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Portland State University , Department of Psychology

PSY 311U: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

LECTURE 1

PSYCHOLOGY 311U:
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Developmental Psychology:

The study of development: systematic changes and continuities in individuals that occur between conception and death

Major Goals of the Course:

1. To familiarize you with the development of individuals from conception to death

Phases of Human Development:

  • Prenatal period
  • Infancy 
  • Toddlerhood 
  • Preschool 
  • Middle childhood /School age
  • Adolescence 
  • Adulthood - Early, Middle, Late
  • Aging? 

Life-Span Perspective

  • Development is a lifelong process
  • Develpment is multidirectional
  • Develpment involves gains and losses at every age
  • Development includes lifelong plasticity

Challenging Misconceptions of Aging

Gerontology:
Study of Aging

  • Oldest-old (85+ years) is fastest growing

2. To acquaint you with the basic concepts and research methods of developmental psychology

3. To expose you to the major theories of human development 

  • Mechanistic 
  • Organismic 
  • Contextual 

Mechanistic Perspectives on Development:

  • These are the learning theories
  • Organism (o) is passive, acted upon by the environment (e) 
  • Big E, little o  
  • Development comes from outside the organism, from the environment
E ---->o
  • External stimuli cause development
  • Change is continuous: 
  • Gradual rather than abrupt (i.e., it occurs in small steps rather than suddenly) and quantitative rather than qualitative (i.e., the change is in degree but not in kind)

  • Principles of learning apply at all ages
  • Methods: Observation, experimentation

Some "Mechanistic" Theories:

  • Pavlov & Watson: Respondent Learning (Classical Conditioning) (Ch. 2)
  • Skinner: Operant Learning (Ch. 2)
  • Bandura: Social Learning Theory (Observational Learning) (Ch. 2) ?
  • Information-Processing Theories (Ch. 8) 

Organismic Perspectives on Development:

  • Best example is Piaget's Cognitive-Developmental Theory 
  • Organism (O) is active , acting upon the environment (e) 
  • Development comes from within the organism
O ---->e
  • Change is discontinuous:   
  • Abrupt rather than gradual, and qualitative (changes in kind) rather than quantitative 

  • There are distinct stages of development related to age 
  • Methods: Observation (with infants), interview

Some "Organismic" Theories:

  • Piaget's Cognitive-Developmental Theory (Ch. 2 & 7)
  • Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development (Ch. 13)
  • Psychoanalytic Theory (Ch. 2)
    • Freud 
    • Erikson 

Contextualist Perspectives on Development:

  • Organism (O) is active in the developmental process 
  • Environment (E) is active as well
  • Big O, big E  
  • Change is continuous and discontinuous, quantitative and qualitative 

E<---->O

Some "Contextualist" Theories:

  • Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Approach (Ch.2)
  • Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory (Ch.7)
  • Life-Span Perspective (Ch. 1)

Life-Span Perspective

  • Development is multiply influenced
  • Development is shaped by its historical/cultural context

Cohort:

  • A group of people born at the same time (in the same year or within a specified, limited span of years); a particular generation of people
  • Cohort effect: The effect of being born at a particular time and hence developing through one particular historical era and not another

Major Goals of the Course (Cont):

4. To introduce you to some applications of developmental psychology-OPTIMIZATION

Course Format:

  • Multi-media lecture 
  • Classroom writing-to-learn exercises
  • Large and (time permitting) small group discussions 

Prior to Coming to Class You Should:

  • Read portion of text assigned for that lecture 
  • Study lecture notes printed from the web (remember to bring them with you to class)

Examinations:

  • Three examinations, covering both text and lecture 
  • Multiple-choice format 
  • Study guide for each exam specifying all topics tested can be printed from web
  • Exams not cumulative 

Participation Points:

  • In class writing-to-learn exercises (short essays) and, if time permits, small group discussions 
  • YOU SUPPLY 3" X 5" ruled cards  
  • Maximum 10 points added to your total points accumulated. Additional points are extra credit 
  • Must be turned in at the time requested

Communicating With Dr. Smith:

If you want a response:
  • In person, after class 
  • Office hours (sign-up for time on sheet outside office CH317U)
  • E-Mail <smithc@pdx.edu>  

To leave a message that needs no response:

  • Phone (503) 725-3985

Classroom Manners:

  • Be courteous to your neighbors
  • If you need to leave early, please sit in the back 
  • Students who attend class regularly get better grades, on exams and in the course, than those who don't

END

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