Developmental Psychology
The study of human physical, cognitive, social, and behavioural characteristics across the lifespan. Often uses cross-sectional designs, cohort effects, and longitudinal design methods.
Prenatal Development
- Zygote
- Embryonic Period (6-8 weeks. Developing organs, limbs, etc)
- Fetal Period (9-36 weeks. Brain developing, continued small limb and organ development.
- Full Term (38 weeks)
Age of viability occurs at 22 weeks, CNS starts developing at 20 weeks, at which point anatomy scan occurs.
Teratogens
Substances or environmental factors that can harm a developing fetus. Includes alcohol, tobacco, viruses, bacteria/parasites, radiation, pollution, and drugs.
Thalidomide
A teratogen that used to be prescribed to treat morning sickness and resulted in limb malformations and birth defects (missing ears). Pulled in 1962.
Teflon and C-8
Forever Chemicals that remain in the umbelical cord from the point of exposure and lead to birth defects and face deformities.
Visual Perception
Develops from birth. Infants prefer patterns with contours and edges, and imitate facial expressions. Provides foundation for social skills.
Kindchenschema
A set of physical features that automatically trigger caregiving, affection, and attention in adults by activating reward-related regions of the brain. An evolutionary trait due to our predisposition to protection and nurturence.
Features include large, round eyes, big head, round cheeks, small nose, mouth, soft, clumsy movements.
Attachment
The emotional bond that develops between a child and an individual, evidenced by seeking closeness to a caregiver and displaying distress upon separation.
Critical for healthy relationships late in life.
Deprivation associated with cognitive and emotional impairment.
Bowlby Attachment Theory
Attachment is innate and evolved to ensure survival. Infants are biologically programmed to form attachments to caregivers who provide safety, food, and protection. Behaviours like crying, clinging, and smiling help attract and maintain caregiver attention. Reciprocity builds attachment.
Secure attachment
Attachment characterized by the infant using the caregiver as the home base to explore, distressed when they leave, but easily comforted upon return. Leads to healthy relationships later, more socially and emotionally competent kids, fewer psychological difficulties.
Avoidant Attachment
Attachment characterized by the infant not crying when the caregiver leaves and avoiding them when they return. Leads to avoidance of vulnerability later in life.
Ambivalent Attachment
Attachment characterized by the infant being distressed when the caregiver leaves, but resistant to comfort when they return.
Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment
Attachment that is characterized by inconsistent, contradictory behaviour. Fear is heavily associated with this attachment type. Difficulty with stable relationships later
Criticisms of Attachment Theory
-Cultural variations and different child rearing practices
- Fails to take temperament into account
- if Caregivers and infants share genetic characteristics, attachment could be result of shared genes.
Authoritarian Parenting
Rigid, punitive, and strict standards set out by parents that lead to unsociable, unfriendly, and withdrawn behaviour from children.
Little flexibility lots of obedience and discipline.
Leads to low self esteem and autonomy. Fear based relationships with parents.
Permissive Parenting
Lax, inconsistent, and undemanding behaviour from parents that results in immature, moody, dependent kids with low self-control, accountability, and discipline.
Uninvolved Parenting
Emotionally detached parents who see their only role as providing for children. Low response and demand. Results in indifferent kids who reject behaviour and have low self-esteem and academic performance and typically have emotional and behavioural issues later in life.
Authoritative Parenting
Parents who set firm limits and goals but use reasoning and encourage independence. Warmth and discipline are balanced. Results in high resilience children with good self esteem, likeability, social skills, and independence.
Inductive Discipline
Discipline that involves explaining how actions affect other people, activating empathy, not fear, and supporting internal moral values.
Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
The idea that children try to make sense of the world using schemas, adapting information using assimilation, or acommodation to learn and progress through various stages of development. These stages include:
1. Sensorimotor stage
2. Preoperational Stage
3. Concrete Operational Stage
4. Formal Operational Stage
Sensorimotor Stage of Development
Understanding based on touching, chewing, manipulating, etc. Occurs from birth - 2 years. The stage in which we develop object permanence.
Where self-awareness begins to emerge (18-24 months)
Preoperational Stage
The stage of development in which language, symbolic thinking, and egocentric thinking occur. Between ages of 2-7. Children think that everyone shares their knowledge and perspective.
Theory of mind emerges at 4-5 years.
Concrete Operational Stage
The stage of development in which principle of conservation occurs, and children begin to think in a more logical manner and overcome egocentrism. Understand the idea of reversibility, but are bound to concrete reality and struggle with abstract thought. Occurs between 7-12 years.
Formal Operational Stage
Age 12-Adulthood
Development of logical and abstract thinking. Can start to manipulate information more.
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Intro to Psych and Schools of Thought25
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Research Methods18
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Biological Psychology32
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Sensation and Perception30
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Consciousness35
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Learning29
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Memory28
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Thinking and Language29
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Motivation and Emotion28
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Lifespan Development32
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Personality32
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Health Psychology24
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Psychological Disorders34
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Therapies31
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Social Psychology47
