first week, the cell will differentiate and specialize in structure and function After ten days, the zygote will attach to the mothers uterine wall The placenta and the embryo are then formed After nine weeks, the embryo is known as the fetus
After six months, the organs like the stomach will be able to function and perform The fetus starts to respond to noise during the sixth month Both genetic and environmental factors can affect the prenatal development Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is usually seen with children born with mental as well as physical deformities. Over 1 in 750 kids are born with this syndrome FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation Pregnant women who have been stressed during their pregnancy have children who are less competent in motor skills, emotional as well as learning deficiency. Increased proclivity of depression
Prenatal Development
Infants born to mothers who drink, even in modest amounts, may be born with fetal alcohol syndrome, which often consists of growth retardation, unusual facial features, and mental retardation.
Brain Development
Over 23 billion neurons were produced in the child by birth From age 3-6, the brains neural system starts to grow in the frontal lobes, enabling rational planning Maturation sets the basic course of development. It is the genetically designed biological growth process. Maturation is uninfluenced by experiences While genetic growth tendencies are inborn
Motor Development
The order in which physical coordination occurs like crawling before walking is due to the maturing of the nervous system and has nothing to do with imitation Individual differences in timing occur Genes play a role in the timing of each coordination. Identical twins would be able to walk more or less on the same day Biological maturation includes the rapid development of the cerebellum at the back of the brain Experiences will not have a major effect on the childs physical skills until after age 1
Cognitive Development
Jean Piagets works revolved around the errors give by children by each age. Before Piaget, people thought that children simply knew less, not differently than adults. Later it was discovered that children reason in wildly illogical ways about problems whose solutions are self-evident to adults. A childs mind also develops through many stages
Piaget revealed that schemas develop when the brain builds concepts. The schemas are mental molds into which we pour our experiences. There are two ways which we could adjust our schemas. By assimilating as well as accommodating them. When we assimilate new schemas, we interpret them into our current schemas When we accommodate our schemas, we adjust our present schemas to fit the particulars of new experiences. You refine the category.
Cognitive Development
Assimilation/Accommodation Ex.
(Piaget)
A child seeing a zebra for the first time and calling it a horse. The child assimilates this information into her schema for a horse. When the child accommodates information, she takes into consideration the different properties of a zebra compared to a horse, perhaps calling a zebra a horse with stripes. When she eventually learns the name of zebra, she has accommodated this information.
Cognition refers to all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing , remembering and communicating. The sensorimotor stage is from birth to age 2. This is when the babies will take in the world through their sensory and motor interactions interacting with objects. Many use their mouths to investigate the world. Object Permanence is the awareness that objects continue to exist when not perceived Before 8 months, the child lacks object permanence
Conservation is the principle that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape. (Like when closed beakers seem to hold more volume as another open beaker with the same volume.) Judy DeLoache revealed that if the child was prompted to find a hidden object in a room, they could easily find it, but they could not locate the location on another map or painting. This was found for ages 2-3 From age 3, the child could locate the hidden location in a map. Thus showing that they could use the symbols for the room. This went against Piagets theory of children not being able to think Piaget found that preschool children were egocentric. They had much difficulty to perceive things from anothers point of view. Asking whether the childs brother had a brother (which was the child being asked) the child would reply that he did not.
Parents often abuse their children since they do not understand their egocentric thoughts. The theory of mind is the ability to read intentions, formed starting when a child is in pre-school. From age 3, children start to realize the difference between false beliefs Jennifer Jenkins and Janet Astington performed the band aid experiment in which they would ask children what they thought was in the box, then recorded what their reaction would be if found that the box was filled with something else. From 4 years old, the children were able to respond to theory of mind, claiming that their friends would probably think that the box was filled with band aids instead of pencils. Before they responded that they would think that the box was filled with pencils.
Social Development
Stranger Anxiety- fear of strangers, starting at around 8 months. They have schemas for similar faces. The intense mutual infant-parent bond develops by 12 months.
Origins of Attachments
Harry Harlow and Margaret Harlow revealed in their monkey studies that monkeys brought up in isolated cages with cheese clothes, became distressed when the cheesecloth was taken away from them.
Origins of Attachments
When they created two mothers , by inserting a wire cylinder with a wooden head and another cylinder with terry cloth, they found that the monkeys they found that the monkeys did not prefer the nourishing mother, but instead the comfy mother.
Origins of Attachments
This revealed that much of the parent-infant attachment comes from touch A safe haven as well as a secure base also strengthens attachment Critical period is known as an optimal period shortly after birth when certain events must take place to facilitate proper development. Imprinting is the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life. Children do not imprint Familiarity is more comfortable to children
Attachment Differences
Mary Ainsworth studied attachment differences by observing mother infant pairs at home during their first six months. Securely attached children play and explore comfortably when a mother is present and then becomes distressed when she leaves. Insecurely attached children meanwhile explore less in the mothers presence and may cling to her, cry loudly when she leaves and remain upset until she returns. Sensitive responsive parents tend to have securely attached children
Attachment Differences
Genetically influenced temperament may evoke responsive parenting, but parental sensitivity has been taught and does increase infant attachment security. Both father and mother love is a predictor to a childs well-being. Adult relationships tend to reflect the secure or insecure attachment styles of early childhood Erick Ericksons idea prompted that basic trust is formed in infancy through our experiences with responsive caregivers.
Deprivation of Attachment
Children become withdrawn and frightened when they are deprived of attachment and may not be able to develop speech properly Childhood abuse can lead to physical, psychological as well as social problems, it may alter the brains production of serotonin. This effect can be minimal before 16 months of age, by age 2 problems start to develop if abuse persists. Extensive time spent in day care is linked to increased aggression and defiance
Self Concept
Self concept is the sense of their own identity and personal worth. It emerges around 6 months At 15-16 months, children start to recognize themselves in the mirror When they start school, they can describe many of their own traits By age 10, their self conception is rigid and stable The childrens views of themselves affect their actions. Children who form a positive self concept are more confident, independent and optimistic