PSYCHOLOGY 202

• Syllabus• Reserve the right to

change the schedule and structure of the course as needed

• Who am I?

Getting to know youFind someone who has:Taken a psychology class Has green eyesBeen to AsiaDoes an “extreme sport”Has interacted with the law beforeIs nervous about taking this classHas more than three childrenFeels this class will be no problemHas run a marathon

Introductions

• Talk to your partner and learn• Why they are in this class• What they want to do when they finish

their time at RCC• What they do when they aren’t in class• One other unique or interesting thing

about them

Nature vs. Nurture• Nature-• Heredity: passing of characteristics from

parent to child, “You seem just like your dad”• Evidence of heredity: • Temperament: physical core of personality:

sensitivity, irritability, distractibility, typical mood

• Developmental Psychology is the study of progressive changes in behavior and ability from conception to death.

Dominant & Recessive Genes

R = dominant

r = recessive

Fig. 3-3, p. 80

p. 79

Identical twins. Twins who share identical genes (identical twins) demonstrate the powerful influence of heredity. Even when they are reared apart, identical twins are strikingly alike in motor skills, physical development, and appearance. At the same time, twins are less alike as adults than they were as children, which shows environmental influences are at work

Nature vs. Nurture• Nurture-• Environment is the sum of all

outside influences on a child• Sensitive period: during

development, a time of increased sensitivity to environmental influences, also, times when things must occur for normal development

• Consequences of deprivation vs. Enrichment

• Synapses are connection points between two nerve cells where messages pass

Nature vs Nurture

• Heredity gives us potentials and limitations, nurture gives us learning, disease, culture and nutrition

• Reciprocal Influences: heredity affects environment

• Emotional Attachment is the close bond infants share with their primary caregivers, examples include geese imprinting

• It can be secure, insecure or avoidant

Birthing Procedures

• What are the typical birthing procedures in your culture of origin?

• What are alternative birthing procedures?• How is infant caregiver bonding handled in

your culture of origin?• What does “culture of origin mean?”

Parenting Styles• Authoritarian, Permissive & Authoritative• The influence of care giving styles is

important• Discipline types: Power assertion, withdrawal

of love, management techniques

Authoritarian Parents

• Enforce rigid rules and demand strict obedience to authority

• Children tend to be emotionally stiff and lacking in curiosity

Overly Permissive

• Give little guidance• Allow too much freedom, or don’t hold

children accountable for their actions • Children tend to be dependent and

immature and frequently misbehave

Authoritative

• Provide firm and consistent guidance combined with love and affection

• Children tend to be competent, self-controlled, independent, and assertive

• Picture a parent who seems to be a good a good caregiver. What do they do? Which of the optimal care giving behaviors do they use (page 101)? Do you know other parents who are authoritarian, permissive or authoritative? What are their kids like? How would these different parents use discipline?

Group Activity

• As reported in the newspaper from Boulder, CO in 2002. “Tom Hansen doesn’t like they way his life has turned out and says it’s because he was reared improperly. Hansen, 25, has filed suit against his mother and father, seeking $350,000 in damages because they reared him improperly and he will need psychiatric care the remainder of his life.” What do you think of this? What is the evidence of ‘parental malpractice’? Should or could a parent be held responsible for the way their kid turns out? Would you listen to this case if you were a judge?

Language Acquisition

• Babbling begins around 7 months

• Biological predisposition: idea that humans are pre-programmed for certain skills, such as language use

• Parentese: exaggerated way parents talk to their children. “Did Amy eat it ALL UP?”

• Ability to learn languages at earlier ages

Language Acquisition

• Cooing: Repetition of vowel sounds by infants; typically starts at 6-8 weeks

• Babbling: Repetition of meaningless language sounds (e.g., babababa); uses consonants B, D, M, and G; starts at 7 months

More on Language Acquisition

• Single-word stage: The child says one word at a time

• Telegraphic speech: Two-word sentences that communicate a single idea (e.g., “want cookie”)

Noam Chomsky and the Roots of Language

• Biological disposition: Presumed readiness of humans to learn certain skills such as how to use language – Chomsky: Language patterns are inborn

Children’s Thinking• Less abstract than adults• Piaget• Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years): object permanence• Preoperational stage (2-7 years): intuition• Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years): Mass and

weight stay the same, use of logic and reasoning• Formal Operations(11 + years): Abstract thinking• Zone of proximal development: range of tasks child

cannot accomplish alone, but can complete with a capable partner

Piagetian Evaluation

A woman was near death from cancer , and there was only one drug that might saver her. It was discovered by a druggist who was charging 10 times what it cost him to make the drug. The sick woman’s husband could only pay $1000, but the druggist wanted $2000. He asked the druggist to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. The druggist said no, so the husband became desperate and broke into the store to steal the drug for his wife. Should he have done that? Why or why not?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue8y-JVhjS0

What can go wrong?

p. 82

Some of the typical features of children suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) include a small nonsymmetrical head, a short nose, a flattened area between the eyes, oddly shaped eyes, and a thin upper lip. Many of these features become less noticeable by adolescence. However, mental retardation and other problems commonly follow the FAS child into adulthood. The child shown here represents a moderate example of FAS.

p. 83

Children who grow up in poverty run a high risk of experiencing many forms of deprivation. There is evidence that lasting damage to social, emotional, and cognitive development occurs when children must cope with severe early deprivation.

Fig. 3-6, p. 86

Infant imitation. In the top row of photos, Andrew Meltzoff makes facial gestures at an infant. The bottom row records the infant’s responses.

Fig. 3-9, p. 88

Psychologist Carolyn Rovee-Collier has shown that babies as young as 3 months old can learn to control their movements. In her experiments, babies lie on their backs under a colorful crib mobile. A ribbon is tied around the baby’s ankle and connected to the mobile. Whenever babies spontaneously kick their legs, the mobile jiggles and rattles. Within a few minutes, infants learn to kick faster. Their reward for kicking is a chance to see the mobile move

Fig. 3-12, p. 89

An infant monkey clings to a cloth-covered surrogate mother. Baby monkeys become attached to the cloth “contact-comfort” mother but not to a similar wire mother. This is true even when the wire mother provides food. Contact comfort may also underlie the tendency of children to become attached to inanimate objects, such as blankets or stuffed toys. However, a study of 2- to 3-year-old blanket-attached children found that they were no more insecure than others

DiscussionWhat are typical childhood problems?When or how do you know if they have gone to far and intervention is necessary?How could you improve those behaviors?

Activities

• You are going to make cookies with children of various ages. What would the children be able to do based on Piaget’s theory of child development? (pages 110-112)

Sensitive Period

• A period of increased sensitivity to environmental influences; also, a time when certain events must occur for normal development to take place

Attachment

• Emotional attachment: Close emotional bond that infants form with parents, caregivers, or others

• Separation anxiety: Crying and signs of fear when a child is left alone or is with a stranger; generally appears around 8-12 months

• Separation anxiety disorder: Severe and prolonged distress displayed by children when separated from parents/caregivers– Children usually grow out of this

Quality of Infant Attachment (Ainsworth)

• Secure: Stable and positive emotional bond• Insecure-avoidant: Anxious emotional bond;

tendency to avoid reunion with parent or caregiver

• Insecure-ambivalent: Anxious emotional bond; desire to be with parent or caregiver and some resistance to being reunited with mother

Fig. 3-13, p. 90

Adolescence

• Culturally defined period between childhood and adulthood

• Puberty: Hormonal changes promote rapid physical growth and sexual maturity

Erik Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Dilemmas

p. 107

Personality theorist Erik Erikson (1903–1994) is best known for his life-stage theory of human development.

Stage One: Trust versus Mistrust (Birth–1)

• Children are completely dependent on others– Trust: Established when babies given adequate

warmth, touching, love, and physical care– Mistrust: Caused by inadequate or unpredictable

care and by cold, indifferent, and rejecting parents

Stage Two: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (1–3)

• Autonomy: Doing things for themselves• Overprotective or ridiculing parents may

cause children to doubt abilities and feel shameful about their actions

Stage Three: Initiative versus Guilt (3–5)

• Initiative: Parents reinforce via giving children freedom to play, use imagination, and ask questions

• Guilt: May occur if parents criticize, prevent play, or discourage a child’s questions

Stage Four: Industry versus Inferiority (6–12)

• Industry: Occurs when child is praised for productive activities, such as painting and building

• Inferiority: Occurs if child’s efforts are regarded as messy or inadequate

Stage Five (Adolescence): Identity versus Role Confusion

• Identity: For adolescents; problems answering, “Who am I?”

• Role Confusion: Occurs when adolescents are unsure of where they are going and who they are

Stage Six (Young Adulthood): Intimacy versus Isolation

• Intimacy: Ability to care about others and to share experiences with them

• Isolation: Feeling alone and uncared for in life

Stage Seven (Middle Adulthood): Generativity versus Stagnation

• Generativity: Interest in guiding the next generation

• Stagnation: When one is only concerned with one’s own needs and comforts

Stage Eight (Late Adulthood): Integrity versus Despair

• Integrity: Self-respect; developed when people have lived richly and responsibly

• Despair: Occurs when previous life events are viewed with regret; experiences heartache and remorse

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i9ckfFRcd4

Where are you and your family members according to Erik?

Subject #1 Age_______ Stage________________________________

Behaviors:

Reasons:

Do this for three people, including yourself