Learning outcomes: General framework (applicable to all topics in the option)
6.1 Introduction: What is developmental psychology?
- Discuss the extent to which biological, cognitive, and social factors influence human development.
- Evaluate psychological research relevant to the study of developmental psychology.
Important notes from the examiner: You need to keep these two learning outcomes in mind throughout your work on this chapter. It is a good idea to keep notes on them as you go.
Keep a record of what factors in each level of analysis influence developmental psychology and any strength and limitations of these factors.
Each time you read a study or theory described in enough detail, consider its strengths and weaknesses and keep a record of the names of researchers you consider to be important.
6.2 Cognitive development
Learning outcomes:
- Evaluate theories of cognitive development.
- Discuss how social and environmental variables may affect cognitive development.
6.3 Social development
Learning outcomes:
- Examine attachment in childhood and its role in the subsequent formation of relationships.
- Discuss potential effects of deprivation of trauma or childhood on later development
- Define resilience
- Discuss strategies to build resilience.
6.4 Identity Development.
Learning outcomes.
- Discuss the formation and development of gender roles
- Explain cultural variations in gender roles
- Describe adolescence
- Discuss the relationship between physical change and development of identity during adolescence.
- Examine psychological research in adolescence.
The key reading for each outcome can be found @ Law et al (2001) IB Diploma Psychology. Chapter 6 P, 182-216. John Crane (2009) Psychology Course Companion. Chapter 6 P,182-219. Psychology @ Seoul Foreign School. https://psychout50.edublogs.org/ Tab heading ‘Developmental Psychology’.
Please access the workbook below.
Workbook developmental psychology
Welcome to the second option unit. Think about this unit as life’s journey and how you develop as you travel along life’s path.
The first exercise is to develop a profile of your life. You need to break the calendar into life stages. For each stage please include photographs of yourselves e.g learning riding a bike, birthday party, learning to count, read etc. In the sections include events that you remembered things that you have learned along the way. We will be using Piaget’s stages of development to title each section.
Enjoy!!!!!!
Developmental Psychology
6.1 Introduction: What is developmental psychology.
- Discuss the extent to which biological, cognitive, and social factors influence human development.
- Evaluate psychological research relevant to the study of developmental psychology.
Developmental psychology deals with the lifelong process of change and it is the study of how and why people change over time in the way they behave, think and relate to others. Developmental psychology focuses on developmental areas such as, identity, attachment and adolescence. Psychologists assume it is important to understand the context to which early experience may influence later life, and if there are critical periods for acquiring certain behaviours during the process of development. Knowledge about the influence of biological, cultural and cultural factors in peoples lives is helpful for families and also in professional childcare and education. There are areas of controversy in developmental psychology. For example, the impact of environmental or biological influences on the development of the child and the extent to which these influences interact; the notion of resilience and why different children react differently to stressors in the environment; the origins of gender identity and the interaction between culture and biology in the formation of gender roles.
6.2 Cognitive development.
Learning outcomes:Evaluate theories of cognitive development.
Discuss how social and environmental variables may affect cognitive development.
Cognitive development psychology focuses on how cognitive processes (such as reasoning, perception, memory, intellectual development) change over time. Researchers in this area question how these changes can account for behavior shown at different ages. The main area of debate is why these changes occur over time – what are the main deterministic forces behind them? The nature side of the debate looks at the effect of maturation – the unfolding behaviours under the influences of genetic predisposition. The nature side of the debate looks at the effects of the environment such as diet, parenting styles, culture and education.
Jean Piaget
One of the main theorists in cognitive psychology is Jean Piaget. Piaget described him-self as a epistemologist which is the study and scope and limitations of knowledge and deals with question such as:
- What is knowledge?
- How is knowledge acquired?
- What do people know and how do they know what they know?
TOK: Question. Think about the scope and limitations of cognitive development in relation to the above.
Cognitive Development
His view of how children’s minds work and develop has been enormously influential, particularly in educational theory. His particular insight was the role of maturation (simply growing up) in children’s increasing capacity to understand their world: they cannot undertake certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough to do so. His research has spawned a great deal more, much of which has undermined the detail of his own, but like many other original investigators, his importance comes from his overall vision.
He proposed that children’s thinking does not develop entirely smoothly: instead, there are certain points at which it “takes off” and moves into completely new areas and capabilities. He saw these transitions as taking place at about 18 months, 7 years and 11 or 12 years. This has been taken to mean that before these ages children are not capable (no matter how bright) of understanding things in certain ways, and has been used as the basis for scheduling the school curriculum. Whether or not should be the case is a different matter. http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm
Please access to find details of Jean Piaget
Powerpoint Ref: Mark Altmann SFS
Powerpoint Psychexchange.co.uk
Piaget stages of development.(1)
This is a very simple explanation of the two types of adaption.
Please make sure you have completed your profile using Piaget’s stages of development. Well done to those who have made posters and decorated our wall. Homework: Read pages 182-189 complete the workbook pages 8 & 10. Next week we will be looking at Lev Vygotskys theory of cognitive development.
[week beginning 24:10:11]
First of all we will be looking at the work of Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky made an immense impact on cognitive psychology. He focused on how children play and socialise as well as their language development in the context of their understanding of the world. Vygotsky coined the term “Zones of Proximal Development” and anyone who coined that term deserves to be studied.
Click here to the Simply Psychology site. Thanks to Mcleod, S.A. (2007). Simply Psychology; Vygotsky [On-line: UK] retrieved 31 October 2011 from http://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html
Powerpoint Ref: mark Altmann sfs
Presentation format
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Group 1: Life philosophy and theories.
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Group 2: Importance of language
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Group 3: Comparisons with Piaget;
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Group 4: Practical applications of Vygotsky’s theories
Short exercises: (P-192-194. Social and environmental variables.
Outline the key influence of diet on cognitive development.
Outline the key influences of parenting on cognitive development.
6.3 Social development.
Learning outcomes.
- Examine attachment in childhood and its role in the subsequent formation of relationships.
- Discuss potential effects of deprivation of trauma or childhood on later development.
Attachment.
John Bowlby (1907 -90)
John Bowlby is a key theorist for the development concept of attachment. Click below to access the notes from simply psychology. Ref: http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html
You can access the full pdf file of Bowlby and Ainsworth here.
Reference: Developmental Psychology (1992), 28 , 759-775. THE ORIGINS OF ATTACHMENT THEORY: JOHN BOWLBY AND MARY AINSWORTH: INGE BRETHERTON
Attachment continued: Key theorists we will be looking at this week is Mary Ainsworth and Harry Harlow. The key issues that you need to focus on are:
- The role of attachment in future relationships. (Workbook, discussion and presentation)
- Deprivation and trauma: Early development and adult disease prevalence. (Workbook, discussion and presentation)
- Early development and adult behaviour. (Workbook, discussion and presentation)
- Genetics and behaviour. (Workbook, discussion and presentation)
Essay question: Discuss he potential effects of deprivation on later development.
Resilience.
Learning outcomes
- Define resilience
- Discuss strategies to build resilience.
Resilience refers to the process of avoiding adverse outcomes or doing better than expected when confronted with major assaults on the development process.
Reading on page 202-205. Write a short essay (500 words) Define resilience and discuss strategies to build it.
Powerpoint Resilience: Ref Mark Altmann SFS
Resilience Powerpoint. Ref MA SFS
6.4 Identity Development.
Learning outcomes.
- Discuss the formation and development of gender roles
- Explain cultural variations in gender roles
- Describe adolescence
- Discuss the relationship between physical change and development of identity during adolescence.
- Examine psychological research in adolescence.
What is Gender?
There are a number of ways to catagorise human beings: biological sex refers to the sexual characteristics a person possesses, sexuality refers to people a person finds sexually attractive and gender refers to the identity a person adopts as a result of developmental processes. Gender identity is usually linked to biological sex organs but this is not always the case. Some women opt a masculine identity, some adopt a more feminine identity, and there is a great deal of nuanced gradation in between. Identity formation is an active cognitive process and is therefore open to influence from innate psychological processes as well as from social forces (such as media, cultures, parenting). this is why it is of such interests to psychologists. gender roles refers to the set of behaviours, rights, duties, and obligations of being male or female. It is therefore a schema, a mental guide for action, steering an individual towards a socially agreed construction of gender expression.
Gender Development powerpoint. Ref MA SFS
Gender Development Mark Altmann 2
Please read up on the approaches that explain gender role formation and development. (pages 206-210)
Social Learning theory
Cognitive development theory
Biology based-theories.
This week we have two periods before we review for the mid-term.
Exercise: Working in groups; discuss how advertisements are aimed at children. You can choose from magazine, bill boards, the TV or radio. What methods do they use? How do they portray gender, age-appropriate, play, parenting? Consider the ethical implications for these practices. Find out what regulatory bodies are in place to monitor corporate messages to children and research instances where there have been serious transgressions.
I will give you a couple of examples to get you thinking.
You have one period to prepare this and we will present on the second period. Mid-terms will be on Developmental Psychology. There will be an essay question based on each section. More later.
http://youtu.be/jPlTrgiE2sc
Revision week. Review of this unit.
- Describe adolescence
- Discuss the relationship between physical change and development of identity during adolescence.
- Examine psychological research in adolescence.
Adolescence and the relationship between physical change and the development of identity.
Click below to access the word document.
Powerpoint: Adolescence Ref MA
Consequences of puberty on identity.
Key terms: Body image dissatisfaction: Cultural ideal hypothesis.
‘The dramatic physical changes in the adolescent body are related to changes in identity, and adolescents become increasingly aware of their own sexuality at this time. it is not always always possible for adolescents to explore this sexuality, as this is an area that is heavily influenced by social and cultural norms. While some cultures have a permissive attitude to adolescent sexuality and allow for experimentation, other cultures are very restrictive and do not accept pre marital sex at all.
The changing body also effects body image. Some teenagers are quite happy about their new looks because they they look more like adults. However, it seems that a significant group of young people suffer from body image dissatisfaction. This is the feeling that there is a discrepancy between the young persons body image and the ideas of what the ideal body should look like. researchers have found body image dissatisfaction to be strong predictor of teenager depression, eating disorders, exercise dependence, and steroid use amongst young people in the US according to Stice and Witherington (2002)
Write up discussing the three approaches.
Psychological research: Eriksons approach.
Key term Identity crisis.
Marcia’s Approach
