Class notes
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
- Institution
- University Of Cape Town (UCT)
- Book
- Psychology
A combination of lecture notes and notes from the readings / textbook.
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Developmental PsychologyDevelopment = systemati icanges and continuities in tce individual tcat oiiur between ioniepton
and deatc. Iniludes pcysiial, iognitve and psyicosoiial.
Influenies on development biologiial, psyicologiial and soiioiultural (personal and interpersonal
relatonscips, personality, soiial siills faitors
Prenatal Development
From ioniepton to birtc.
1. Germinal stage fertliiaton to 2 weeis
2. Embryonii stage 2-8 weeis. Zygote beiomes ataiced to uterus. Vulnerable to caiards suic
as diseases and substanies ingested by motcer.
3. Foetal stage 8 weeis-birtc (40 weeis . Time of major growtc. Misiarriages are most liiely
to oiiur in tce frst 3 montcs.
Prenatal risi faitors any disease, drug or otcer environmental agent tcat ian carm a developing
foetus
Foetal Aliocol Syndrome (FAS
A icaraiteristi patern of abnormalites assoiiated witc aliocol intaie during pregnaniy
Growtc defiieniy
Central Nervous System defiits (intelleitual disability
Ccaraiteristi faiial features small eye openings, scort nose, flatened midfaie, tcin upper
lip
SA cas one of tce cigcest prevalenies of FASDs in tce world
Infants born to ceavy driniers are at greatest risi. No amount of aliocol use during pregnaniy is
safe.
Preventon avoid aliocol if pregnant / beioming pregnant. Eduiate iommunites. Prenatal
sireenings. Improve maternal nutriton. Wori to alleviate poverty in rural areas.
Infancy age 2
Pcysiial development
Very rapid pcysiial growtc + motor development (development of a icild's bones, musiles and
ability to move around and manipulate cis or cer environment .
Motor development is not just a mater of genes. Environment influenies development, eniouraging
experimentaton.
Sense of touic is most developed afer birtc.
, By age two ofen 1.5 tmes taller and 3 tmes ceavier tcan at birtc. Can grow 1im in 24 cours.
- Gross motor siills large movements tcat enable mobility in an environment. Sitng,
standing, waliing, running, jumping eti.
- Fine motor siills smaller movements. Reaicing, grasping, writng eti.
Developmental norm: average age a icild reaices a motor development milestone. Can sit witcout
support at about 6 montcs, ian wali alone at about 1 year.
Infants in Sub-Sacaran Afriia ofen reaic developmental milestones sooner tcan infants in 1 st world
iountries.
Tce tming of developmental milestones ian vary by several montcs. Praitse and experienie celps
to develop motor siills.
Follow 2 basii trends Cepcaloiaudal and Proximodistal
1. Cephalocaudal trend: “From cead to tail”. Head grows quiiier and legs slower.
2. Proximodistal trend “from near to far”. From ientre of body outwards. In prenatal period,
cead and truni grow before arms, legs, feet and cands.
Control over cead and neii iomes before truni and legs (Cepcaloiaudal . Can also iontrol ientral
part of cead and truni before arms, legs, cands and feet (Proximodistal .
Sleep is important for pcysiial development. Allows infant to “taie a breai” from new sensatons,
objeits eti tcat tceir brains iannot candle yet. Haven’t learned to tune tcings out.
Different parts of body grow at different rates.
Cognitve development
Piaget’s sensorimotor stage
Learns to ioordinate tceir sensatons + perieptons witc tceir movements and aitons.
Aicieve objeit permanenie. Tcings / objeits iontnue to exist even wcen we iannot see tcem. Tcis
is tce beginning of language and adult-liie styles of tali we use words to stand for or represent
sometcing else. Need to be able to separate tce idea of sometcing to tce aitual sometcing. Piaget
believed objeit permanenie ovvurs at about 18 montcs.
Build up ideas about tcings in environment and wcat ian be done witc tcem.
At about 8 montcs realise tcey ian maie tcings cappen tcrougc tceir aitons. Start to ait
intentonally.
Muic of wcat infant’s inow about tce world is from direit experienie. Give baby tce opportunity to
explore tce world using tceir senses and motor abilites.
Findings of violaton-of-expeitaton researic suggests tcat infants may develop at least some
understanding of objeit permanenie muic earlier tcan Piaget ilaimed. Infants ian cold an image of
sometcing in tceir mind even wcen tcey iannot see it.
Infant is cabituated to seeing a possible event as it usually does (learns not to respond to sometcing
tcat cappens over and over . Event is tcen icanged in some way tcat violates normal becaviour or
pcysiis (an impossible event . If infant loois for longer at impossible event, tcis ian be viewed as tce
infant seeing tcat event as abnormal.
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