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Child Psychology PSY205

Dr. Mandana Ahsani

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Today is about
Getting to know each other Going over the syllabus My expectations Your expectations Intro to studying children

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Santrocks Children Website

http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0073382604/student_view0/

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Introduction
John W. Santrock
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Introduction
Why Is Caring For Children Important? What Are Some Historical Views of Child Development? What Characterizes Development?

How Is Child Development a Science?

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The Importance of Studying Childrens Development Development pattern of change from conception, throughout the life span
Our approach is chronological approach (as opposed to topical)
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What Characterizes Development?

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Biological and Cognitive Processes

Biological processes changes in individuals body; genes and hormones

Cognitive processes changes in individuals thought, intelligence, and language

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What Characterizes Development?

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Socioemotional Processes
Changes in an individuals emotions, personality, and relationships

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What Characterizes Development?

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Biological, Cognitive, and Socioemotional Processes

All three processes are intricately intertwined

Fig. 1.5
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What Characterizes Development?

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Periods of Development
Prenatal Infancy Early childhood Middle\late childhood Adolescence Conception to birth Birth to 1824 months 24 months to 56 years (preschool years) 6 years to 11 years (elementary school years) Ages 1012 to ages 1822
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Why Is Caring For Children Important?

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Caring for Children

Children affected by
Quality of prenatal care Parents lifestyles: during and after pregnancy Power of psychological states

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Why Is Caring For Children Important?

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Improving the Lives of Todays Children

Health and Well-Being
The power of psychological states in health and well being

Parenting Education
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Why Is Caring For Children Important?

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Sociocultural context various settings

Culture passed from generation to generation
Cross-cultural studies

Ethnicity
Characteristics based on race, cultural heritage, nationality, religion, language

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Why Is Caring For Children Important?

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Socioeconomic status (SES):

people similar in occupational, educational, and economic characteristics

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Why Is Caring For Children Important?

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Gender
Sex is a biological dimension Gender is psychological and sociocultural dimension of being female or male

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What Are Some Historical Views of Child Development?

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Early Views of Children

In medieval times: no distinction between children and adults

Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome held rich conceptions of childrens development Three influential philosophical views
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What Are Some Historical Views of Child Development?

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Early Views of Children

Original sin
Children born into the world as evil beings

Tabula rasa Innate goodness

John Locke: children are like a blank tablet

Rousseau: children are inherently good

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What Are Some Historical Views of Child Development?

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Modern Study of Child Development

Certain characteristics bloom with age G. Stanley Hall Development follows evolutionary course

Arnold Gesell

Sigmund Freud Children rarely aware of

motives and reasons for their behaviors
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What Are Some Historical Views of Child Development?

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Modern Study of Child Development

John Watson Children shaped into whatever society wishes by environment

James Pioneer in study of children's thought; Mark genetic epistemology how childs Baldwin knowledge changes over development

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What Characterizes Development?

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Processes and Periods of Development

Prenatal period Infancy Early childhood Middle and late childhood Adolescence

Fig. 1.6

Processes of development
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What Characterizes Development?

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Core Issues in Child Development

Nature and nurture
Discontinuity

Continuity and discontinuity

Continuity

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What Characterizes Development?

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Core Issues in Child Development

Earlylater experience issue
Focus on which are key determinants of childs development Hotly debated by developmentalists People in Western cultures contrast with the majority of people in the world

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What Characterizes Development?

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Evaluating the Developmental Issues

Unwise to take extreme position on
Nature and nurture Continuity and discontinuity Early and later experiences

All characterize development through the human life span

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How is Child Development a Science?

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Importance of Research
Scientific method
Conceptualize a problem Use theories to develop a hypothesis Collect the data Use statistical procedures to analyze Draw conclusions Compare findings; revise theory, conclusions
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How Is Child Development a Science?

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How Is Child Development a Science?

Science defined not by what it investigates, but by how it investigates Theory: interrelated, coherent set of ideas that helps explain and predict Hypotheses: specific, testable assumptions and predictions that are derived from theories
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The Importance of Research in Child Development

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The Scientific Research Approach

Scientific method
Used to discover accurate information Conceptualize problem Collect information (data) Draw conclusions Revise conclusions and theory
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What Are the Main Theories of Child Development?

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Five Major Theories

Psychoanalytic Cognitive Behavioral and social cognitive Ethological Ecological

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What Are the Main Theories of Child Development?

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Psychoanalytic Theories
Describe development as:
Primarily unconscious Heavily colored by emotion Behavior is surface characteristic Analyze symbolic workings of mind Emphasize early experiences Biological process important here
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What Are the Main Theories of Child Development?

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Eriksons Psychosocial Theory

Eight stages of development
Primary human motivation is social

Eight stages unfold over the life span

At each stage, unique developmental task confronts individuals with crisis that must be resolved

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What Are the Main Theories of Child Development?

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Piagets Cognitive Developmental Theory

Children actively construct their understanding of the world
Assimilation: incorporation of new information into existing knowledge Accommodation: adjusting knowledge to fit new information and experience

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What Are the Main Theories of Child Development?

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Vygotskys Sociocultural Cognitive Theory

Culture guides cognitive development Knowledge is situated and collaborative

Memory, attention, reasoning involves learning to use societys inventions

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What Are the Main Theories of Child Development?

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Behavioral Theories
Three approaches: Pavlov, Skinner, and Bandura

Observations in controlled labs

Behavior: observable and measurable Behavior is learned from experience with the environment

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What Are the Main Theories of Child Development?

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Ethological Theory
Behavior
Influenced by biology, tied to evolution

Characterized by critical or sensitive periods

Lorenz: imprinting is rapid, innate learning within a critical period of time Bowlbys view of attachment
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What Are the Main Theories of Child Development?

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Ecological Theory
Bronfenbrenners view that development influenced by five environmental systems:
Microsystem Mesosystem Exosystem
Macrosystem Chronosystem

Now a bioecological theory

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What Are the Main Research Methods in Child Development?

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Methods for Collecting Data

Observation
Laboratory: controlled, unnatural setting

Naturalistic observation: observing behavior in real-world settings; no control or manipulation Survey and interviews: clear, unbiased questions
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What Are the Main Research Methods in Child Development?

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Methods for Collecting Data

Standardized test: test with uniform procedures for administration, scoring Case study Psychophysiological measures
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Electroencephalogram (EEG)

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What Are the Main Research Methods in Child Development?

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Research Designs
Descriptive research: observes and records behavior

Correlational research: strength of relationship between two or more events or characteristics

Correlation coefficient: degree of association between two variables
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What Are the Main Research Methods in Child Development?

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Possible Explanations for Correlational Data

Observed correlation Possible explanations for this correlation causes causes

cause

and
both

Fig. 1.16
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What Are the Main Research Methods in Child Development?

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Research Designs
Experimental Research
Experiment: carefully regulated procedure
Independent and dependent variables Experimental and control groups Experimental and control groups

Random assignment

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What Are the Main Research Methods in Child Development?

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Principles of the Experimental Strategy

Fig. 1.17

Independent variable

Dependent variable
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What Are the Main Research Methods in Child Development?

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Time Span of Research

Cross-sectional approach: individuals of different ages are compared at one time Longitudinal approach: same individuals studied over period of time, usually several years or more Research Journals
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The End

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