These notes summarize the Deveolopmental psychology section in the Psychology: an introduction 5th edition textbook and also has some notes from lectures in them. The summary is detailed but short.
Social & Emotional Development
Temperament
individual’s characteristic manner of responding to the environment.
1. Easy Temp – generally happy, adaptable, regular & easy to soothe.
2. Difficult temp – adapt slowly, distracted easily, inflexible, intense reactions, cry
frequently.
3. Slow-to-warm-up – adjust slowly, reactions not intense.
Bonding (Infants & Caregivers)
Natural process of mother falling in love w/baby after birth.
= Foundation for all development
Some abuse, neglect, abandon/ murder.
Obstacles:
Infants appearance – ‘ babyness’ evokes caregiving responses; impaired offspring do
not evoke positive caregiving behaviours (STUDIED IN ANIMALS). Baby smell & skin
texture evoke tenderness.
Mom’s Social & economic conditions – only care for child most likely to survive; don’t
bond with infant (Survival strategy) eg. Poverty.
(DEBATE) must occur in sensitive period -imprint immediately after birth.
, Preschool Period
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT BASIC TRENDS:
INFANCY - 1st 2 yrs = Rapid growth (Grow in spurts) Cephalocaudal developmental trend –
- Gain control over muscles head downward.
Head – Neck – Arms – Abdomen – Legs Proximodistal development trend –
- 4 – 6 months = weight doubled. centre downward.
- End of 1st yr = weight tripled.
- 1st 6 months = best nutrition ONLY breastmilk.
- Sleep 16 hrs = small naps – take break from so sounds textures etc (they don’t tune out
stimuli)
- 8-18 months – start walking (by 2 not – developmental issue)
2 – 6 yrs = slow growth (Childhood)
- Proportions change Gross motor skills – large
2yrs = head ¼ of body body movements (crawling
5½yrs = head 1/6 of body &running).
- Develop left/right handed (preference @ 2)
Fine motor skills – small
Brain & nervous system develop increasingly dense neural body movements (reaching
networks. & grasping, writing).
Ability to require new info > (influenced by
environment/genetics).
Physical activity = crucial for development (gross & fine motor skills)
Gross faster > Fine motor
Malnutrition – stunts growth, activity levels + learning and maturing delays.
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT (pre & neo)
1st 2 yrs = basic understanding (recognise objects + people, search for objects, understand
cause & effect relationships)
Assimilation – incorporating new
st
Piaget’s stages (1 2) experiences into existing schemas.
-construct own knowledge by building schemas (responses to
Accommodation – altering
certain stimuli) through Ass & Acc.
existing schemas to adapt to new
-Does not occur instantly – repeated no. of times
info.
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