Prepared by Debbie Laffranchini, Instructor Child Growth and Development Authors: Papalia, Olds and Feldman
Child development Scientific study Looks at change and stability Developmental scientists Quantitative change Qualitative change
Changes in number or amount Height Weight Size of vocabulary Frequency of communication
Change in kind Change in structure Change in organization Example: going from not talking to talking
John Locke: English philosopher, forerunner of behaviorism, 1600 s Saw infant as blank slate Jean-Jacques Rousseau: French philosopher, 1700 s Saw infant as innately good Charles Darwin, English naturalist, 1800 s Originated idea of evolution Species develop through natural selection, survival of the fittest, adaptation to the environment G. Stanley Hall, late 1800 s Father of child study, first to write about adolescence
Alfred Binet, French psychologist, late 1800 s First intelligence test John Dewey, American philosopher, 1900 s First to study children in their social environment James Mark Baldwin, American psychologist, 1900 s Established journals and university psychology departments, interaction of nature and nurture Maria Montessori, Italian physician, 1900 s Early childhood education Based on self-chosen activities In carefully prepared environment Tasks go simple to complex Maria Montessori
John B. Watson, American psychologist, 1900 s Father of behaviorism Humans are trainable Arnold Gesell, American psychologist, 1900 s Normative changes Interdependence of domains of development John B. Watson
Shifts in knowledge reflect progress in understanding Reflect changing cultural context Reflect changing technology New, sensitive instruments to measure behaviors such as eye movements New tests, brain imaging, MRI Basic research: undertaken in the spirit of intellectual inquiry Applied research: to address a practical problem Less meaningful (?)
1. Domains of Development Physical development Sensory capacities, motor development, health Cognitive development Mental abilities, learning, memory, language, thinking, moral reasoning, creativity Psychosocial development Personality, emotions, social relationships All interrelated, all affect each other
2. Periods of development Social construction: shared idea accepted by society Adolescence Prenatal Infancy and toddlerhood to age 3 Early childhood: 3 6 years Middle childhood: 6 12 years Adolescence: 11/12 20 Ages are approximate and arbitrary
Heredity, Environment, Maturation Contexts of Development Family Nuclear Step parenting Single Childless Unmarried Gay and lesbian Extended
Culture and Race/Ethnicity Culture: way of life, customs, traditions, laws, knowledge, beliefs, values, language, products, behaviors, attitudes Ethnicity: united by a distinctive culture, ancestry, religion, language, and/or national origin, shared identity, shared attitudes, beliefs, values Historical Context Normative and Nonnormative Influences Normative age-graded: puberty, education Normative history-graded: Depression, Viet Nam Cohort: born at the same time Nonnormative: major impact on individuals Timing of Influences: Critical or Sensitive Periods Imprinting: automatic and irreversible Critical period: has specific impact on development, must occur Plasticity Sensitive periods, especially responsive to certain experiences
Studying the Life Course: Growing Up in Hard Times What major cultural event in your lifetime shaped the lives of families and children?
Is there a critical period for language acquisition? Victor, the Wild Boy of Aveyron, 1800 Found around 12 years of age, possibly abandoned Itard studied him for 5 years, sensory awareness, socialization, emotional training, moral and social behavior, language, thought Never learned to speak Remained focused on wants and needs Genie, 1970 Abusive father, malnourished, no bowel control, two words: her name and sorry National Institute of Mental Health researchers Never learned normal language Abusive foster homes, regressed into total silence
Children are human beings to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future. Maria Montessori