Unit 9 Developmental Psychology (7-9%)

IX. Developmental Psychology (7–9%)

Developmental psychology deals with the behavior of organisms from conception to death and examines the processes that contribute to behavioral change throughout the life span. The major areas of emphasis in the course are prenatal development, motor development, socialization, cognitive development, adolescence, and adulthood.

AP students in psychology should be able to do the following:

  • Discuss the interaction of nature and nurture (including cultural variations) in the determination of behavior.

  • Explain the process of conception and gestation, including factors that influence successful fetal development (e.g., nutrition, illness, substance abuse).

  • Discuss maturation of motor skills.

  • Describe the influence of temperament and other social factors on attachment and appropriate socialization.

  • Explain the maturation of cognitive abilities (e.g., Piaget’s stages, information processing).

  • Compare and contrast models of moral development (e.g., Kohlberg, Gilligan).

  • Discuss maturational challenges in adolescence, including related family conflicts.

  • Explain how parenting styles influence development.

  • Characterize the development of decisions related to intimacy as people mature.

  • Predict the physical and cognitive changes that emerge as people age, including steps that can be taken to maximize function.

  • Describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development.

  • Identify key contributors in developmental psychology (e.g., Mary Ainsworth, Albert Bandura, Diana Baumrind, Erik Erikson, Sigmund Freud, Carol Gilligan, Harry Harlow, Lawrence Kohlberg, Konrad Lorenz, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky).

__________________________________________________________________________

Topic 6.1

The Lifespan and Physical Development in Childhood

(6.A) Explain the process of conception and gestation, including factors that influence successful pre-natal development.

  • Nutrition

  • Illness

  • Substance Abuse

  • Teratogens

(6.B) Discuss the interaction of "Nature v. Nurture" (including cultural variations), specifically physical development, in the determination of behavior.

(6.C) Discuss maturation of motor skills.

Topic 6.2

Social Development in Childhood

(6.D) Describe the influence of temperament and other social factors on attachment and appropriate socialization.

(6.E) Identify the contributions of major researchers in developmental psychology in the area of "social" development in childhood.

See contributions of a key researcher in the area of "Social" development in childhood.

  • Albert Bandura

  • Diana Baumrind

  • Konrad Lorenz

  • Harry Harlow

  • Mary Ainsworth

(6.F) Discuss the interaction of "Nature v. Nurture" (including cultural variations), specifically social development, in the determination of behavior.

(6.G) Explain how parenting styles influence development.

    • Authoritarian (Children with less social skills and self-esteem, and a brain that overreacts when they make mistakes)

    • Permissive (Children who are more aggressive and immature)

    • Negligent (Children with poor academic and social outcomes)

    • Authoritative (Children with the highest self-esteem, self-reliance, self-regulation, and social competence)

Topic 6.3

Cognitive Development in Childhood

(6.H) Explain the maturation of cognitive abilities (Piaget's stages, Information process).

(6.I) Identify the contributions of major researchers in the area of "cognitive" development in childhood.

See contributions of a key researcher in the area of "Cognitive" development in childhood.

  • Lev Vygotsky

  • Jean Piaget

Topic 6.4

Adolescent Development

(6.I) Identify the contributions of major researchers in the area of "cognitive" development in childhood.

Topic 6.5

Adulthood and Aging

(6.K) Characterize the development of decisions related to intimacy as people mature.

(6.L) Predict the physical and cognitive changes that emerge through the lifespan, including steps that can be taken to maximize function.

(6.M) Identify the contributions of key researchers in the area of "lifespan", adulthood and aging.

See contributions of a key researcher in the area of "lifespan" development in childhood.

  • Erik Erikson

Topic 6.6

Moral Development

(6.N) Identify the contributions of major researchers in the area of "moral" development.

See contributions of a key researcher in the area of "moral" development.

  • Carol Gilligan

  • Lawrence Kohlberg

(6.O) Compare and contrast models of moral development.

Topic 6.7

Gender and Sexual Orientation

(6.P) Describe how sex and gender influence socialization and other aspects of development.

  • Intro to Development: Environment (9b)

  • Prenatal and Newborn (9c)

  • Infancy and Childhood (9d)

  • Video's on Harry's Rhesus Monkeys, and Mary Ainsworth's Strange Situation with Attachment

  • Adolescence (9e)

  • Video's on the Stages

  • Adulthood (9f)