Objectives

The nature-nurture controversy Continuous development versus stages of development Piagets concepts of stages of cognitive development Attachment as an essential process of emotional and social development

L8 Development (Module 17)

Infancy & Childhood

INTRODUCTION
Reactive attachment disorder
psychiatric illness characterized by serious problems in emotional attachments beginning before age 5 symptoms include resisting comfort and affection by parents, being overly friendly with strangers, forming poor peer relationships, and engaging in destructive behavior to self and others

INTRODUCTION (CONTD)
Developmental psychologists Study a persons biological, emotional, cognitive, personal, and social development across the life span, from infancy through late adulthood

Nature-nurture question
asks how much nature (genetic factors) and how much nurture (environmental factors) contribute to a persons biological, emotional, cognitive, personal, and social development

Development
The process of age-related changes that occur as a person progresses from conception to death

PRENATAL INFLUENCES
Nature and nurture Yehudi Menuhin prodigy child who shows a highly unusual talent ability genius at a very early age doesnt have mental retardation small percentage of autistic children (who have some degree of mental retardation) may also show unusual artistic or mathematical abilities savants

Findings evidence for the naturenurture debate

Twin studies Developmental investigations in which twins, especially identical twins, are compared in the search for genetic and environmental effects Adoption studies Studies in which the adopted childs characteristics are compared to those of the biological family and the adoptive family

Some findings:
Results of twin studies basically show a strong effects of genes, but inconsistent findings still exist In addition, a number of personality-related genes have been discovered. However a gene-personality relationship does not necessarily imply direct causal relationship

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Some findings:
For instance, a gene for TV watching has been found which little evidence to explain why However, scientists did find the mechanisms for how genes predispose a person to become a sensation seeker

Nature via nurture

Nowadays, with the advances of molecular biology and neuroscience, it becomes clear that it is the environment that triggers the expression of genes Genes do not code who we become, but how we develop in response to environment; and that is how nature and nurture interact

Continuous development vs Stages

Continuous development vs Stages

Continuous development Course of development in which changes occur gradually in similar rate at different period of time Developmental stages Periods of life initiated by significant transitions or changes in physical or psychological functioning which is qualitatively different from other stages

continuous development Performance

developmental Stages

Age

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Piagets theory Cognitive development refers to how a person perceives, thinks, and gains understanding of his or her world through the interaction and influence of genetic and learned factors Jean Piaget greatest impact on developmental psychology with cognitive development both biologist and psychologist

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Piagets theory Assimilation process by which a child uses old methods or experiences to deal with new situations Accommodation process by which a child changes old methods to deal with or adjust to new situations

Piagets theory of cognitive development

Cognitive development - development of process of knowing, reasoning, remembering, & problem solving Piaget asserts that a childs cognitive abilities develop through dialectical interaction with the environment, and that develop occurs in stages

The mechanisms of cognitive development

Cognitive dissonance Disequilibrium between current knowledge and new experience

The mechanisms of cognitive development

Assimilation Interpreting new experiences with existing cognitive structures without changing them Accommodation Restructuring existing cognitive structures so that new information can fit into them more easily

Cognitive structure

restructuring

Cognitive dissonance

Assimilation

Accommodation

Piagets Stages in Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor stage (0-2 yr) knowing the world through senses & forming internal representation of objects Preoperational stage (2-7 yr) using symbols but being weak in operation Concrete operational stage (7-11 yr) operating internal representation of objects Formal operational stage (11 yr to adulthood) operating abstract concepts

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Piagets four stages of cognitive development 1. Sensorimotor stage 2. Preoperational stage 3. Concrete operations 4. Formal operations

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Sensorimotor stage Birth to age 2 infants interact with and learn about their environments by relating their sensory experiences to their motor experiences Object permanence develops over a period of 9 months refers to the understanding that objects or events continue to exist even if they can no longer be heard, touched, or seen

Object permanence

Object permanence

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Preoperational stage About age 2 to 7 years
children learn to use symbols, such as words or mental images, to solve simple problems and to think or talk about things that arent present the fact that even though the shape of some object or substance changes, the total amount stays the same viewing the world only from your own perspective and having difficulty appreciating someone elses

Conservation

Egocentric thinking

Conservation
Oh yeah!!

Conservation

Conservation
Of course , the taller one has more!!

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Concrete stage About age 7 to 11 years Children can perform a number of logical mental operations on concrete objects (physically present) Conservation
children gradually master the concept of conservation during the concrete operations stage ability to classify items by color and size for example still have difficulty figuring out relationships among objects that arent present or imaginary situations

Classification

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Formal operations stage About age 12 to adulthood Adolescents and adults develop the ability to think about and solve abstract problems in a logical manner Adolescents develop thinking and reasoning typical of adults Ability to think in a logical, systematic, and abstract way is one of the major characteristics of the formal operations stage

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Definition Refers to the influence and interaction of genetic factors, brain changes, cognitive factors, coping abilities, and cultural factors in the development of emotional behaviors, expressions, thoughts, and feelings Temperament Refers to relatively stable and long-lasting individual differences in mood and emotional behavior that emerge early in childhood; largely influenced by genetic factors

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Temperament and emotions Easy babies: happy and cheerful, regular sleeping and eating habits, adapted quickly to new situations Slow-to-warm-up babies: more withdrawn, moody, and tended to take longer to adapt to new situations Difficult babies: fussy, fearful of new situations, and more intense in their reactions No-single-category babies: 35% of sample had variety of traits and couldnt be classified into one of the other three categories

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Temperament and emotions Genetic influence infants develop distinct temperaments very early, usually in the first 2 to 3 months of life occur largely because of genetic factors rather than learning experiences Environmental influence involves factors such as family influence, poverty level, educational opportunities, and social class interact with and can change the infants initial temperament

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Temperament and emotions Attachment close, fundamental emotional bond that develops between the infant and his or her parents or caregiver as a child shows closer attachment, he or she shows more distress when parents or caregivers temporarily leave

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Attachment Separation anxiety
infants distress whenever parents leave

Kinds of attachments Secure

characteristic of infants who use their parent as a safe home base from which they can wander off and explore their environments characteristic of infants who avoid or show ambivalence or resistance toward parents

Insecure

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Attachment Kind of attachment formed in infancy is thought to be associated with the success of future adult relationships Secure associated with being better at resolving conflicts, being more trusting, enjoying relationships, and dealing better with anxiety Insecure associated with being dependent, having poor social relationships, and showing more anxiety

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Social development How a person develops a sense of self or a selfidentity, relationships with others, and the kinds of social skills important in personal interactions Freuds psychosexual stages Five different developmental periods 1. oral 2. anal 3. phallic 4. latency 5. genital

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Social development Individual seeks pleasure from different areas of the body that are associated with sexual feelings Freud childs first five years are most important to social and personality development

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Oral stage Early infancy to 18 months Pleasure seeking is around the mouth Sucking, chewing, and biting If fixated at this stage due to oral wishes being gratified too much or too little, could continue in adulthood seeking oral gratification

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Anal stage 1.5 to 3 years Infants pleasure seeking is centered on the anus and its functions of elimination If fixated, will exhibit behavioral activities in either retention or elimination retention may take form of being neat, stingy, or rigid elimination may take form of being generous or messy

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Phallic stage 3 to 6 years (early childhood) Pleasure seeking is centered on the genitals Competes with parent of same sex for affections and pleasures of the parent of the opposite sex May result in feelings of inferiority for women and of having something to prove for men

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Latency stage 6 to puberty (middle to late childhood) Child represses sexual thoughts and engages in nonsexual activities developing social and intellectual skills During puberty, sexuality reappears

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Genital stage Puberty to adulthood Individual has renewed sexual desires that he or she seeks to fulfill through relationships with members of the opposite sex Successful resolution of the conflicts in the first three stages will lead to having energy to develop loving relationships and a healthy and mature personality

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Eriksons psychosocial stages Eight developmental periods during which an individuals primary goal is to satisfy desires associated with social needs
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. trust autonomy initiative industry identity intimacy generativity ego integrity

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Eriksons psychosocial stages Trust versus mistrust early infancy through the first year if parents are sensitive and responsive to the childs needs, basic trust will develop if parents neglect needs, the child may view the world as uncaring and learn to become mistrustful

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Eriksons psychosocial stages Autonomy versus shame and doubt late infancy (1 to 3 years) battle of wills between parents wishes and childs desires to do as he or she pleases if parents encourage the child to explore, a sense of independence develops if parents disapprove or punish the childs explorations, he or she may develop a feeling that independence is bad and feel shame and doubt

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Eriksons psychosocial stages Initiative versus guilt early childhood (3 to 5 years) child develops a number of social skills that are expected to be used to meet challenges if parents encourage initiative, the child will develop the ability to plan and initiate new things if parents discourage initiative, the child may feel guilty or uncomfortable or may feel unable to plan the future

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Eriksons psychosocial stages Industry versus inferiority middle and late childhood (5 to 12 years) child needs to direct energy into working and completing tasks develops a feeling of industry if child has difficulty applying and completing work, he or she may develop a feeling of inferiority and incompetence

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTD)

Eriksons psychosocial stages Identity versus role confusion adolescence if child is successful making the change to adolescence, he or she will develop a sense of confidence and a positive identity if child is unsuccessful, he or she will experience role confusion results in having low self-esteem and becoming socially withdrawn

End of L8