PSYCHOLOGY
Studies physical, cognitive and
social development throughout
the life span
2 months
2. Pedal a tricycle 24 months
3. Sit without support 5-6 months
4. Feel ashamed 24 months
5. Walk unassisted 12 months
MATURATION
The development of the brain unfolds based
on genetic instructions, causing various bodily
and mental functions to occur in sequence
e.g. standing before walking, babbling before
talkingthis is called maturation.
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
First, infants begin to roll over. Next, they
sit unsupported, crawl, and finally walk.
Experience has little effect on this sequence.
Profmedia.CZ s.r.o./ Alamy
TOILET TRAINING
Bowel and bladder control are other examples of
behavior where experience has a limited impact
Pleading or punishment are not going to produce
successful toileting before muscular and neuronal
maturation
Criteria:
1. universal
2. sequential
3. relatively uninfluenced by
experience
NATURE/NURTURE
Maturation: A key nature concept
Critical Period: A key nurture concept
A critical period is a specific time period
during development when a specific kind of
stimulation (or lack of stimulation) can have a
profound effect on later development
STAGES OF PRENATAL
DEVELOPMENT
conception (fertilization)
zygote (0-2 wks)
embryo (2-8 wks)
rapid cell division; major organs present
CONCEPTION
INTO A ZYGOTE
40 days
45 days
2 months
4 months
Diseases
Rubella and critical periods
Zika virus
microcephaly
NEWBORN CAPABILITIES
Reflexes
Personality
Easy, Difficult, Slow-to-Warm
Preferences
High contrast;
movement;
face-like objects;
smell and sound of mom!
NEWBORN CAPABILITIES
Reflexes
NEWBORN CAPABILITIES
Reflexes
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT:
ATTACHMENT IN INFANTS
Secure Attachment:
prefers contact with loved one
can be soothed
follows loved one
cries when loved one leaves
EXPERIMENTS IN ATTACHMENT
Evidence of Attachment in Harlows Studies:
1. Contact comfort
2. Fear reduction
3. Secure base (for exploration)
Monkeys raised by
artificial mothers were
terror-stricken when
placed in strange
situations without their
surrogate mothers
SECURE ATTACHMENT IN
HUMANS
Comes from
Body Contact
Familiarity/Consistency
Responsive Parenting
RESPONSIVE PARENTING
Responsive parents: are sensitive to childs needs and
meet them quickly
Unresponsive parents: attend to baby when they feel
like it, and ignore the baby at other times
PARENTING STYLES
Warm
Cold
Lots of
Authoritative
Punitive
Authorita
Guidance (High Self-Esteem rian
(Aggression)
and Achievment)
Little
Permissive
Neglectful
Guidance (Low Self-Control) (Low SelfEsteem)
FAMILIARITY
Performance
Continuity view
Discontinuity view
Age
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
STAGE 2: PREOPERATIONAL
(2-6)
Child is not logical
Key development: Egocentrism
incapable of seeing another
point of view
STAGE 3: CONCRETE
OPERATIONAL (7-11)
Thinks logically about concrete events
Key development: Conservation
objects stay the same even when their form changes