What is the nature? vs. nurture? debate? ?Apply this debate to a famous person. Do you think nature influenced them more, or nurture? In what ways? Choose a famous or infamous figure (it co

Module 1 Developmental Psychology: Introduction, Major Theories,

and Research Methods

WHAT IS DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY?

Module 1: Part 1

Definition of Developmental Psychology

• The scientific study of progressive changes in development from conception until death.

• Focus: o Physical Development: growth, physical state o Cognitive Development: thought, intelligence,

language o Social and Emotional Development: relationships,

emotions, personality

Developmental Can be Viewed As: • Lifelong • Multidimensional • Multidimensional • Plastic • Nature vs. Nurture • Continuous • Mutlidiscipilinary

• Contextual: o Normative age-graded o Normative history-

graded o Non-normative life

events

Nature vs. Nurture view of Human Development • Some psychologists view nature (genetics,

heredity) as having greater influence over a person’s development than nurture (environmental influences such as where and how a person is raised).

• Are some people born cruel or bad or do their life experiences cause them to do bad things?

• Most psychologists agree that we are shaped by a combination of biological and environmental factors.

Contextual Influences • Normative age-graded influences: influences

that are determined by chronological age. Example: Marriage, retirement

• Normative history-graded influences: common to a group of people as a result of historical circumstances: Example: war, epidemics

• Nonnormative life events: Unusual events that have a major impact on a person’s life. Examples: natural disaster, abuse

Conceptions of Age

• Chronological Age: actual number of years alive

• Biological Age: Person’s age in terms of biological/physical health

• Psychological Age: adaptive capacity compared with others of the same chronological age.

• Social Age: Connection with others and social roles a person has chosen

Stability vs. Change

• To what degree do early traits and characteristics persist through life: o If you were a picky eater as a child, does this

change or remain the same? o Do we outgrow some personality characteristics

or behavior patterns? Do we grow into new ones?

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

• Development is a continuous slow and steady process in one direction or development occurs in distinct stages or steps

Periods of Development

• Prenatal • Infancy • Early Childhood • Middle Childhood • Adolescence • Early Adulthood • Middle Adulthood • Late Adulthood

THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT

Module 1: Part 2

Major Psychological Theories of Development

• Psychoanalytic theories • Cognitive Theories • Behavioral and social cognitive theories • Ethological theory • Ecological theory • Eclectic theories

Psychodynamic Theories

• Freud: Stage theory of psycho-sexual development: o Oral Stage-Birth to 2 years o Anal State- 2 to 3 years o Phallic Stage- 3 to 6 years o Latent Stage – 6 years to puberty o Genital Stage – puberty onward

Psychodynamic Theories cont’d • Erikson’s Psychosocial theory: Eight stages of

developmental dilemmas that are faced throughout life: o Trust vs. Mistrust o Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt o Initiative vs. Guilt o Industry vs. Inferiority o Identity vs. Role Confusion o Intimacy vs. Isolation o Generativity vs. Stagnation o Integrity vs. Despair

Psychodynamic Theories cont’d

• View development as primarily unconscious • Emphasis is placed on family relationships • Erikson: resolution of a psychosocial crisis at

each stage: • Criticized for lack of scientific research

supporting the theories, too much emphasis on sexual development

Biological Theories

• Evolutionary Theory • Sociobiology • Ethology- study of animals in natural habitat,

focus on critical or sensitive periods

Cognitive Theories

• Piaget: Cognitive Developmental Theory: Children go through 4 stages of cognitive development.

• Main Concepts: o Schemas o Assimilation and Accommodation o Organization

Piaget’s Stages

• Sensorimotor Stage • Preoperational Stage • Concrete Operational Stage • Formal Operational Stage

Cognitive Theories cont’d

• Lev Vygotsky: Focuses on the influence of social, cultural, and historical factors on cognitive development

• Main concepts: o Zone of proximal development o Scaffolding

Cognitive Theories cont’d

• Information –Processing Theory: cognitive development is guided by self-modification in thinking o How do people manipulate information, monitor

information, and strategize.

Socioemotional Theories of Development

• Humanistic Theory: focuses on human development as conscious and aimed at achieving growth towards highest potential.

• Abraham Maslow: Hierarchy of Needs impacts development, Need for self- actualization

• Carl Rogers: Need for unconditional positive regard to assist development

Attachment Theories

• John Bowlby- attachment to caregiver during 1st year of life has consequences throughout lifespan

• Mary Ainsworth: Three types of infant attachment, The Strange Situation Experiment

Environmental/Contextual Theories

• Behavioral Theories: Classical and Operant Conditioning – Development can be shaped by reinforcement

• Social Cognitive Theory: Observational Learning, Modeling, Imitation – We learn through watching and imitating others (Bandura)

Ecological Theory of Development

• Bronfenbrenner: Marco and micro dimension of environmental systems

• Includes family, peers, religion, health services, neighborhood and other environmental and social contexts

RESEARCH METHODS

Module 1: Part 3

The Scientific Method

• Ask a question • Collect relevant data • Analyze data • Draw conclusions based on the analysis of

findings.

Important Terms:

• Theory: An idea that helps to explain a phenomenon and facilitate predictions

• Hypothesis: A specific assumption and prediction that can be tested

• Operational Definition • Variables

Psychologists Seek to:

• Describe phenomena or, • Understand relationships between

phenomena or, • Examine cause and effect between

phenomena

Descriptive Research

• Describes human development • Example: Newborn reflexes and when these

reflexes start to fade in different cultures • Uses methods such as:

o Naturalistic Observation o Ethnographic research o Laboratory research

Correlational Research

• Relationship between one or more variables • Example: Is there are relationship between

childhood trauma and juvenile delinquency? o Methods Used:

• Surveys • Physiological measurements • Interviews • Observation • Archival data

Types of Correlations

• Positive correlation • Negative correlation • Examples: Positive correlation –higher

amounts of lead in water is related to higher levels of developmental delay in children

• Example of Negative Correlation: higher family instability is related to lower academic performance

Experimental Research

• Seeks to determine if a cause and effect relationship exists between two variables.

• Independent variable: Variable being manipulated by the experimenter

• Dependent variable: measured to see if it was impacted by independent variable

• Experimental research requires: o Random Assignment, An Experimental group, a

control group

Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal Research

• Cross-Sectional: individuals of different age groups are compared at one time

• Longitudinal: Same individuals studied over a period of time.

• Examples of longitudinal studies: Harvard Grant Study (Vaillant)

Laboratory vs. Naturalistic

• Laboratory Observation: A setting where experimenters can observe behavior and control for extraneous variables

• Naturalistic Observation: Observing behavior in real-world settings

Twin Studies

• Twin Studies examine pairs of twins, some raised in the same environment, others raised in different environments, to examine the influence of genetics on behavior, personality traits and other forms of development.

Ethical Issues in Conducting Research

• Children and pregnant women are considered special populations under ethical guidelines- an extra consideration for development researchers

• Ethical Codes include: Informed Consent, Confidentiality, Debriefing participants

• Conducting Research with Human Subject Certificate can be taken through NIH:

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