PSYCHOLOGY 202
• Syllabus• Reserve the right to
change the schedule and structure of the course as needed
• Who am I?
Getting to know youFind someone who has:Taken a psychology class Has green eyesBeen to AsiaDoes an “extreme sport”Has interacted with the law beforeIs nervous about taking this classHas more than three childrenFeels this class will be no problemHas run a marathon
Introductions
• Talk to your partner and learn• Why they are in this class• What they want to do when they finish
their time at RCC• What they do when they aren’t in class• One other unique or interesting thing
about them
Nature vs. Nurture• Nature-• Heredity: passing of characteristics from
parent to child, “You seem just like your dad”• Evidence of heredity: • Temperament: physical core of personality:
sensitivity, irritability, distractibility, typical mood
• Developmental Psychology is the study of progressive changes in behavior and ability from conception to death.
p. 79
Identical twins. Twins who share identical genes (identical twins) demonstrate the powerful influence of heredity. Even when they are reared apart, identical twins are strikingly alike in motor skills, physical development, and appearance. At the same time, twins are less alike as adults than they were as children, which shows environmental influences are at work
Nature vs. Nurture• Nurture-• Environment is the sum of all
outside influences on a child• Sensitive period: during
development, a time of increased sensitivity to environmental influences, also, times when things must occur for normal development
• Consequences of deprivation vs. Enrichment
• Synapses are connection points between two nerve cells where messages pass
Nature vs Nurture
• Heredity gives us potentials and limitations, nurture gives us learning, disease, culture and nutrition
• Reciprocal Influences: heredity affects environment
• Emotional Attachment is the close bond infants share with their primary caregivers, examples include geese imprinting
• It can be secure, insecure or avoidant
Birthing Procedures
• What are the typical birthing procedures in your culture of origin?
• What are alternative birthing procedures?• How is infant caregiver bonding handled in
your culture of origin?• What does “culture of origin mean?”
Parenting Styles• Authoritarian, Permissive & Authoritative• The influence of care giving styles is
important• Discipline types: Power assertion, withdrawal
of love, management techniques
Authoritarian Parents
• Enforce rigid rules and demand strict obedience to authority
• Children tend to be emotionally stiff and lacking in curiosity
Overly Permissive
• Give little guidance• Allow too much freedom, or don’t hold
children accountable for their actions • Children tend to be dependent and
immature and frequently misbehave
Authoritative
• Provide firm and consistent guidance combined with love and affection
• Children tend to be competent, self-controlled, independent, and assertive
• Picture a parent who seems to be a good a good caregiver. What do they do? Which of the optimal care giving behaviors do they use (page 101)? Do you know other parents who are authoritarian, permissive or authoritative? What are their kids like? How would these different parents use discipline?
Group Activity
• As reported in the newspaper from Boulder, CO in 2002. “Tom Hansen doesn’t like they way his life has turned out and says it’s because he was reared improperly. Hansen, 25, has filed suit against his mother and father, seeking $350,000 in damages because they reared him improperly and he will need psychiatric care the remainder of his life.” What do you think of this? What is the evidence of ‘parental malpractice’? Should or could a parent be held responsible for the way their kid turns out? Would you listen to this case if you were a judge?
Language Acquisition
• Babbling begins around 7 months
• Biological predisposition: idea that humans are pre-programmed for certain skills, such as language use
• Parentese: exaggerated way parents talk to their children. “Did Amy eat it ALL UP?”
• Ability to learn languages at earlier ages
Language Acquisition
• Cooing: Repetition of vowel sounds by infants; typically starts at 6-8 weeks
• Babbling: Repetition of meaningless language sounds (e.g., babababa); uses consonants B, D, M, and G; starts at 7 months
More on Language Acquisition
• Single-word stage: The child says one word at a time
• Telegraphic speech: Two-word sentences that communicate a single idea (e.g., “want cookie”)
Noam Chomsky and the Roots of Language
• Biological disposition: Presumed readiness of humans to learn certain skills such as how to use language – Chomsky: Language patterns are inborn
Children’s Thinking• Less abstract than adults• Piaget• Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years): object permanence• Preoperational stage (2-7 years): intuition• Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years): Mass and
weight stay the same, use of logic and reasoning• Formal Operations(11 + years): Abstract thinking• Zone of proximal development: range of tasks child
cannot accomplish alone, but can complete with a capable partner
Piagetian Evaluation
A woman was near death from cancer , and there was only one drug that might saver her. It was discovered by a druggist who was charging 10 times what it cost him to make the drug. The sick woman’s husband could only pay $1000, but the druggist wanted $2000. He asked the druggist to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. The druggist said no, so the husband became desperate and broke into the store to steal the drug for his wife. Should he have done that? Why or why not?
p. 82
Some of the typical features of children suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) include a small nonsymmetrical head, a short nose, a flattened area between the eyes, oddly shaped eyes, and a thin upper lip. Many of these features become less noticeable by adolescence. However, mental retardation and other problems commonly follow the FAS child into adulthood. The child shown here represents a moderate example of FAS.
p. 83
Children who grow up in poverty run a high risk of experiencing many forms of deprivation. There is evidence that lasting damage to social, emotional, and cognitive development occurs when children must cope with severe early deprivation.
Fig. 3-6, p. 86
Infant imitation. In the top row of photos, Andrew Meltzoff makes facial gestures at an infant. The bottom row records the infant’s responses.
Fig. 3-9, p. 88
Psychologist Carolyn Rovee-Collier has shown that babies as young as 3 months old can learn to control their movements. In her experiments, babies lie on their backs under a colorful crib mobile. A ribbon is tied around the baby’s ankle and connected to the mobile. Whenever babies spontaneously kick their legs, the mobile jiggles and rattles. Within a few minutes, infants learn to kick faster. Their reward for kicking is a chance to see the mobile move
Fig. 3-12, p. 89
An infant monkey clings to a cloth-covered surrogate mother. Baby monkeys become attached to the cloth “contact-comfort” mother but not to a similar wire mother. This is true even when the wire mother provides food. Contact comfort may also underlie the tendency of children to become attached to inanimate objects, such as blankets or stuffed toys. However, a study of 2- to 3-year-old blanket-attached children found that they were no more insecure than others
DiscussionWhat are typical childhood problems?When or how do you know if they have gone to far and intervention is necessary?How could you improve those behaviors?
Activities
• You are going to make cookies with children of various ages. What would the children be able to do based on Piaget’s theory of child development? (pages 110-112)
Sensitive Period
• A period of increased sensitivity to environmental influences; also, a time when certain events must occur for normal development to take place
Attachment
• Emotional attachment: Close emotional bond that infants form with parents, caregivers, or others
• Separation anxiety: Crying and signs of fear when a child is left alone or is with a stranger; generally appears around 8-12 months
• Separation anxiety disorder: Severe and prolonged distress displayed by children when separated from parents/caregivers– Children usually grow out of this
Quality of Infant Attachment (Ainsworth)
• Secure: Stable and positive emotional bond• Insecure-avoidant: Anxious emotional bond;
tendency to avoid reunion with parent or caregiver
• Insecure-ambivalent: Anxious emotional bond; desire to be with parent or caregiver and some resistance to being reunited with mother
Adolescence
• Culturally defined period between childhood and adulthood
• Puberty: Hormonal changes promote rapid physical growth and sexual maturity
p. 107
Personality theorist Erik Erikson (1903–1994) is best known for his life-stage theory of human development.
Stage One: Trust versus Mistrust (Birth–1)
• Children are completely dependent on others– Trust: Established when babies given adequate
warmth, touching, love, and physical care– Mistrust: Caused by inadequate or unpredictable
care and by cold, indifferent, and rejecting parents
Stage Two: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (1–3)
• Autonomy: Doing things for themselves• Overprotective or ridiculing parents may
cause children to doubt abilities and feel shameful about their actions
Stage Three: Initiative versus Guilt (3–5)
• Initiative: Parents reinforce via giving children freedom to play, use imagination, and ask questions
• Guilt: May occur if parents criticize, prevent play, or discourage a child’s questions
Stage Four: Industry versus Inferiority (6–12)
• Industry: Occurs when child is praised for productive activities, such as painting and building
• Inferiority: Occurs if child’s efforts are regarded as messy or inadequate
Stage Five (Adolescence): Identity versus Role Confusion
• Identity: For adolescents; problems answering, “Who am I?”
• Role Confusion: Occurs when adolescents are unsure of where they are going and who they are
Stage Six (Young Adulthood): Intimacy versus Isolation
• Intimacy: Ability to care about others and to share experiences with them
• Isolation: Feeling alone and uncared for in life
Stage Seven (Middle Adulthood): Generativity versus Stagnation
• Generativity: Interest in guiding the next generation
• Stagnation: When one is only concerned with one’s own needs and comforts
Stage Eight (Late Adulthood): Integrity versus Despair
• Integrity: Self-respect; developed when people have lived richly and responsibly
• Despair: Occurs when previous life events are viewed with regret; experiences heartache and remorse
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i9ckfFRcd4
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