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lecture one - Coggle Diagram
lecture one
terms and definitions
neonate - new born up to oone month
infancy - first 2 years - period before language use
preschooler - ages 2- 5
school aged child - ages 5 to 12
adolecent - ages 12 to 18
late adulthood 65+
APA ages notation
2;6 - 2 years 6 months
2;6 : 10 - 2 years 6 months , 10 days
9. Research Methods (The "Toolbox")
Concept: How we measure the "unmeasurable."
The Detail:
Longitudinal: Tracking change over time (Powerful, but expensive/time-consuming).
Cross-sectional: Snapshot of different ages at once (Quick, but suffers from Cohort Effects).
Evidence:
"Child of Our Time" (BBC): A longitudinal study following babies born in 2000 (Transcript, p. 16).
Baby Biographies: Early method, but "easy to over-interpret" and "not generalizable" (Slide 39).
Further Reading: Slater & Bremner (2003) Chapter 3 on research design.
Essay Use: Use this to discuss the limitations of evidence. Argue that a "mixture of both" designs is the gold standard (Eyden, 2026).
introduction to developmental psychology
defining the feild - The psychology of change from the precradle to the grave (foetus to old age )
focus areas
physical , cognitive emotional and social development
key questions
when do abilities emerge ?
how are they exhibited ?
why do they develop in this way ?
levels of explanation
behavioural - observable actions (e.g motor development)
cognitive - thought process (e.g solving a maths problem )
biological -
note some processes like attatchment and ADHD interact across all three levels
the concept - Dr. Eyden argues that we must look at development through three lenses.
Essay Use: Use this to argue that some issues, like Attachment or ADHD, cannot be explained by one level alone. They are a "mixture of all three" (Eyden, 2026).
Further Reading: Slater & Bremner (2003) Chapters 1-3 provide the philosophical background for why we need these different levels to understand the "psychology of change."
Essay Use: Use this in an Intro to argue that any single-level explanation (e.g., "it's just genetics") is insufficient for the complexity of human development.
major theories
Jean Piaget: The "Little Scientist"
Concept: Cognitive development occurs in universal, invariant stages.
The Detail: Children are Active Agents. They use Schemas (mental structures) and adapt via Assimilation (fitting info in) and Accommodation (changing schemas).
Evidence: The 4 Stages: Sensori-motor, Pre-operational, Concrete, Formal. (Slide 27).
Transcript Detail: Dr. Eyden critiques Piaget's original method—he only studied his own 3 children in diary studies, which was "biased" and "not robust" until retested on thousands of children (Transcript, p. 12).
Further Reading: Slater & Bremner (2003) Chapter 2.
Essay Use: This is your "Baseline Theory." Use it to explain how children construct their own knowledge.
Jean Piaget: The "Little Scientist"
Concept: Cognitive development occurs in universal, invariant stages.
The Detail: Children are Active Agents. They use Schemas (mental structures) and adapt via Assimilation (fitting info in) and Accommodation (changing schemas).
Evidence: The 4 Stages: Sensori-motor, Pre-operational, Concrete, Formal. (Slide 27).
Transcript Detail: Dr. Eyden critiques Piaget's original method—he only studied his own 3 children in diary studies, which was "biased" and "not robust" until retested on thousands of children (Transcript, p. 12).
Further Reading: Slater & Bremner (2003) Chapter 2.
Essay Use: This is your "Baseline Theory." Use it to explain how children construct their own knowledge.
7. Siegler & Information Processing
Concept: The mind as a computer; change is constant, not tiered.
The Detail: Rejects stages. Children have simultaneous access to multiple strategies.
Evidence: Overlapping Waves model. Instead of jumping steps, children use many approaches and slowly pick the best ones.
Further Reading: Thornton (2008).
Essay Use: Use this to argue that development is a continuous curve rather than Piaget’s "staircase."
8. Dynamic Systems Theory (DST)
Concept: Development as an emergent function of interacting systems.
The Detail: Behavior is Self-Organizing. Small changes lead to sudden, non-linear shifts.
Evidence: The system includes the nervous system, body capabilities (biomechanics), and environment.
Further Reading: Thelen (2000) (Slide 47). This is the definitive DST source.
Essay Use: Use this as the most modern and complex theory. It bridges biology and environment perfectly.
historical foundations
Nature vs. Nurture: Learning vs. Maturation
Concept: The two extreme influences on development.
The Detail:
Learning (Nurture): Watson (Conditioning). The child is a "Blank Slate" (Tabula Rasa).
Maturation (Nature): Gesell & McGraw. Development follows a "predetermined pattern" independent of environment.
Evidence:
"Little Albert" (Watson): Proved fear is learned, not innate.
Milestones: Gesell found children globally hit milestones (sitting, walking) in the same order, suggesting a biological "blueprint" (Slide 15).
Further Reading: Slater & Bremner (2003) Chapter 1 discusses the philosophical roots of this debate.
Essay Use: Use this to show the "History" of the field. Argue that early theorists were too "one-sided," whereas modern psychology looks at the interaction.
Innate Traits & Twin Studies (The "Genetic Weight" Data)
Concept: Determining if a trait is genetic or environmental.
The Detail: Traits are likely innate if they are universal (crying), appear early (voice preference), or show familial similarity.
Evidence (The "One-Sentence" Numbers):
Hair Color: MZ \0.990.99| DZ \0.200.20(High Genetic).
Maths GCSE: MZ \0.880.88| DZ \0.600.60(Both - influenced by genes and school/parents).
Chicken Pox: MZ \0.970.97| DZ \0.900.90(High Environment - if you're in the room, you catch it).
Basketball Example: Dr. Eyden notes that height is genetic, but the hobby of basketball is environmental (encouragement because you are tall).
Further Reading: Plomin & Daniels (2011) (Slide 47). This is the key paper for explaining family differences.
Essay Use: Use the Maths GCSE numbers to prove that most complex human traits are a mix of Nature and Nurture.
4. Epigenetics & Methylation (The "Interaction" Mechanism)
Concept: Bi-directional interaction where environment switches genes on/off.
The Detail: Methylation is the process. It doesn't change the DNA, but it changes how it's expressed. These changes are not passed to children.
Evidence:
Prenatal Malnutrition: Switches on genes that lead to adult obesity.
Schizophrenia: A genetic predisposition that requires an environmental "trigger" (trauma or drugs) to switch on (Transcript, p. 10).
Further Reading: Thelen (2000) discusses how the "Embodied Mind" is shaped by these environmental interactions.
Essay Use: This is your strongest argument for the "Nature AND Nurture" middle ground.