PSYC1003 Study Guide - Final Guide: Intersubjectivity, Dazed, Breastfeeding
Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Change across the lifespan
Developmental Psychologists study change at
every level of analysis attested in psychology
Describe both normative and abnormal processes
A very young field
History of childhood
The conception of childhood has changed across time
Childhood has always been recognised as a different life stage, but how it has been
conceptualised has changed over time
Freud
Founding father of psychoanalysis
A true developmentalist
Freud’s psychosexual theory of personality
oID
Present at birth
Initially focus all energy (libido)
Directs energy to different parts of body in pre-programmed stages
Unconscious pleasure seeker
oEGO
A rational, conscious mechanism that aims to direct energy into
socially acceptable activities
Understands societal norms and tries to keep ID in check
oSUPEREGO
Moral agency of personality
The conscience and “ego ideal”
An aspirational state of functioning
The part you present to the world
oDevelopment is a balancing act between these three forces
Stage Age Characteristics
Oral Birth- 1 year Pleasure centres on mouth. Abrupt
weaning can lead to problems e.g.
smoking
Anal 1 – 3 years Pleasure centres on anus- voluntary.
Urination/ defecation gratifies eros
Phallic 3 – 6 years Pleasure centres on genitals. Oedipus/
Electra complex. Causing anxiety, sexual
identity
Latency 6 years – puberty Birth of superego. Eros repressed.
Genital Puberty onwards Eros reawakens. Mature sexuality.
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Ratman
Had an obsessive fear that his father (then dead) and his fiancée would be brutally
tortured
These fears were traced back to childhood experiences
Early erotic experiences accompanied by fear that his father would die if wishes
were fulfilled (revolt against instinct)
Father in opposition to infantile sexual desire- Oedipus complex
Symbolism of obsession:
oFather stood in opposition to his erotic wishes- torture for father a form of
wish fulfillment
oHis desire for his fiancée instigates the perception of his father’s disapproval
How believable is this interpretation?
oPatient was extremely close to his father
oTherapy occurred during WW1
oNow- possibly anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder
Controversies
Nature vs Nurture
oNature: development proceeds according to a genetically-programmed
innate schedule
Development involves maturation- the unfolding of innate abilities
according to genetic programs
E.g. language acquisition
Motivated by examples of biological maturation
Evidence: many behaviours appear to follow fixed schedules
oNurture: children’s development is shaped by their environment
Most behaviours are the outcome of environmental input and some
general learning mechanisms
Evidence: even young infants are very powerful learnings both inside
and outside the womb
oNature implies immutability, nurture implies a child can do anything
oLittle Albert
Showed him the white rat with a loud clanging noise which upset him-
repeated
Albert learnt to fear not only the rat but all fury things even without
the loud noise
Provides evidence to support nurture
Importance of early experience
oEssential for development
oVictor
12-year-old boy who emerged out of the forest in France in 1880
Raised by wolves
No language, walked on all fours
Couldn’t be civilised because he missed critical periods of his
development
oGenie
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Discovered age 13 in 1970
Severely abused- tied up in a room by her father
Given intense therapy but never caught up in her development- her
language was simple, socially awkward, unusual physical development
oOrphanage studies
oPeople suggest there are critical period of development (e.g. language, social
understanding), and if you don’t get proper experiences or the right type of
exposure, then you may never develop those skills to a normal level
Critical periods
oCritical periods important in biology- imprinting, foetal development
oDo deprivation studies reveal evidence for critical periods?
Case histories too unclear to identify organic problems
Impressive developmental gains in some domains shown by orphans
introduced to enriched environments
We are more sensitive to input at different points in development,
but often compensation is possible
Continuous or stage-like development
oIs development a gradual, continuous process that proceeds by incremental
quantitative change?
oOr does it involve distinct steps in which qualitative differences can be
observed?
oNurture- continuity
oNature- discontinuity
oE.g. big “jump” in abilities between 3 and 5 years in colour and shape sorting
task
Universal or culturally-specific development
oUniversal development: same pattern of development found in all children- it
just looks different in different cultures (driving force= biology)
oCulturally mediated approach: aspects of environment (e.g. social and
physical) lead to different developmental outcomes
oE.g. some cultures such as Western encourage pretend play, but others don’t
faction it and children do it less
Studying development
Cross-sectional studies
oCompare different groups on a DV of interest
oThe entire sample many not have the same experiences
oAre vulnerable to cohort effects
Longitudinal studies
oSame individuals over time
oStill vulnerable to cohort effects as the whole group may have a different
experience
Sequential studies
oAims to minimise cohort effects by studying multiple cohorts longitudinally
oEnables researchers to unambiguously distinguish between age-related
changes and cohort effects
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Document Summary
Developmental psychologists study change at every level of analysis attested in psychology. The conception of childhood has changed across time. Childhood has always been recognised as a different life stage, but how it has been conceptualised has changed over time. Directs energy to different parts of body in pre-programmed stages. A rational, conscious mechanism that aims to direct energy into socially acceptable activities. Understands societal norms and tries to keep id in check: superego. The part you present to the world: development is a balancing act between these three forces. Abrupt weaning can lead to problems e. g. smoking. Had an obsessive fear that his father (then dead) and his fianc e would be brutally tortured. These fears were traced back to childhood experiences. Early erotic experiences accompanied by fear that his father would die if wishes were fulfilled (revolt against instinct) Father in opposition to infantile sexual desire- oedipus complex.
