Victor of Aveyron
Case that showed importance of early social interaction and possible critical periods for language development.
3 Major Development Questions
Continuous vs stage? Nature vs nurture? Active vs passive child?
Quantitative Change
Change in amount (ex: vocabulary increases).
Qualitative Change
Change in kind or structure (ex: crawling to walking).
4 Goals of Child Development
Describe, explain, predict, optimize.
4 Domains of Development
Physical, cognitive, psychosocial, normative/non-normative influences.
Normative Influence
Typical age-related event (ex: puberty).
Non-normative Influence
Unusual life event (ex: serious accident).
Social Construction
Concept created by society’s beliefs and norms.
4 Contexts of Development
Family, SES, culture/ethnicity, historical context.
Mechanistic Model
Passive development; environment shapes the child.
Organismic Model
Active development; child shapes their own growth.
Tabula Rasa
Blank slate idea; experience shapes development.
Noble Savage
Belief that children are naturally good.
Bidirectional Influence
Child and environment influence each other.
Freud’s 5 Stages
Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital.
Fixation
Being stuck in a developmental stage.
Oedipal Complex
Boy desires mother and sees father as rival.
Id
Pleasure principle; seeks immediate gratification.
Ego
Reality principle; logical mediator.
Superego
Moral conscience.
Trust vs Mistrust
Consistent care leads to trust; neglect leads to mistrust.
Integrity vs Despair
Life satisfaction leads to integrity; regret leads to despair.
Positive Reinforcement
Adding something pleasant to increase behavior.
