Ch. 9 Psychology
| Chapter 9 Chapter Summary/Lecture Organizer |
I. STUDYING DEVELOPMENT - Developmental psychology is the study of age-related changes in behavior and mental processes from conception to death (Table 9.1). The chapter takes a topical approach including physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development..
A. Theoretical Issues – The three most important issues guiding research in human development are: nature versus nurture, continuity versus stages, and stability versus change. This issue has been an on-going debate that dates back to the ancient Greeks. Psychologists today prefer the biopsychosocial model.
B. Research Methods – To study development researchers use the cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.(Table 9.2)
Gender and Cultural Diversity: Cultural Psychology’s Guidelines for Developmental Research - Cultural psychologists have suggested that developmental researchers should be guided by four points: 1) culture may be the most important determinant of development; 2) human development, like most areas of psychology, cannot be studied outside its sociocultural context; 3) culture is largely invisible to its participants; and 4) each culture's ethnotheories are important determinants of behavior.
II. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
A. Prenatal and Early Childhood- Physical development in prenatal and early childhood are a time of rapid change. The prenatal period of development consists of three major stages: the germinal period, the embryonic period, and the fetal period (Process Diagram 9.1). Physical development is often affected by environmental influences. Poor prenatal nutrition is a leading cause of birth defects, and most drugs (both prescription and over-the-counter) are potentially teratogenic (capable of producing birth defects). Doctors advise pregnant women to avoid all unnecessary drugs, especially nicotine and alcohol.
I. STUDYING DEVELOPMENT - Developmental psychology is the study of age-related changes in behavior and mental processes from conception to death (Table 9.1). The chapter takes a topical approach including physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development..
A. Theoretical Issues – The three most important issues guiding research in human development are: nature versus nurture, continuity versus stages, and stability versus change. This issue has been an on-going debate that dates back to the ancient Greeks. Psychologists today prefer the biopsychosocial model.
B. Research Methods – To study development researchers use the cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.(Table 9.2)
Gender and Cultural Diversity: Cultural Psychology’s Guidelines for Developmental Research - Cultural psychologists have suggested that developmental researchers should be guided by four points: 1) culture may be the most important determinant of development; 2) human development, like most areas of psychology, cannot be studied outside its sociocultural context; 3) culture is largely invisible to its participants; and 4) each culture's ethnotheories are important determinants of behavior.
II. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
A. Prenatal and Early Childhood- Physical development in prenatal and early childhood are a time of rapid change. The prenatal period of development consists of three major stages: the germinal period, the embryonic period, and the fetal period (Process Diagram 9.1). Physical development is often affected by environmental influences. Poor prenatal nutrition is a leading cause of birth defects, and most drugs (both prescription and over-the-counter) are potentially teratogenic (capable of producing birth defects). Doctors advise pregnant women to avoid all unnecessary drugs, especially nicotine and alcohol.