Child Development

1
Chapter 8

• Child Development
• Dr. Greg Cook
• Introductory Psychology

2

• Developmental Psychology the study of how humans
  grow, develop, and change throughout the life
  span. (We stay the same too!).
• Nature the influence of genetics, biological
  growth (GENES)
• Nurture the influence of parents, siblings,
  teachers, etc., also of surroundings, resources,
  stimuli, etc. (ENVIRONMENT).
• G X E Nature X Nurture interactions
  determine who you are!

3
Quantitative vs. Qualitative Change

• Quantitative Change In some ways, our
  growth/change is mostly gradual and consistent
• Ex Weight, height, counting ability, facts
  known
• Qualitative Change In other ways, our
  growth/change goes through phases or stages
• Ex Social relationships go from either sex, to
  same-sex, to opposite-sex
• You are an adult today, and in some sense you are
  more of who you used to be (smarter, etc.), but
  in other ways you are different than you used
  to be (examples?).

4
Prenatal Development

• Prenatal Pre (before), natal (birth)
• Conception 23 23 types of twins, multiples
• Stages of Prenatal Development
• Germinal 0-2 weeks implants in uterus
• Embryonic 3-8 weeks organogenesis
• Fetal 9-38/40 growth
• DeCasper Spence (1986) The Cat in the Hat

5
Teratogens

• Teratogens chemicals, viruses, other agents that
  can cause birth defects
• Cigarette smoke low birth weight (lt 5.5 lbs.),
  SIDS, ADHD
• Alcohol Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
• --growth deficiency
• --facial, head deformities
• --CNS problems (MR, etc.)
• Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAEs)
• --MR, ADHD, motor impairments, etc.
• Prenatal Alcohol exposure is the leading cause
  of MR in the United States!!
• What other teratogens do we need to avoid?
  Preventable, we can help!

6
Jean Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development

• Schemes
• Assimilation
• Accommodation
• Equilibration
• Example in textbook bouncing a ball
  bouncing a plum
• Photos from www.Piaget.org

7
Piaget Practice

• Jamie, 4 years old, can count to 10 on her
  fingers. Now she is trying to count beads, but
  she gets confused about what to do when she gets
  to 20 and beyond. With some practice and help,
  she learns the 10s plus rule of twenty-one,
  thirty-one, etc.
• Scheme
• Assimilation
• Accommodation
• Equilibration

8
Piaget Practice

• Matt, 3 years old, rides his tricycle. Now he
  tries a 2-wheeled bike. He falls, but eventually
  he learns to balance and ride.
• Scheme
• Assimilation
• Accommodation
• Equilibration

9
Piaget Practice

• Intro Psych students learn about Piagets theory,
  and it changes how they understand child
  development.
• Scheme
• Assimilation
• Accommodation
• Equilibration

10
Piagets Stages of Development

• Childrens logic changes qualitatively across
  development
• Sensorimotor Stage (birth to 2 years)
• Sensori motor no object permanence
• Preoperational Stage (2 to 6 years)
• fail conservation problems
• egocentric
• centration
• Concrete Operations Stage (6 to 11,12 years)
• pass conservation problems
• reversibility
• Formal Operations Stage (11, 12 years)
• abstract, hypothetical reasoning
• naïve idealism, imaginary audience, personal
  fable

Photo from Cook Cook (2007). World of Children.
11
Language Development

• Learning Theory B. F. Skinner
• Language is a behavior that is shaped,
  reinforced, learned, like other behaviors.
• Nativist Theory Noam Chomsky
• Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
• Interactionist Theory Nature X Nurture

12
Parenting StylesDiana Baumrind and others . . .

• Authoritarian style cold, firm
• Authoritative style warm, firm
• Permissive style warm, lax
• Neglecting style cold, lax
• Correlations between parenting style and child
  outcomes