Download Chapter 01 Introduction & Theory

Psyc311 – Development
Psychology
Chapter 01
Introduction to Developmental Science
Theory & Research Methods
i<clickers!
• Are you HERE this morning?
– A) Yes, absolutely!
– B) No, definitely not.
– C) Hard to say – I could be having a nightmare.
– D) Uh…what do you mean by “HERE”?
– E) All of the above.
• Have you registered for MyDevelopmentLab?
– A) Yes
– B) No
characteristics of development
• Lifelong
• Multidimensional
– Biological
– Cognitive
– Socio-emotional
Surrounding physical
and social environment
developing physical
body and brain
characteristics of development
• Plastic
– Gene/environment interaction
• Multidirectional
– Expansion (growth)
– Contraction (decline)
• Contextual
– Age-graded influence
– History-graded influence
– Non-normative (individual experiences)
explaining development
• Developmental
science involves
three distinct
levels:
But why do we investigate
developmental processes in
this manner?
Theory
Question/Hypothesis
Research
science as a way of knowing
• Our individual and collective goal is to build
a body of knowledge.
– Facts – knowing that p.
– Skills – knowing how to p.
What is it to know that p?
Knowledge =
belief
true
justified
science as a way of knowing
• There are three common ways of knowing
AUTHORITY
REASON
EXPERIENCE
LIMITATIONS: opportunities for bias, motivated by power, desire to
maintain status quo, lack of sufficient information….
***** SCIENCE *****
Requires: clear standards for authority, open dissemination of methods and
data, shared assumptions, relicatable studies, data-driven conclusions,
objectivity (removal of personal bias), theories that can be disproven…
science as a way of knowing
• What are the limitations of science?
Objectivity = a view from NOWHERE
You cannot disentangle subject and object.
 You cannot draw meaningful generalizations.
 Only WEIRD people are allowed to contribute.

?? Response ??
*** Inter-subjectivity = a view from
EVERYWHERE ***
Developmental Theories
evolution of theory
• The evolution of (developmental)
theory
– starts with
• The theory of evolution!
• Plasticity
– natural selection
– survival of the fittest
Ethology and Evolutionary Psychology
 Inter-species behaviors/competencies
 Intra-species behaviors/competencies
evolution of theory
• The Age of Measurement
– Normative period
• Identification of “norms” of development
Mental
Retardation
Normal
Intelligence
Sociopathy
Normal
Morality
Gifted
Intelligence
Moral
Exemplar
psychoanalytic
• What causes development to go wrong?
• Psychoanalytic – development involves
confrontations between biological drives and
social expectations.
– Freud: psychosexual conflicts
• Focus on sexual and aggressive drives
– Erickson: psychosocial conflicts
• Focus on socio-emotional development
behavioral learning
• Behaviorism
– Focus on direct stimulusresponse mechanisms that
drive behavior.
– Development is a product of
past and present positive and
negative reinforcement and
punishment patterns.
– Sophisticated rewardpunishment system in brain.
Ask Yourself!
How would Erickson and
Skinner differ in explaining a
child’s fear of the dark?
behavioral learning
• Social learning theory
– Indirect learning
– Imitation
– Observation
Bobo Doll example
cognitive learning
• Piaget – cognitive-developmental theory
 Child
as scientist.
 Child discovers knowledge that is out there.
• Vygotsky – social-cultural theory


Child as apprentice.
Child creates knowledge with others.
cognitive learning
• Information processing
– The underlying architecture of cognitive
development is computational.
– Child as symbol-manipulation system.
– Development involves
• Maturation of hardware.
• Upgrades in software.
contexts for development