PYC2602 SUMMARY Child & Adolescent Development 2020/02

PYC2602


SUMMARY
Child & Adolescent Development




Contents

STUDY UNIT 01 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Basic Concepts of Child & Adolescent Development ........................................................................................................ 2
STUDY UNIT 02 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Prenatal Development ..................................................................................................................................................... 11
STUDY UNIT 03 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Neonatal Phase & Infancy................................................................................................................................................ 17
STUDY UNIT 04 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Early Childhood Development ......................................................................................................................................... 37
STUDY UNIT 05 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Middle Childhood Development ..................................................................................................................................... 58
STUDY UNIT 06 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 79
Adolescence...................................................................................................................................................................... 79
STUDY UNIT 07 ................................................................................................................................................................... 101
Vulnerabilities, Resilience and Rights of Children ........................................................................................................ 101
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION .............................................................................................................................................. 110
1. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development................................................................................................................ 110
2. Freud’s Stages of Psychosexual Development .......................................................................................................... 110
3. Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development................................................................................................................. 110
4. Piaget & Inhelder’s Pendulum Problem .................................................................................................................... 111
5. Children’s Rights and Responsibilities ....................................................................................................................... 111




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, STUDY UNIT 01
Basic Concepts of Child & Adolescent Development



DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

 Child development is a continuous process
 Stages approach helps to indicate when children are ready for specific responsibilities or activities
 It also is an indication of whether development id above or below the norm (average)
 Stages Identified:

1. Prenatal = Germinal, Embryonic & Fetal
2. Neonatal = 2-4 weeks
3. Infancy = 4 weeks-2 years
4. Early Childhood = 2-6 years
5. Mid Childhood = 6-12 years
6. Adolescence = puberty-adulthood

 NB considerations in development: Individual and Cultural differences
 Legal definition of a ‘child’ = Any person under the age of 18years (thus from infancy to adolescence)




DOMAINS WITHIN DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

1. Physical = Bodily changes (weight, height & motor functions)
2. Cognitive = Knowing and understanding the world (perception, learning, memory, thinking, decision-making, imagination,
creativity, language & intelligence)
3. Personality = Totality of psychological, social, moral and physical characteristics (self, self-concept & identity)
4. Social = Interactions and relationships with others (significant others influences, moral standards, socialization, religion &
spirituality)

DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES

 Nature // Nurture = Biological vs Social determinants
 Continuity // Discontinuity = Gradual & smooth vs abrupt & distinct development
 Passive // Active = No part (influenced socially) vs active part in development
 Universality // Cultural = Similar worldwide vs culture specific pathways

2

,CRITICISM OF LEARNING THEORIES

1. Too much emphasis on environmental determinants & biological/genetic often ignored
2. Inadequate attention to developmental changes with age
3. Role of cultural factors not taken into account

DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES

THEORY THEORIST SUMMARY
Biological Perspective  Behaviour primarily determined by biological factors and secondarily by environmental
factors
 Emphasizes heredity (genes), the nervous system (brain) and the endocrine system
(hormones)
Maturational Arnold Gesell  Child development reflects a specific and prearranged scheme or plan within the body
Theory (1880-1961)  Natural unfolding of a biological plan; experience doesn’t matter
 Predetermined dev timetable
 Discarded due to inefficiency re impact of environmental factors
Ethological  Evolutionary perspective to development
Theory  Many behaviour tend to be adaptive – have survival value
 Critical periods when environmental issues influence dev at certain stages in life
-i.e. Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989): Goslings experiment
-Underlying method biological, but experience needed to trigger programmed adaptive
behaviour
Evolutionary Charles Darwin  Natural selection in human behaviour
Theory (1809-1882)  Much of human behaviour results of successful adaptation to the environment
Psychodynamic Perspective  UC psychological motives (drives/urges) influence behaviour

Psychosexual Sigmund Freud  Emphasis on biological and sexual aspects of conflict
Theory (1856-1939)  Behaviour largely determined by how well one resolves UC conflicts one faces at
different ages

 Three primary components of behaviour:

1. id
-Reservoir of primitive instincts & drives
-Present at birth
-Demands instant gratification of bodily needs & wants

2. Ego
-Practical/rational
-Emerges during year 1
-Guides impulsive demands of the id & towards more socially acceptable behaviours

3. Superego (I)
-Moral agent
-Emerges during pre-school years
-Internalization of adult standards of right vs wrong

 Fixed sequence of psychosexual stages determined by maturation
 Stages dominated by erogenous zones dominated by sexual instincts
 Fixation may occur when certain urges over or under stimulated
 First 6y of life is main developmental period that determines rest of person’s life




3

, THEORY THEORIST SUMMARY




Psychosocial Erik Erikson  Emphasis on psychological and social aspects of conflict
Theory (1902-1994)  Development consists of sequential stages, each defines by a unique crises or challenge
 Conflict resolution capacity in early stages of dev provide foundation for same in adult
life




Learning Theory Perspective  An infant’s mind is a blank slate on which experiences are written
Behaviourism John B Watson  Behaviour result of responses to the environment
(1878-1958)  Classical Conditioning:
-Ivan Pavlov = Dog salivation experiment
-Process of learning by which an initial neutral stimulus (bell) comes to elicit a particular
response (salivation) after continually being paired with an unconditioned stimulus (food)
-Classical Conditioning applied to children’s behaviour: Baby-Rat experiment




Behaviourism B.F Skinner  Behaviour result of responses from the environment
(1904-1990)

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