Developin
g through
the
Lifespan
Modules 11,
12, 13 AND 14
DEVELOPMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGY
A branch of psychology that studies
(_________) physical, cognitive and
social change throughout the life span
Studies three major issues:
_________ and change
Continuity and _________
Nature x Nurture
THE NATURE-NURTURE
INTERACTION
Historically, the discussion over what shapes us –
nature (genetics) OR nurture (environment) – was
very _________
Now, we know it’s _________! (#alwaysaninteraction)
We (including our psychological characteristics) are
determined by an ongoing interaction among biological,
psychological and social-cultural forces
Studied via:
_________ studies: Compare adopted children with
biological and adoptive parents
Twin studies: Twins, particularly identical are compared
INFANCY: PHYSICAL AND
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
_________ : Biological (nature) growth processes that enable
orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by
experience (nurture)
Example: Roll, sit, crawl then walk
We are born with nearly all the _________ cells we will ever have
Following birth, cells grow – lengthening, branching, connecting
Where genes dictate our overall brain architecture like “lines
on a coloring book,” our environment helps “color in” the
details
Impoverished vs enriched environment; Physical _________
INFANCY: PHYSICAL AND
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
_________ period
An optimal period early in the life of an organism
when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences
produces normal development
_________ : The brain’s ability to change and
reorganize in response to new experience
By adolescence, synaptic _________ begins to trim
unused connections away; Use it or lose it
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Jean _________ developed the hallmark theory of
children’s cognitive development
Intellectual progression as an “unceasing struggle to
make sense of our experiences.”
3 major ideas in Piaget’s Stage Theory:
1. _________ – A review from memory chapter
2. How schemas are used/adjusted
_________ : Interpreting new experiences in terms of our
existing schemas
Accommodation: Adapting (or modifying) our current
schemas to incorporate new information
3. Stages of cognitive development
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
Sensorimotor Infancy
Preoperational Early
childhoo
d
Concrete Mid
Operational childhoo
d
Formal _________
Operational
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
• Birth to about age 2
• The child relies heavily on
their senses and actions to
Sensorimotor take in the world
• Sensorimotor _________
• Object _________ : The
awareness that objects
continue to exist even when
not perceived
• Example: _________
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
• About age 2 to age 6 or 7
Preoperational
• Representing things with
words and images; using
intuitive rather than logical
reasoning
• Pretend _________
• _________
• Example: Hide and seek
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
• About age 7 to about age 11
• Thinking logically about
Concrete concrete events; Grasping
concrete analogies and
Operational performing arithmetic
• Master the concept of
_________
• Mental _________ : Can solve
problems by manipulating
concepts entirely in one’s
CONSERVATION OF LIQUID
TASK
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
• From about age 12 on
Formal
• Reasoning _________
Operational
REFLECTING ON PIAGET’S
THEORY AND AUTISM
Theory of Mind
Our ability to take another’s _________;
People’s ideas about their own and others’ mental
states (e.g., feelings, perceptions, and thoughts)
and behaviors they might predict
The “other side” of _________
REFLECTING ON PIAGET’S
THEORY AND AUTISM
Autism Spectrum Disorder
A disorder appearing in childhood marked by
deficiencies in _________ and social interaction,
and by rigid and repetitive behaviors
Diagnosed in 1 of 68 children by age 8
A key underlying source seems to be poor
functioning in brain areas responsible for
_________ of _________
Range in severity from mild to more severe
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
From birth, most babies are
social creatures and develop
an intense attachment to
their caregivers
__________ : an emotional
tie with another person
__________ __________
provides comfort –
including reassurance and
stimulation – and helps
form attachment
Harlow et al.
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Familiarity via the mere exposure effect also aids
attachment
Differences in attachment styles were explored by
Ainsworth (1979) in her “Strange Situation”
experiment ________ ________
*Uses mother as *Intense distress
safe base or no distress
*Distressed when left
when left *Continued
*Happy on distress or no
return
ERIKSON’S LIFESPAN THEORY
OF DEVELOPMENT
Age/Period Principle Challenge
0 to 1 year Basic trust vs. __________
1 to 3 years Autonomy vs. Self-Doubt/Shame
3 to 6 years Initiative vs. Guilt
6 years to puberty Competence vs. Inferiority
Adolescence Identity vs. Role Confusion
Early adulthood Intimacy vs. Isolation
Middle adulthood Generativity vs. Stagnation
Late adulthood Ego-Integrity vs. Despair
ERIKSON’S LIFESPAN THEORY
OF DEVELOPMENT
Age/Period Principle Challenge
0 to 1 year Basic trust vs. Mistrust
1 to 3 years __________ vs. Self-Doubt/Shame
3 to 6 years Initiative vs. Guilt
6 years to puberty __________ vs. Inferiority
Adolescence Identity vs. Role Confusion
Early adulthood Intimacy vs. Isolation
Middle adulthood Generativity vs. Stagnation
Late adulthood Ego-Integrity vs. Despair
ADOLESCENCE AND PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT
The transition period from childhood to adulthood,
extending from puberty to independence
Begins with puberty:
The period of sexual __________ , during which a
person becomes capable of reproducing
The sequence of physical changes is more
predictable than the timing
Developing a realistic and accepting body __________
is a formidable task
ADOLESCENCE AND PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT
Coupled with increases in hormone levels including
estrogen and testosterone
The __________ is fully developed; however, the __________
lobes are not fully developed
Creates a scenario in which the adolescent brain is wired to
react more __________ compared to an adult
Adolescence is associated with increases in sensation
seeking, risk taking and the influence of peers, while
having less impulse control compared to adulthood
ADOLESCENCE AND
COGNITIVE/MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
A crucial task of childhood and adolescence is
discerning __________ from __________
Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg proposed that moral
reasoning (or thinking) guides moral actions
To study how we develop moral reasoning, Kohlberg
proposed moral dilemmas and created a stage theory
based on individuals’ responses
Preconventional Morality
Stage 1: Interest in rewards and avoiding __________
Stage 2: Cost/benefit orientation; Exchange
ADOLESCENCE AND
COGNITIVE/MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
II. Conventional Morality
Stage 3: “Good __________” orientation
Stage 4: Uphold laws and rules
III. Postconventional (Principled) Morality
Stage 5: “Social __________” orientation
Stage 6: __________ principle orientation
ADOLESCENCE AND
COGNITIVE/MORAL
DEVELOPMENT
Critics of Kohlberg’s theory note that
postconventional morality is culturally limited
Others suggest morality is rooted in moral
__________
Quick, gut feelings guide moral judgements,
which are later rationalized logically
Last, sometimes “talk is cheap, and emotions are
fleeting.”
__________ the right thing to feed moral attitudes.
ERIKSON’S LIFESPAN THEORY
OF DEVELOPMENT
Age/Period Principle Challenge
0 to 1 year Basic trust vs. Mistrust
1 to 3 years Autonomy vs. Self-Doubt/Shame
3 to 6 years Initiative vs. Guilt
6 years to puberty Competence vs. Inferiority
Adolescence __________ vs. Role Confusion
Early adulthood Intimacy vs. Isolation
Middle adulthood Generativity vs. Stagnation
Late adulthood Ego-Integrity vs. Despair
EMERGING ADULTHOOD
A period from about 18 to the mid-twenties,
when many in Western cultures are no
longer adolescents but have yet to achieve
full __________ as adults
To account for differences in present and past
__________
ADULTHOOD: PHYSICAL AND
COGNITIVE CHANGES
Within adulthood, people __________
widely in their physical, psychological
and social development
While physical and cognitive decline
occurs, many abilities persist
throughout adulthood, several summed
up by a “use it or lose it” sentiment
Fit __________ support fit __________
ERIKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL
STAGES
Age/Period Principle Challenge
0 to 1 year Trust vs. Mistrust
1 to 3 years Autonomy vs. Self-Doubt/Shame
3 to 6 years Initiative vs. Guilt
6 years to puberty Competence vs. Inferiority
Adolescence Identity vs. Role Confusion
Early adulthood __________ vs. Isolation
Middle adulthood Generativity vs. Stagnation
Late adulthood Integrity vs. Despair
“The healthy adult…is one who can love and work” (Freud).
MIDDLE ADULTHOOD
Peak period of life OR “mid-life crisis”
Generativity vs. Stagnation
__________ to the world through family, work and/or
society
Those who have not resolved difficulty in past stages
become “stagnant” or feel a lack of __________
However, most do not have a “midlife crisis”
Life events trigger __________ to new life stages
A period of time during which an individual redefines or
transforms a life role, goal, value or lifestyle
LATE ADULTHOOD
According to Erikson, the final task involves Identity vs.
Despair
Identity
The ability to look back on life without __________ and to
enjoy a sense of wholeness
A feeling that one’s life has been meaningful and
worthwhile
Despair, or a sense of __________, may result for those
with previously unresolved crises
