Human Development

ò  The process of growing to maturity

Chapter 3 ò  Biological terms: growth from a one-celled zygote to an

adult human being.

Human Development ò  The study of Physical, Emotional, Motor, Cognitive, and

Social Changes throughout his lifespan.
PSY 1 ò  Developmental stages
General Psychology

Developmental Psychology Developmental Research

ò  Developmental Psychology – studies the principles of
development as applied to human development from
birth to old age.
ò  Developmental psychologist
ò  Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development – Cognitive
ò  Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development – Personality
ò  Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development – Social
ò  Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral stages of Development –Moral
ò  Cross-sectional – observing different groups of
developmental stages
ò  Inexpensive; short term
ò  Different groups of different ages are observed
ò  Longitudinal Design – long term; monitored over a
period of time in relation to the age of the participants
ò  Expensive; long term
ò  A group of people monitored over time

Heredity and Environment Developmental Stages

ò  Heredity – inherited physiological, emotional,

intellectual and social characteristic of an individual Prenatal Infancy Adolescence Adulthood

ò  Environment – the external forces that influences the Germinal Embryonic Fetal Physical Motor
individual Stage Stage Stage Development Development

* Is rearing the reason why a person is like this or like that? Cephalocaudal Proximodistal
Reflexes
Or life experiences make you the person you are right now?
Startle (Moro
Rooting Sucking Grasping
Reflex)

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 Developmental Stages Developmental Stages
A. Prenatal 2. Embryonic Stage (2-8 weeks)
ò  Begins with fertilization (zygote – union of the egg cell and ò  Development of the body begins:
sperm cell) and ends during birth
ò  Fertilized egg / zygote has 23 pairs of chromosome (1 ò  Heart, spinal cord, stomach, esophagus (beginning of the
autosome from each contributor) embryonic stage)
ò  3 Stages ò  Arms, hands, legs, fingers and toes, shoulders, head, eyes,
ears, nose & mouth (at the end of the embryonic stage)
1.  Germinal Stage (1st 2 weeks) ò  Gender of the baby
ò  Zygote divides into several cells ò  23 pairs of chromosome
ò  Implants itself in the uterus of the mother (10-14 days after ò  (XX) – Female (X)
conception) è Embryo ò  (XY) – Male (X or Y)

Developmental Stages
3. Fetal Stage (approximately 7 months)
ò  Vital organs and other parts of the body start to develop
ò  6th month – open/close eyelids
ò  8th / 9th month – identify mom’s voice – makes hi heart beat
faster
* Mother’s health is important – fetus is physically connected
to the mother

B. Infancy and Child B. Infancy and Child

Development Development
1. Physical development ò  Infants are born with reflexes that will help them survive

Infancy (1st 2 years of life) ò  Indication of the infant’s neurological functioning is

ò  Infants learns to adapt outside the mother’s womb of his normal at birth
mother 1.  Rooting – turning head on something that touches its cheek
or side of the mouth
ò  Physical systems begin to function
2.  Sucking – instinctively suck on anything that touches the roof
ò  Respiratory, circulatory, digestive systems of the mouth
3.  Grasping
4.  Startle (Moro reflex) – legs and head extended outward with
hands jerking up later on clinching into a fist

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 B. Infancy and Child B. Infancy and Child
Development Development
ò  Weight increases tremendously (slower pace – 2. Motor Development
toddlerhood to childhood; 6-7lbs/year)
ò  Movement and behavior; child’s ability to raise head,
ò  Sensory ability will be fully developed
crawl, sit, walk, & perform
ò  Brain continues to grow (final weight of the brain: 25% at
birth; 75% by the age of 2); frontal lobe (reasoning, ò  Universal; develops in the same sequence and
decision making, other higher mental functioning approximately at the same age.

B. Infancy and Child

Development Cognitive Development
ò  2 general principles How do you process information that you received?
ò  Cephalocaudal – motor skills are developed from head How do you perceive the world?
downwards (head-to-toe progression) ò  Cognitive Development – involves the examination of
ò  Infants are able to move the head first before they can learn to information processing of an individual
move their hands
ò  Proximodistal – development skills start from inside (center of ò  Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Stages of Development
the body) to outside
ò  The development is from near to far; that is, from the central
axis of development to the externalities
ò  Infants are able to move their body before his arms and legs

Cognitive Stages of Cognitive Stages of

Development Development
Principles:
ò  Children have the ability to organize what they learned from
their experiences as a result of their interaction with the
environment
ò  Learned information is organized and formed into a schema.
ò  Children learn based from their previous schemata –
Assimilate
ò  Children can modify / totally change his/her behavior -
Accommodate

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 Cognitive Stages of Cognitive Stages of
Development Development
1. Sensorimotor Stage 2. Preoperational Stage
ò  Exploration of infant’s world using their senses and motor ò  Children use language to interact with their environment
abilities
ò  Symbolic thinking = “pretend play”
ò  Infant’s interaction: involuntary reflexes
ò  Pencil = cellphone
ò  Infant’s develop: object permanence and symbolic
thinking ò  Develop egocentrism (perceive events and experiences
ò  Object permanence: object continues to exist even when it based on one’s perspective or interpretation)
can no longer be seen ò  Describing what he understands; will not consider if you
ò  Symbolic thinking: ability to represent objects and events understand
using symbols

Cognitive Stages of Cognitive Stages of

Development
ò  No concept of conservation (basic properties that object
will not change and remain the same)
ò  Centration – only looks at one part of the object only
ò  Not capable of reversible mental operations
ò  e.g. height of the glass
Development
3. Concrete operational – unable to see from beyond or
think out of the box
ò  Use of simple logical thoughts, or operations that involve
tangible or concrete objects and events
ò  Know the concept of centration
ò  focus on more than one part of the object or event
ò  Understand the idea of reversibility
ò  Learn basic mathematical operations
ò  Unable to process abstract concepts

Cognitive Stages of
Development Personality Development
4. Formal operational –capable of using logical operations ò  All the consistent ways in which the behavior of one
(concrete and abstract concepts) person differs from that of others, especially in social
situations. (Differences in learning, memory, sensation,
ò  Flexible in the way they integrate even with the absence of
or muscle control are generally not considered
tangible objects or events
personality.)
ò  Can think logically – abstract propositions and test
hypotheses
ò  Concern with problems

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 Psychosexual Stages of
Development
ò  Proponent: Sigmund Freud
ò  Principles:
ò  Personality is developed during the first 5 years of life
ò  Early experiences in life will shape the individual’s personality in
the future
ò  Developmental stage focuses on sexual themes:
ò  Psychic energy or libido – driving or motivating factor behind an
individual’s behavior
ò  Centered on different erogenous zones of the body
ò  Fixation – a child fails to resolve conflicts or crises at a
particular age; “stuck” and will not be able to move on to the
next developmental stage

Psychosexual Stages of
Social Development
Development
Oral: oral passive (underfed) or oral aggressive (overfed)
ò 
ò  Involves personal growth and how they for a relationship
ò  Anal: Anal retentive (too harsh) or anal repulsive (too lax) with those people around them.
ò  Phallic: ò  Attachment – a strong bond between infants and mothers
ò  Oedipus Complex – sexual attraction to his mother and/or primary caregivers.
ò  Castration anxiety – fear that father will discover thoughts and his penis will be cut
off.

ò  Electra Complex – blames mother for her lack of male genitals.

ò  Initial attachment to mother transfers to father
ò  Penis envy: girls considers their clitoris inferior to male genitals
ò  Identify with mother and assume female roles and behavior

ò  Fixation: gender role identification, authority figures and homosexuality

ò  Genital stage: only achieved if child was able to resolve conflict or avoid fixations

Psychosocial Theory of Psychosocial Stages of

Development Development
Principles: AGE
PSYCHOLOGICAL CRISIS BASIC CORE SIGNIFICANT
(SYNTONIC / DYSTONIC) STRENGTH PATHOLOGY RELATIONS
Infancy
ò  Personality persists through out the individual’s lifetime Birth – 1 year
 
Trust Distrust Hope Withdrawal Mothering One

Early Childhood Autonomy Shame and Doubt Will Compulsion Parents

2-3 years old
ò  Lifespan approach to development Play Age Initiative Guilt Purpose Inhibition Family
3-5 years old

ò  Importance of social aspect in the psychosocial School Age

6-12 years old Industry Inferiority Competence Inertia Neighborhood,
School
development Adolescence Identity Role Identity Role Fidelity
Role Repudiation
Diffidence Peer Groups
12-18 years old Confusion Defiance

Young Adulthood Intimacy Isolation Love Exclusivity Sexual Partners,

19-30 years old Friends

Adulthood Generativity Stagnation Care Rejectivity Divided Labor and

31-60 years old Shared Household

Old Age Integrity Despair Wisdom Disdain All Humanity

60 years old - death

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C. Adolescence Development C. Adolescence Development
ò  Considered as the “transition stage”; no longer a child but not yet a 2. Cognitive Development
fully grown adult
ò  Ability to solve problems – analytical and abstract concepts
ò  Experiences remarkable changes in the physical, psychological, and
moral aspects.  3. Social Development
1. Physical Development ò  Search for identity – “who am I?”
ò  Physical changes during puberty are now fully developed ò  Initially identifies with family and significant others
ò  Primary and secondary changes ò  Erickson: An adolescent should establish an occupational
identity that will help him determine his real identity
ò  Development of sex organs –
3. Moral Development
ò  Primary: menstruation flow; production of sperm
ò  Secondary: breast; facial hair ò  The application of cognitive abilities to moral issues and dilemmas

Moral Stages of
D. Adulthood Development
Development
ò  Most developmental psychologists view adulthood as
changeable and unpredictable
ò  Changes are associated with personal experiences and
social and cultural expectations

1. Physical Development
ò  Peaks in early adulthood
ò  Gradual decline in middle adulthood
ò  Andropause / menopause
ò  Immune system slows down and becomes less efficient

D. Adulthood Development
2. Cognitive Development
ò  People can get old without losing their cognitive and
intellectual functioning
ò  Middle aged: evident decline in memory functioning
3. Social Development
ò  Greatly influenced by social and cultural expectations
ò  Establishment of intimate relationships
ò  Fulfillment of career goals
ò  Playing different roles