St.

Joseph College of Bulacan

San Jose Patag, Sta. Maria Bulacan
Psychology Department

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY(6mistakes 1st)

COURSE CODE: PSY 102

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Developmental Psychology
CREDIT UNIT: 3 units
PLACEMENT: Second Year, 1st Semester

PRELIMINARY PERIOD
WEEK 1 ( August 11, 2020 )

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

- systematic continuities and changes in the individual that occurbetween conception and death

- ways in which we remain stable over time or continue to reflect our past

- branch of Psychology devoted to identifying and explaining the continuities and changes that individuals display over
time

What Causes Us to Develop?

1. - biological unfolding of the individual according to species-typical biological inheritance and an individual person’s
biological inheritance

2. -the process through which our experiences produce relatively permanent changes in our feelings, thoughts, and
behaviors

Major Goals of Developmental Science

1. - human developmentalists carefully observe the behavior of people of different ages,

seeking to specify how people change over time

Typical Patterns of Change

a. - typical patterns of development.
b. - individual variations in the rate, extent, or direction of development

2. – determine why people develop as they typically do and why some people develop
differently than others

3. - applying what they have learned in attempts to help people develop in positive directions
Breakthrough of optimization:
● promote strong affectional ties between fussy, unresponsive infants and their
frustrated parents;
● assist children with learning difficulties to succeed at school; and
● help socially unskilled children and adolescents to prevent the emotional difficulties
that could result from having no close friends and being rejected by peers.
Some Basic Observations about the Character of Development

1.

Developmentalists have learned that the first--- are extremely important years that set the stage for adolescence and
adulthood.

A Chronological Overview of Human Development

Period of life Approximate age range

(9)

2.

It is a unified view of the developmental process that emphasizes the important interrelationships among the
physical, mental, social, and emotional aspects of human development.

a. - including bodily changes and the sequencing of motor skills

b. - including perception, language, learning, and thinking
c. - including emotions, personality, and the growth of interpersonal relationships

3. - capacity for change in response to positive or negative life experiences.

Although we have described development as a continual and cumulative process and noted that past events often
have implications for the future, developmentalists know that the course of development can change abruptly if important
aspects of one’s life change

4.
Each culture, subculture, and socialclass transmits a particular pattern of beliefs, values, customs, and skills to its
youngergenerations, and the content of this cultural socialization has a strong infl uence on the attributes and
competencies that individuals display.

PRELIMINARY PERIOD
 WEEK 2 ( August 18, 2020 )

THEORIES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

– set of concepts and propositions designed to organize, describe and explain an existing set of observation

Characteristics of a Good Theory:

1. –uses relatively few explanatory principles to explain a broad set of observations
2. – capable of generating predictions that could be disconfirmed
3. – one that continues to stimulate new research and new discoveries

A.
- relied heavily on methods such as hypnosis, free association and dream analysis because they gave some indications
of unconscious motives (Freud’s term for feelings, experiences and conflicts that influence a person’s thinking and
behavior, but lie outside the person’s awareness) that patients had repressed(motivated forgetting in which anxiety-
provoking situation and conflicts are forced out of conscious awareness). Freud concluded that human development is
a ----- as biological creatures, we have basic sexual and aggressive instincts that must be served; yet society dictates that
many of these drives must be restrained.

Three Components of Personality

1. Pleasure Principle
Present at birth
Main function is to satisfy inborn biological instincts immediately
2. Reality Principle
Conscious rational component of personality
Main function is to find socially approved means of gratifying instincts
3. Morality Principle
Seat of the conscience

Stages of Psychosexual Development

STAGE AGE DESCRIPTION

1. Birth to 1 year instinct centers on the mouth, feeding activities are particularly
Important

2. 1 to 3 years voluntary urination and defecation; toilet training produces major

conflicts between children and parents

3. 3 to 6 years pleasure is derived from genital stimulation

--------(boys) and ------- Complex (girls)

4. 6 to 12 years schoolwork and vigorous play; gains problem solving abilities

at school and internalizes societal values
5. 12 years onward puberty triggers a reawakening of sexual urges
Adolescents must now learn how to express these urges in a socially
acceptable ways

B. Erikson’s Theory of -----

------- – emphasizes socio-cultural determinants of development and posits a series of eight psychosocial conflicts
that people must resolve successfully to display healthy psychological adjustment
C. John B. Watson’s ------
- human development should be based on controlled observations of overt behavior rather than speculation about
unconscious motives or other unobservable phenomena
Watson believed that well-learned associations between external stimuli and observable responses (called habits) are
the building blocks of development.

D. Skinner’s --------

- a form of learning in which voluntary acts (------) become either more or less probable, depending on the
consequences they produce.
- the initially voluntary act that becomes more or less probable of occurring depending on the consequence that it
produces.

- any consequence of an act that increases the probability that the act will recur.
- any consequence of an act that suppresses that act and/or decreases the probability that it will recur.

E. Bandura’s --------

- Believed that people are ---- beings—active information processors—who, unlike animals, think about the
relationships between their behavior and its consequences

– learning that result s from observing the behavior of others

Concepts of SCT
1. - the notion that children are passive creatures who are molded by their environments.
2. - the notion that the fl ow of influence between children and their environments is a two-way street; the environment
may affect the child, but the child’s behavior also influences the environment.
 PRELIMINARY PERIOD
WEEK 3 (August 25, 2020)

THEORIES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (cont.)

Piaget’s ----- of Development

- Explains how the child constructs a mental model of the world

- This theory was described as genetic epistemology
– scientific study of where things come from
– concerned with the basic categories of thinking

The goal of the theory is to explain the mechanisms and processes by which the infant, and then the child,
develops into an individual who can reason and think using hypotheses

How Piaget’s Theory Differs from Others:

▪ It is concerned with children, rather than all learners.

▪ It focuses on development, rather than learning per se, so it does not address learning of information or specific
behaviors.
▪ It proposes discrete stages of development, marked by qualitative differences, rather than a gradual increase in
number and complexity of behaviors, concepts, ideas, etc.

Three Basic Components of CT:

1. - building blocks of knowledge

2. - enable the transition from one stage to another
- the force which moves development along
- using an existing schema to deal with a new object or situation
- happens when existing schema does not work and needs to be changed to deal with a new object or situation

3. Stages of Cognitive Development:

(4)

-------- (Birth - 2 years)

The main achievement during this stage is -- - knowing that an object still exists, even if it is hidden.
For example, if you place a toy under a blanket, the child who has achieved object permanence knows it is there and can
actively seek it.

-------(2 - 7 years)

During this stage, young children can think about things symbolically. This is the ability to make one thing - a word or an
object - stand for something other than itself.

- the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation at one time. When a child can focus on more than one aspect of a
situation at the same time they have the ability to decenter.

- child's inability to see a situation from another person's point of view.

- pretending to be people they are not (e.g. superheroes, policeman), and may play these roles with props that symbolize
real life objects.
Children may also invent an imaginary playmate.

- belief that inanimate objects have human feelings and intentions.

------ (7 - 11 years)

Piaget considered the concrete stage a major turning point in the child's cognitive development because it marks the
beginning of logical or operational thought.

- understanding that something stays the same in quantity even though its appearance changes

- the ability to identify the properties of categories, to relate categories or classes to one another, and to use categorical
information to solve problems.

---------- (11 years and over)

During this time, people develop the ability to think about abstract concepts, and logically test hypotheses.
He/she can do mathematical calculations, think creatively, use abstract reasoning, and imagine the outcome of particular
actions.

- the ability to think scientifically through generating predictions, or hypotheses, about the world to answer questions.

Themes in the Study of Human Development

1. ----
●  refers to all of the genes and hereditary factors that influence who we are—from our physical appearance to our
personality characteristics.
●  refers to all the environmental variables that impact who we are, including our early childhood experiences, how
we were raised, our social relationships, and our surrounding culture.

2. ---------
Children are basically:

a. Active beings who are the prime determiners of their own abilities and traits.
b. Passive beings whose characteristics are molded either by social influences (parents, other significant people,
and outside events) or by biological changes beyond their control.

3. -------
- incremental change in degree without sudden transformations; for example, some view the small yearly
increases in height and weight

- changes in kind that make individuals fundamentally different than they were before; the transformation of a
prelinguistic infant into a language user is viewed by many as a qualitative change in communication skills.

PRELIMINARY PERIOD
 September 1, 2020

Hereditary Influences on Development

⦿ – the genes that one inherits

⦿ – observable or measurable characteristics (appearance, behavior)

The Genetic Material

- the time when sperm travels up through the vagina, into the uterus, and fertilizes an egg found in the fallopian tube
- a single cell formed at conception from the union of a sperm and an ovum.
– elongated, threadlike bodies (46 pcs. or 23 pairs) that carries
– basic unit of heredity

Multiple Birth
⦿ - develop from a single zygote that later divides to form two genetically identical individuals; may or may not
share the same amniotic sac, depending on how early the single fertilized egg divides into 2
⦿ - result when a mother releases two ova at roughly the same time and each is fertilized by a different sperm,
producing two zygotes that are genetically different; they usually develop 2 separate amniotic sacs, placentas, and
supporting structures

Hereditary Disorders

⦿ – a condition present at birth regardless of its cause that may result in disabilities that may be physical,
intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can range from mild to severe.
⦿ Sex Chromosomes – involves the 23rd pair
– 22 pairs
⦿
- can be caused by a mutation in one gene (monogenic disorder), by mutations in
multiple genes (multifactorial inheritance disorder), by a combination of gene mutations and
environmental factors, or by damage to chromosomes (changes in the number or structure of entire
chromosomes

Common Sex Chromosome Abnormalities

⦿
- a condition that affects only females
- webbed neck, small in stature, broad chest and small underdeveloped breast
- fertility: sterile
- normal verbal intelligence but frequently score below average in spatial abilities

⦿
-  also called trisomy X or 47,XXX
- widely spaced eyes, flat feet
- fertility: fertile
- somewhat below average in intelligence

⦿
- genetic condition affecting males; 47,XXY
- enlarged hips and breast, significantly taller than normal males
- fertility: have underdeveloped testes and sterile
- some are deficient in verbal intelligence

⦿
- a genetic condition in which a male has an extra Y chromosome
- taller than other males, have large teeth and often develop severe acne during adolescence
 - have normal I Q level

Recessive Hereditary Disease

- Affects the lungs and digestive system

- The defective gene responsible for CF leads to the creation of thicker, stickier mucus than is usual
- The mucus also interferes with pancreatic function by preventing enzymes from properly breaking
down food. Digestive problems result, potentially leading to malnutrition

- disease in which blood glucose (blood sugar) levels are too high

---------
- Also known as juvenile diabetes, this type occurs when the body fails to produce insulin.
- are insulin-dependent, which means they must take artificial insulin daily to stay alive
---------
- affects the way the body uses insulin
- the cells in the body do not respond to it as effectively as they once did
--------
- occurs in women during pregnancy when the body can become less sensitive to insulin
- does not occur in all women and usually resolves after giving birth

- genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness due to the alterations of  a protein
called dystrophin that helps keep muscle cells intact
- can begin as early as age 2 or 3, first affecting the proximal muscles (those close to the core of the body) and
later affecting the distal limb muscles (those close to the extremities)

- is a rare condition in which the blood does not clot properly

- mostly affects men
- means the person tends to bleed for a longer time after an injury, and they are more susceptible to internal bleeding
- the disorder can also develop if the body forms antibodies to clotting factors in the blood that then stop the clotting
factors from working

PRELIMINARY PERIOD
September 9, 2020
\
- a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome. Typically, a baby is born with 46 chromosomes.
Babies with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one of these chromosomes, chromosome 21.
- medical term for having an extra copy of a chromosome is ‘trisomy.’ Down syndrome is also referred to as
-----. This extra copy changes how the baby’s body and brain develop, which can cause both mental and
physical challenges for the baby.
- People with Down syndrome usually have an IQ (a measure of intelligence) -----

Physical Features:

● A flattened face, especially the bridge of the nose

● Almond-shaped eyes that slant up
● A short neck
● Small ears
● A tongue that tends to stick out of the mouth
● Tiny white spots on the iris (colored part) of the eye (Brushfield’s Spot)
● Small hands and feet
● A single line across the palm of the hand (palmar crease)
● Small pinky fingers that sometimes curve toward the thumb
● Poor muscle tone or loose joints
● Shorter in height as children and adults

Risk factors

------A woman's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increase with age because older eggs
have a greater risk of improper chromosome division. A woman's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome
increases after 35 years of age. However, most children with Down syndrome are born to women under age 35 because
younger women have far more babies.

===Both men and women can pass the genetic translocation for Down syndrome on to their children.

------- Parents who have one child with Down syndrome and parents who have a translocation themselves are at an
increased risk of having another child with Down syndrome.

Complications

-----About half the children with Down syndrome are born with some type of congenital heart defect. These heart
problems can be life-threatening and may require surgery in early infancy.
 -----GI abnormalities occur in some children with Down syndrome and may include abnormalities of the
intestines, esophagus, trachea and anus. The risk of developing digestive problems, such as GI blockage, heartburn
(gastroesophageal reflux) or celiac disease, may be increased.

-----Because of abnormalities in their immune systems, people with Down syndrome are at increased risk of
developing autoimmune disorders, some forms of cancer, and infectious diseases, such as pneumonia.

----Because of soft tissue and skeletal changes that lead to the obstruction of their airways, children and adults
with Down syndrome are at greater risk of obstructive sleep apnea.
-----People with Down syndrome have a greater tendency to be obese compared with the general population.
----Some people with Down syndrome may have a misalignment of the top two vertebrae in the neck. This
condition puts them at risk of serious injury to the spinal cord from overextension of the neck.

Other problems
Down syndrome may also be associated with other health conditions, including endocrine problems, dental
problems, seizures, ear infections, and hearing and vision problems.

Life expectancy
Life spans have increased dramatically for people with Down syndrome. Today, someone with Down syndrome
can expect to live more than 60 years, depending on the severity of health problems.