Dev Psy

• Developmental Psychology: Branch of psychology concerned with changes in physical, cognitive, psychological, & social functioning that occurs throughout the lifespan
• Domains of development: physical, cognitive, psychosocial
• Goals of human devt: describe, explain, predict, intervene
• Periods of the lifespan: prenatal period, infancy & toddlerhood, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood
• NATURE: biological/genetic predispositions that impact one's human traits – physical, emotional, & intellectual
• NURTURE: describes the influence of learning & other "environmental" factors on these traits
• STABILITY: it is a result of heredity & early experiences in life
• CHANGE: takes a more optimistic view that later experiences can produce change
• CONTINUITY: view that devt is a gradual, continuous process
• DISCONTINUITY: view that devt occurs in a series of distinct stages
• Normative age-graded influences

  • are highly similar for people in a particular age group
  • e.g. Retirement, puberty at age 12 or 14, menopause at late 40s
• Normative history-graded influences

  • are significant events that shape the behavior & attitudes of a historical generation
  • eg. COVID-19 pandemic, WW2
• HISTORICAL GENERATION: a group of people who experienced a major, shaping historical events at a formative time in their lives; it is not the same as age cohort, it may contain more than one cohort
• Non normative influences: are unusual events that have a major impact on individual lives because they disturb the expected sequence of the life cycle
• CROSS SECTIONAL: designed to assess age-related differences, in which people of different ages are assessed on one occasion
• LONGITUDINAL: tracks people overtime & focuses on individual changes with age; the researchers study the same group more than once overtime
• SEQUENTIAL: combines 2 approaches to minimize the drawbacks of the separate approaches
• Theory: a set of logically related concepts or statements that seek to describe and explain development and to predict the kinds of behavior that might occur under certain conditions.
• REACTIVE DEVELOPMENT: a developing child is a hungry sponge that soaks up experiences and is shaped by this input over time.
• MECHANISTIC MODEL: people are like machines that react to environmental inputs
• ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT: argue that people create experiences for themselves and are motivated to learn about the world around them
• ORGANISMIC MODEL: views human development as internally initiated by an active organism and as occurring in a sequence of qualitatively different stages.
• Oral: mouth is the erogenous zone
• Anal: bowel and bladder elimination
• Anal retentive: organized, neat
• Anal expulsive: careless, disorganized
• Phallic: infant’s libido centers upon their genitalia as the erogenous zone
• Latency: libido is dormant during this stage
• Genital: sexual interests mature
• Psychosocial theory: each stage is marked by an interaction/conflict between two syntonic (harmonious) and dystonic (disruptive) element.
• Trust vs mistrust: trust (or mistrust) that basic needs will be met
• Autonomy vs shame/doubt: develop a sense of independence
• Initiative vs guilt: take initiative on some activities– may develop guilt when unsuccessful
• Industry vs inferiority: develop self-confidence in abilities when competent or sense of inferiority when not
• Identity vs confusion: experiment w/ and develop identity and roles
• Intimacy vs isolation: establish intimacy and relationships with others
• Generativity vs stagnation: contribute to society and be a part of a family
• Integrity vs despair: assess and make sense of life and meaning of contributions
• Operant Conditioning: the use of consequence/s to form or modify the occurrence of behavior.
• Positive Reinforcement: behavior is followed by a favorable stimulus