Developmental Psychology: Neural Development and Cognitive Milestones, Slides of Introduction to Psychology

Download Developmental Psychology: Neural Development and Cognitive Milestones and more Slides Introduction to Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! The Beginnings of Life Docsity.com Developmental Psychology • Development – Changes in behavior that occur over time • Developmental Psychology – Study of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes in humans across the life-span Docsity.com Basic Questions • Maturation vs Learning • Continuity vs Discontinuity • Domain Generality vs Domain Specificity Docsity.com Capabilities of Neonates • Near-sighted (19cm) • Preference for faces • Preference for human voices • Preference for sweet tastes • Reflexes – Automatic response to a stimulus Docsity.com Developmental Milestones • Useful for detecting potential CNS problems • Little predictive power beyond identifying potential CNS problems Docsity.com Stages of Cognitive Development • Sensorimotor • Preoperational • Conrete-Operational • Formal-Operational Docsity.com Sensorimotor • Birth - 2 • Coordinate sensory experiences with motor activities • Object Permanence -- 9 months Docsity.com Preoperational • 2 - 7 • Represents the environment with objects and symbols • Preconcepts -- toys • Egocentrism Docsity.com Neo-Piaget • Post-Formal • Ability to handle ambiguities and contradictions • Dialectical thinking Docsity.com Vygotsky • Internalization – Absorption of knowledge from context • Zone of Proximal Development – Difference between observed ability and potential ability Docsity.com Cognitive Development in Adulthood • Loss of neurons • Slowing done of processing – Fluid vs Crystallized • In the absence of some form of dementia, no other loss of cognitive abilities • Alzheimer’s Disease • Vascular Dementia Docsity.com