PSYC1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Social Change, Applied Science, Critical Period
12 Jun 2018
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Department
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Professor
WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT?
Definition: the process of growth
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Language
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Cognition
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Physical development →baby blubbers to crawling toddlers to running
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Brain development
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Social development (navigate social developments)
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Emotional development (children regulating emotions through changes)
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In humans, what develops?
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These are all domains of development.
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We are talking about change that is orderly (in order), cumulative (building on their skills that becomes more
complex) and directional.
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Orderly
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Cumulative
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Directional
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What are the characteristics of developmental change?
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Basic science asks similar questions in all complex things as a psychological adult →asking the beginning of
complex things
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Psychologists are interested in social interactions, how relationships work, how to remember events in every
experience.
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In adults, complex and hard to study
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All of these complex things started out from something small in children development
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Understand the adult brain and actions through studying development in early stages of children
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Applied science →understanding how development works, to apply our skills in those fields
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Why should we by studying development?
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THE BIG ISSUES
Is it all about genetics or biology
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Or is it about the environment we grow up in, the experiences we had, that affects it?
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What are the causes of developmental change?
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Biology vs experience
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Genes vs environment
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Described as 'either-or' thing --> can't really talk about genes and environment separately because genes don't do
anything without environment
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Thus, development proceeds as an interaction of biological and environmental factors
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Genes that put you at risk for depression --> that gene only plays if you experience early stages of stress
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Nature vs Nurture
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To what degree, and under what conditions, does experience influence development?
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Critical vs sensitive periods
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Critical period: time during development when certain experiences are crucial for a particular feature of
development to emerge.
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If you sow a kittens eyes close --> kittens brain and eyes will not link their function and thus the kitten
cannot see
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Even if we unsown the kitten eyes later --> it has missed its experience of sight and thus no matter how
many exposure of the experience again --> kitten will never see
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Example:
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If the necessary experience is not had during this window, the function will not develop
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Early experience vs later experience
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What is Development?
The Big Issues
Common Research Designs - Pros and Cons
2A - Developmental Psychology (Richmond)
Monday, March 5, 2018
8:59 PM
PSYCH 1001 Page 1
Document Summary
Physical development baby blubbers to crawling toddlers to running. We are talking about change that is orderly (in order), cumulative (building on their skills that becomes more complex) and directional. Why should we by studying development? complex things. Psychologists are interested in social interactions, how relationships work, how to remember events in every experience. All of these complex things started out from something small in children development. Understand the adult brain and actions through studying development in early stages of children. Basic science asks similar questions in all complex things as a psychological adult asking the beginning of. Applied science understanding how development works, to apply our skills in those fields. Described as "either-or" thing --> can"t really talk about genes and environment separately because genes don"t do anything without environment. Thus, development proceeds as an interaction of biological and environmental factors.
