Child Psychology Introduction Psychology 333 Dennis Karpowitz Stop staring at me I ll be there for you Why Study Children 1 Maximize children s development Society s future 2 Increase effectiveness as parents and teachers 3 Understand children 4 Understand adults The present is informed by the past 5 Understand the process of development Discussion Which reason for studying children is most meaningful to you Why The History of Childhood Periods of enlightenment ignorance Medieval times miniature adults Reformation Harsh restrictive parenting 1632 Locke tabula rasa 1712 Rousseau noble savages Scientific Beginnings Anthropometric lab G Stanley Hall Baby biographies Mandatory education Binet and the testing movement Norms and Longitudinal Studies Gesell Institute Norms Bailey studies of intelligence McFarland Honzig studies of personality Oakland growth studies of adolescence The Role of Personal Assumptions Thought through or automatic Linked to feeling and action Think about your own personal assumptions How might they affect your understanding in this class Some of My Assumptions Psychology is both art and science Psychology has limits as a discipline Human behavior has multiple causes Psychology is preparadigmatic Psychological theories have Range of usefulness Point of maximum applicability An Example of Three Theories My Assumptions Continued All actions have consequences Human beings have limited freedom Life involves struggle Children are robust and vulnerable Family is powerful Human beings are unique Growth can be continual What are your assumptions How do your assumptions effect your view of children Parents Teachers Compare and contrast your assumptions with mine What evidence is there for your assumptions Methods of Child Study Science Observation and measurement The Challenge Reliability Validity Basic Methods of Research Case study Systematic naturalistic observation Correlational methods Systems approaches Experimental methods Small n approaches Time Strategies Development Longitudinal strategies Cross Sectional strategies Sequential strategies Risk research Retrospective designs Prospective designs Epidemiologic Research Prevalence or incidence Multiple Methods Each method has strengths and weakness Combining methods adds strength to the findings Ethics in Research Integrity Openness Awareness of research effects Theories of Child Development Bricks Brick Home What is a theory Organizes data Allows us to see some things more clearly Hides other things from view Classical Theories 1 Psychoanalytic perspective Theorists Freud Erickson Mahler Basics Organismic active Discontinous stages or periods Nature and nurture bio environ New developments Classical Theories 2 Social learning perspective Theorists Skinner Pavlov Bandura Basics Mechanistic passive Continuous no stages or periods Emphasis on nurture environment New developments Classical Theories 3 Cognitive Development Theorists Piaget Flavell Basics Organismic active Discontinuous stages or periods Nature and nurture bio environ New developments More Recent Theories 1 Information processing Basics Organismic and mechanistic Continuous no stages or periods Nature and nurture bio environ More Recent Theories 2 Ethology Theorist Lorenz Basics Organismic active Continuous and discontinuous Nature and nurture bio environ More Recent Theories 3 Ecological systems Theorist Bronfenbrenner Basics Organismic active Nature and nurture bio environ More Recent Theories 4 Sociocultural Linguistic Approach Theorist Vygotsky Basics Organismic active Continuous no stages or periods Nature and nurture bio environ More Recent Theories 5 Dynamic systems theory family systems Basics Organismic active Continuous no stages or periods Nature and nurture bio environ End