Psychology 1000 Chapter 12: PSYCHO1000, Ch 12
11 Sep 2018
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Chapter 12: Development
Cognitive Development
• Issues in development
• Neural development
• Visual development
What influences development?
How does the brain change in the newborn?
How does the visual system change over the first few months of life?
Development: change in abilities over time
What influences development
• Nature vs Nurture
• Nature:
o If nature these activities unfold over time (Maturation) - experience may not exactly be
necessary
• Nurture:
o If nurture -> learning
• Not one or other, more like an interaction
o Nature determines range of ability
o Nurture chooses the alternatives
Stagelike Development
• Discontinuous development -> there are stages separated by rapid growth
o Qualitative differences between or among stages
o Ex: caterpillar turning into butterfly
• Stage 1: no flight possible
• Stage 3: flying everywhere
Continuous Development
• Changes are smooth and continual
o Quantitative difference
o Ex: baby fish just getting bigger, still does same things just faster, better stronger
Kind of Development
• Normative vs Individual
o Normative:
• Typical sequence of change
• Look for consistency
▪ Methodology is cross-sectional
• Compare a bunch of kids at one age and then compare kids of another age
• Ex: different groups of kids
o Individual:
• Consistency is not there
• Look at the individual
• Methodology is longitudinal
Chapter 12: Development
▪ Compare a bunch of kids who are 3 then look at the same kids when they get
older
• Ex: same group of kids - rare studies though because it takes years to get
data
Brain Development
• 100-200B neurons at birth
• Neurons not produced after 2nd trimester
• Increase in brain weight (350 - 1400g) due to glial cells & myelination (not due to neurons)
• Number of synapses increases rapidly as we get older
o Adult has fewer connections than 2 year old because adults get rid of redundant
connections that we don’t need
• Cortical development "mirrors" emergence of abilities
o Cortex is gonna work depending on how connected it is and abilities work by how well
cortex works
o Frontal lobe develops last
• Time lapse: 4-21
• Takes a long time to develop
Taste & Smell
• Very much like adult
o Suck faster for sweet liquid
o Reject salty liquid
o Pleasant expression for bananas
o Frown for rotten eggs
• This suggests:
o This sensory abilities are hardwired
Hearing: at birth
• babies respond to a wide variety of sounds
o Prefer complex sounds
o Especially sensitive to sounds in the range of human voice
• 1st few days
o Turn head towards sounds
o Discriminate sound sequences
Visual System
• Takes longer than other senses
• Basic machinery working at birth
o 1st day:
• Gaze at nearby objects or people - people are preferred targets
• Visual tracking
▪ Moving a light around and their eyes track it
▪ Turn head to keep objects in view
▪ Can discriminate odours
• Visual accommodation not well - developed, but can focus 18 - 38cm
• Visual acuity
▪ about 20/600 (pretty bad) 1st day
Chapter 12: Development
▪ Improved steadily over first 8 months
o 3-4 months
• Some depth perception
▪ Roughly judge object distance
• Binocular vision only
▪ Can not judge distance with one eye covered
• This suggests:
• Monocular cues have to be learned - not hardwired
o 4-5 months
• Can reach for nearby toys, not really accurately
o 6-7 months:
• Ability to accurately grasp
o 9-10 months
• Avoid deep end of visual cliff
▪ Got good binocular and monocular cues
• Iris gray or blue.. Pigment comes later
• Pupil not able to fully dilate
• Retina not completely formed
Motor Development
• At birth
o People say you are a 'Bundle of reflexes"
o All reflexes are part of neural screening
• Babinski: toes fan out when sole of foot is touched
• Grasping: fingers clench an object in their hand
• Rooting: head turns to object on cheek
• Moro: sudden head shift.. Arms swing open
▪ Do this to stabilize
o All of these have survival value
• Note:
o Most reflexes disappear as child grows
• Ex: Babinski should be gone by 8 months
• Motor development is:
o Cephalocaudal: progresses from head to feet
o Proximodorsal: proceeds from center of body to extremities
Milestones in Development
2.3 mean (range 1-5) can sit with support
6.6 mean (range 5-9)can sit alone
8.6 mean (range 6-12) can stand (furniture)
11.0 mean (range 9-16) can stand alone
11.7 mean (range 9-17)walks alone
• Individual theorists would reject the mean and go for the range
Jean Piaget and Cognitive Development
• Studied his own kids at first
o People in old times though children were just little adults
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