INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD Developmental Psychology Developmental Psychologyis the

INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD

Developmental Psychology ■ Developmental Psychologyis the field in which psychologists study how people grow and change throughout the life span ■ Psychologists are most interested in infancy and childhood for many reasons ■ - Early childhood experiences affect people later in life ■ - Can learn about developmental problems, what causes them, how to treat them

Nature vs Nurture ■ Nature (heredity) vs nurture (environment) ■ Some aspects of behavior originate in their genes from their parents. ■ Heredity manifests itself in the process of maturation ■ Maturation- the automatic process of development that results from genetic signals ■ Example- babies moving around at different stages happens at a fixed rate. No baby learns to walk before how to crawl. They do these things when they are ready. ■ Critical Period- is a stage of development when a person is best suited to learn a skill. ■ For example, research suggests that there may be a critical period for language development in humans. Young children seem to learn language more easily.

Cntd. ■ Psychologists have long debated which of the two, nature or nurture, is more important. ■ John Locke believe that the mind of the infant is like a blank slate. So when an infant is born, their mind is nothing. He claimed that they will learn most from what they experience.

Physical Development ■ Infancy- birth to the age of two years old ■ Dramatic gains continue in height and weight. Babies grow about 10 inches and triple their weight in their first year. ■ Childhood- 2 years old to adolescence

Reflexes ■ Reflex- an involuntary reaction or response such as swallowing or breathing ■ Another example is when babies are born and they grab a finger if it is in their hand ■ Some reflexes are essential to our survival ■ Sneezing, coughing, yawning, and blinking are other reflexes

Motor Development ■ Motor development- the development of purposeful movement ■ Gross vs Fine Motor Development ■ Gross refers to babies’ progress in coordinating major muscle groups ■ - the development almost always proceeds in predictable stages ■ Fine refers to coordination of the hands, face, and other smaller muscles ■ - Development is different from infant to infant

Perceptual Development ■ Perceptual Development- the process by which infants learn to make sense of sensations to which they are exposed ■ Infants tend to prefer new and interesting stimuli ■ In terms of hearing, an infants hearing is much better developed than their vision ■ In terms of tasting and smelling, babies spit and stick out their tongues at bad odors, but smile and begin to lick in response to sweet smells. ■ They like sweet tasting liquid but refuse salty and bitter ones. Seems like the sweet tooth is a natural occurrence

A Blank Slate ■ Psychologists have long debated the extent to which human behavior is determined by nature or nurture. This is relevant to the study of development. ■ Which of these two, nature or nurture, do you think has the bigger impact on a person’s development? Why? ■ Which effects intelligence the most in your opinion? ■ Are bad people born or raised? ■ Some people believe that this debate also connects to homosexuality. What do you think?

Questions 1. What is meant by the term critical period? 2. Do you think nature or nurture most influences development in humans? 3. What is a reflex? Give two examples. 4. What are the two types of motor developments? What makes them different? 5. Why might it be advantageous for infants to react negatively to foul odors and bad tastes?