PSYCH 1103 1st Edition Lecture 3 Outline of Last Lecture I. Research Methods in PsychologyA. Scientific methodII. Research designs and CautionsIII. Analyzing DataOutline of Current Lecture IV. Historical view of ChildrenV. Research Methods in Developmental PsychologyVI. Nature vs. NurtureVII. Enduring themes: continuity vs. discontinuityVIII. Enduring themes: early and later experienceIX. Enduring Themes: active vs. passive childX. Enduring Themes: Universal Development vs. Individual DifferenceXI. A Modern View of Developmental ThemesCurrent LectureIntroduction to Developmental Psychology- Historical View of Childreno Philosophical Perspectives Original sin (Middle Ages) Tabula rasa (John Locke)- Born into a blank tablet Innate goodness (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)- The adults are the ones who turn them into corrupt humans- Let kids be and make their own choices- Modern Viewo Understanding DEVELOPMENT as … The pattern of continuity and change that occurs throughout the lifespanResearch Methods in Developmental PsychologyThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Testing Age-Related Changeo Cross-sectional studies Cohort effects: any effects that are due to the cohort of that child rather than the actual age differences.o Longitudinal studies Same child across ages- Themeso Enduring Themes in Developmental Psychologyo Nature / Nurtureo Continuity / Discontinuityo Early / Later Experienceo Active / Passive Childo Individual DifferencesNature vs. Nurture- Raising the issue of:o Environmental causes of behavior (the influence of parents, siblings, friends, schooling, nutrition and other experiences)o Vs.o Hereditary causes of behavior (those based on the genetic make up of an individual)- Psychologists agree today that both interact to produce specific developmental patterns and outcomes.- The question has evolved into how and to what degree do these things influence development- Nature: Geneticso Genetic factors Provide the potential for particular behaviors or traits to emerge  Place limitations on the emergence of such behavior or traits- Ex: heredity defines people’s general level of intelligence, setting and upper limit that people cannot - Nurture: Environmento Environmental factors play a critical role in enabling people to reach the potentialcapabilities that their background makes possible Ex. If Albert Einstein had malnutrition, hadn’t been sent to school, etc.- Behavioral Genetics: The science concerned with how variation in behavior and development results from the combination of genetic and environmental factorso Behavioral genetics research- Family studieso Trait of interest measured among groups of people who vary in genetic relatedness (e.g., parents, children, identical and fraternal twins)o Are people who are genetically more similar also more similar on the trait?o Are people who share the same environment more similar on the trait than those who do not? Ex. Adoption studies, twin studieso Temperament video: shows there is some genetic influence on temperamentEnduring themes: continuity vs. discontinuity- Continuous development: age related changes occur gradually (like the tree growth example)- Discontinuous development: age-related chances include occasional large shifts so that children of different ages seem qualitatively different (caterpillar, in cocoon, butterfly)- Stage theorist propose that development occurs in a progression of age-related qualitative shifts (each stage is different from each other)o It also depends on how it is viewedEnduring themes: early and later experience- Early experience- How influential is it? Are we doomed?o Some psychologists believe that unless infants experience warm, nurturing care in the first year of life, they will not develop to their full potential- Early experienceo Critical periods o Genie couldn’t develop language because she haven’t received any language before a certain critical period of learning languageo Her vocabulary was good but she was unable to make grammatical sentences Mixed findings for if she was born with some disability that prevented herfrom learning Able to make some gains, but not a fully formed language Important to be critical of conclusions based on research- Later experience advocates argue that o Children are responsive to change Resilience – a person’s ability to recover from or adapt to difficult timeso Sensitive caregiving is just as important in later life as it is early on- Modern view:o Not an extreme position on the issue of early versus later experienceo Early experience can create a foundation for later experience, but both make important contributions to developmentEnduring Themes: active vs. passive child- Some early theorists argue passive child- Now recognize children contribute to their own development - Early contributions: o Attention patterns, psychomotor learning, elicit behavior from others, play- Later contributions:o Choose many environments, friends, and activities for themselvesEnduring Themes: Universal Development vs. Individual Difference- Some psychologists focus on aspects of development that are universal- Others focus on individual differencesA Modern View of Developmental Themes- Early experience highly influential, but room for later experience too- How do nature and nurture together shape development?- In what ways is development continuous, and in what ways is it discontinuous?- What aspects of development are universal, and how can we understand what makes children different from one