Introduction to Psychology

Introduction to Psychology

Chapter Eight: Human Devel pment Learning Objectives After completing this unit, you should be able to: 1. Discuss Piaget’s stages of cognitive development 2. Discuss Erikson’s eight stages of development 3. Discuss how infants and children develop physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively 4. Discuss major developmental changes that occur in the prenatal stage 5. Discuss major development changes that occur in the infancy stage 6. Discuss major developmental changes that occur in adolescents and adulthood 8.1 Development over the Lifespan Development over the Lifespan- Developmental psychology examines biological, physical, psychological, and behavioral changes that occur as we age. Questions about the influence of nature and nurture, critical and sensitive periods, continuity versus discontinuity, and stability versus change have guided much developmental research. Cross-sectional designs compare different age groups at one point in time. A longitudinal design repeatedly tests the same age group as it grows older. Sequential designs test several groups at one point in time and then again as they grow older. Theoretical Perspectives- Theories of development usually deal with changes over time in a particular area of psychological functioning; thus, there are theories of social development, moral development, and personality development. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development- Piaget’s theory of cognitive development describes how children’s thinking (their ability to solve problems) changes as they get older. 1. Se sorimotor Stage - From birth to around the age of two, infants in the sensorimotor stage understand their world primarily through sensory experiences and physical (motor) interactions with objects. Children during this age now grasp the concept of object permanence, the understanding that an object continues to exist even when it no longer can be seen. At this stage they start to exhibit the emergence of symbolic thought. 2. Preoperational Stage - At about the age of two, children enter the preoperational stage, in which they can represent the world symbolically through words and mental images

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