GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

Chapter 2: Developmental Psychology

Theme: Growth and Development

Overview

Chapter 2 discusses how development is affected by various prenatal factors. It

explains the amazing abilities of newborns, the early appearance of a basic
emotional setup, the surprising growth of mental abilities, and the different factors
influencing social development.

Learning Outcomes

At theend of this chapter, you are expected to:

1. Describe the events that occur from conception to birth
2. Describe the progress of physical growth from birth onwards
3. Discuss the cognitive and perceptual capacities of the child and the course of
development
4. Describe the social influences on development
5. Outline and describe psychosexual, psychosocial, and cognitive development.

Indicative Content

1. Prenatal influences
2. Newborns’ Abilities
3. Emotional Development
4. Cognitive Development
5. Social Development

Definition of Terms
Development. A progressive series of changes that occur as a result of maturation
and experiences. It implies qualitative changes.
Growth.it means a continuous and adaptive process and implies quantitative
changes.
Maturation. It refers to the process of change of an individual which occurs primarily
as a function of aging or time. It excludes effects of practice and experience.
Fixation. This means that an adult shows personality characteristics that are related
to the stage. Infants learn about their environment by such activities involving the
mouth.

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
9
 GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

Preassessment

Are you and your mother similar in traits or character? What traits/characters did you
take from her?

Are you and your father similar in traits or character? What traits/characters did you
take from him?

An individual, at any given stage of development is a product of interaction

between heredity and environment. A human being is never static from conception
to death; changes take place constantly. A maturing organism undergoes continued
and progressive changes in response to experimental conditions and these result in a
complex network of interaction.

The following are more or less the natural way of how we all grow and develop.
While you read take time to interact with the concept by applying them on yourself.

A. Basic Principles of Growth and Development

From numerous studies conducted on growth and development, developmental

psychologists have established some basic principles of developmental change that
occur over the life cycle.

1. Development follows an orderly sequence which is predictable. The first basic

principles relates to an orderly sequence of developmental change. The
developmental process, guided by the interaction of maturation and learning,
follows a predictable pattern. It is continuous process that proceeds according to
a definite direction and uniform pattern throughout the life cycle.
2. The rate of development is unique to each individual. Although developmental
changes follow a predictable pattern, the rate at which changes may occur may
different from one individual to another. Such differences in rate of changes are
determined by the interaction of heredity and the environment.
3. Development involves changes. It implies that human being is always involving
based on the theories of developmental psychologists. These changes that children
undergo deal with physical, emotional and mental aspects.
4. Early development is more critical than later development. The principle gives
importance to the formative years of children. It is during this period that
individuals develop foundation for social relatedness, emotional well-being, and
personal adjustments.
5. Development is product of maturation and learning. Although people are
genetically endowed with certain characteristics, learning allows individuals to
develop these innate potentialities. Through exercise and effort, people can act on
their environments and develop competencies.
6. There are individual differences in development. All children do not reach the
developmental stages all at the same time or all at the same age. These differences
in development are often attributed to both genetic and environmental influences.

All children do not reach the developmental stages all at the same time or all at the
same age. These differences in development are often attributed to both genetic and
environmental influences.

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
10
 GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

Having known all that, we cannot set aside the factors that contribute to our growth
and development even before we were born. Read on.

B. Prenatal Influences

The nature-nurture question asks how nature (genetic factors) and how much nurture
(environmental factors) contribute to a person’s biological, emotional, cognitive,
personal, and social development.

All babies are born with a kind of pre-arranged pattern as a result of process of
transmission of genetic characteristics from the parent the offspring called heredity.
This determines many specific characteristics, especially those that affect
development. This biological pattern is made up of elements that comes from both
parent and are transmitted directly from them to their offspring.

Another factor that affect to a person’s behavior, growth and development is

environment. The external environment includes all the conditions outside an
organism that in ant influences life process except genes. The external environment
can classified into two-physical and social.

The external physical environment is made up of all the many things in the world that
affects us directly ( as food does) and all things that stimulate our sense organs (as
sights and sounds do). The social environment includes all the human beings who
influence us. Some people influence us by direct, daily contact-our families, friends,
classmates. Other people influence through indirect contact-over radio and television,
in books and other publications, and in any other ways, such as in our imagination,
memory and daydreams.

So do you really wonder whether, as a rule, we are all affected by simply our
biological genes? Or environmental factors?

Nature-Nurture?

Minds inhabit environments which act on them and

on which they react.
—William James
People are not, and cannot be equal in development because they are biologically
unequal to begin with, and the resulting interplay with environmental forces makes
for still greater differentiation (Hildreth, 1992).

As a unique person, every person is a result of an interplay between heredity and

environment. Even among brothers and sisters who came from the same parents
and grow up in one house/ environment, there are many differences. This truly
proves that no two individual are alike.

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
11
 GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

With that, let’s see how newborns behave.

Newborn’s Abilities
Human infants are born with a surprising number of sensory and motor abilities,
such as hearing, grasping, suckling.

Sensory Development
During the nine months of development in the womb, the genetic program guiding
the development of a number of motor and sensory functions that important to
newborn’s survival.

Sight. At one month, an infant can distinguish his or her mother’s face from that of a
stranger’s provided the infant also hears the mother’s voice. By three months, an
infant can visually distinguish her or his mother’s face from a stranger’s. By 3 to 4
years, an infant’s visual abilities are equal to those of an adult’s.

Hearing. One-month-old infants have very keen hearing and can discriminate small
sound and vibrations. At 6 months, infants have developed ability to make all the
sounds that are necessary to learn in which they are raised.
Touch. Newborn also have well-developed sense of touch. Touch will also elicit a
number of reflexes, such suckling and grasping.

Smell and Taste. Researchers found that 1-day-old infants could discriminate
between a citrus odor and a floral odor. At six-week-old infants can smell the
difference between their mother and a stranger. Newborns have an inborn
preference for both sweet and salt and an infant dislikes bitter-tasting things.

Depth Perception. At 6 months, infants have developed depth perception.

Although the genetic program is largely responsible for the early appearance of
these sensory abilities, environmental stimulation, such as parental touch and play,
encourages the infant to use and further develop these sensory abilities (Shatz,
1997).

Yes, we interact with our environment. How our parents or immediate adults
provide opportunities for play and interaction all paly a part and shape our growth
and development.

Motor development

This refers to the stages of motor skills that all infants pass through as they acquire
the muscular control necessary for making coordinated movements. Because each
child has a unique genetic program, he or she will acquire motor skills at different
times. The development of early motor skills follows two general rules, called the
proximodistal and cephalocaudal principles.

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
12
 GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

1. The proximodistal principles states that parts closer to the center of the infant’s
body (proximo in Latin means “near”) develop before parts farther away (distal in
Latin means “far”).
2. The cephalocaudal principles states that parts of the body closer to the head
(cephalo in Latin means “head”) develop before the part closer to the feet
(caudal in Latin means “tail”).
3. The cephalocaudal and proximodistal principles, which regulate the sequence for
developing early motor skills, are part of a process known as maturation.
Maturation refers to development change that are genetically of biologically
programmed rather than acquired through learning of life experiences.

Emotional Development

Emotional development results from our biological capacity to produce emotional

expressions (nature) which interact with the positive or negative feedback (nurture)
we receive in attempting to maintain or change our environment.

Emotional
Development
Emotional Attachment between
Intensity Parent & Child
Temperament

Attachment refers to close fundamental emotional bonds that develop between the
infants and his or her parents or caregiver.

How Does Attachment Occur?

Attachment is a gradual process that begins after birth and continues through
infancy.

Child Parent

Crying Care and Sympathy

Good
Social Smiling Joy and Pleasure Parent-Child
Attachment
Happy Greetings Delight and Satisfaction

As the infant develop closer attachment to his or her parents, he or she also shows
more distress when parent leave. This is called separation anxiety. Separation
anxiety is an infant’s distress – as indicated by loud protests, crying, and agitation –
whenever the infant’s parents temporarily leave.

Cognitive Development

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
13
 GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

Cognitive development refers to how person perceives, thinks, and gains an

understanding of his or her world through the interaction and influence of genetic
and learned factors.

Piaget’s Stage of Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor Preoperation Concrete Formal

al

Piaget’s cognitive refers to four different stages, each of which is more advances
than the preceding stage because it involves new reasoning and thinking abilities.

Stage 1: Sensorimotor. During the sensorimotor stage (from birth to about age 2),
infants interact with and learn about their environment by relating their motor
sensory experiences (such as hearing and seeing) to their motor actions (mouthing
and grasping). This stage is marked by the child’s lack of ability to use images,
language, and symbols. Things not immediately present are not within the child’s
awareness until the development of object permanence, the awareness that objects
continue to exist even if they can no longer be heard, touched, or seen.

Stage 2: Preoperational. During preoperational stage (from 2 to 7 years old), children

learn to use symbols, such as words or mental images, to solve simple problems, and
to think or talk about things that are present. This stage is marked by egocentric
thought in which the world is viewed from the child’s perspective. The principle of
conservation, which states the quantity is unrelated to appearance, is not understood
during this period.
Stage3: Concrete. During concrete operations stage (from 7 to 11 year), children can
perform a number of logical operations on concrete objects (ones that are physically
present). Its beginning is marked by the mastery of the principle of conservation.
They learn to understand reversibility , ore the capacity of things to be reverted to
previous. Aside from the mastery of conservation, they also get better at
classification (ability to figure out relationship between objects provides the objects
are actually physically present or “concrete”).

Stage 4: Formal. During the formal operation stage (from about 12 years old through
adulthood) adolescents and adults develop the ability to think about, and solve,
abstract problems in a logical manner.
Once adolescents reach this stage, they encounter exciting new worlds of abstract
ideas and hypothetical concepts. The cognitive skills associated with this stage are
the very ones that you need to do well around this time.

Social Development

Social development refers to how a person develops a sense of self or self-identity

develops the kind of social skills important in personal interaction.
There are two different theories of social development, each of which emphasized a
different aspect of behaviour.

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
14
 GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

FREUD’S PSYHOLOSEXUAL STAGES

2. Anal
1. Oral Stage 3. Phallic Stage 4. Latency Stage 5. Genital Stage
Stage
0-1 ½ years Early 1 ½ -3 years 3- 6 years Early 6- 18 years Middle & Above 18 years Puberty to
Infancy Late Infancy Childhood Late Childhood Adulthood
Pleasure-seeking is Pleasure- Pleasure-seeking is Child represses sexual Individual renews sexual
centered on the seeking is centered in the thoughts and engages desires that he or she
mouth centered on genitals in nonsexual activities seeks to fulfil through
the anus and relationships with opposite
its functions sex
of elimination

The psychosexual stages are five development periods during which individual seeks
pleasure from different areas of the body that are associated with sexual feelings.

1. Oral stage. This suggested to Freud that the mouth is primary site of sexual pleasure
and in infants are overindulged or frustrated, they can become fixated. Fixation
means that an adult shows personality characteristics that are related to the stage.
Infants learn about their environment by such activities involving the mouth.
2. Anal Stage. Major source of pleasure moves to the anal region. The child derives
pleasure from the retention and expulsion of feces. If toilet training is particularly
demanding, fixation is occur. Fixation can lead to unusual rigidity and orderliness or
the extreme opposite of disorder or sloppiness.
3. Phallic Stage. Age three the source of pleasure moves on the genitals. The oedipal
complex develops at this time. The differences between males and females become
a concern, and the male begins to see his father as a rival for castration anxiety. In
the end, the child represses his desires for his mother and chooses to identify with
the father. For girls, the pattern is different. They develop an attachment to their
fathers known as the Electra complex.
4. Latency Stage. This is characterized by repression of sexual concerns, making it
latent. The child is preoccupied with nonsexual activities, such as developing social
and intellectual skills. His energies are now absorbed by such concerns as school
learning, peer relations, sports and other recreational activities. The latency year are
described as a relatively calm and stable period.
5. Genital Stage. Puberty, sexual maturity emerges. The oedipal feelings are reactivated
at direct toward other persons of opposite sex. Provided that strong fixations at
earlier stages have taken place, dependence on parents is overcome and the young
person is on the way to establishing a satisfying life of his own.

ERIKSON’S PSYCHOSOCIAL STAGES

Period Stages Discussion

Early Infancy Trust vs. Mistrust Feelings of trust are built on basic
(0-1vyear old) physiological and psychological needs.
Late infancy Autonomy vs. Shame and Development of independence if
(1-3 years old) Doubt exploration and freedom encouraged or
shame if they are not.

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
15
 GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

Early Childhood Initiative vs. Guilt Child experience conflict between

(3-5 years old) independence of action and the
sometimes negative results of that action.
Middle and Late Industry vs. Inferiority Child develops positive social interactions
Childhood with others or may feel inadequate and
(5-12 years old) become less sociable.
Adolescence Identity vs. Role Individual seek to discover his abilities,
(12-20 years) Confusion skills, limits, and identity. If unsuccessful,
he will experience identity confusion,
which results in his low self-esteem and
becoming unstable or socially withdrawn.
Young Adulthood Intimacy vs. Isolation Time for developing loving and meaningful
(20-40 years) relationships. On the negative side,
without intimacy, a painful feeling of
isolation will result and relationships will
be impersonal.
Middle Adulthood Generativity vs. The contribution to family, community,
(40-65 years) Stagnation work, and society comprise generativity,
and feeling of triviality about one’s activity
indicate the difficulties and lead to
stagnation.
Later Adulthood Integrity vs. Despair Time for reflecting on and reviewing how
(65 and older) we meet on previous challenges and lived
our lives.

The psychosocial stages are eight developmental periods during which an individual’s
primary goal is to satisfy desires associated with social needs. Erikson’s hypothesized
that from infancy through adulthood we proceed through these stages each of which
is related to different problems that need to be resolved. If we successfully deal with
the potential problem of each stage, we develop positive personality traits and are
better able to solve the problem at the next stage.

However, if we do not successfully handle the psychosocial problems, we may

become anxious, worried, troubled and develop social and personality problems.

Evaluation: Reflective Thinking. If you were a parent, what special concerns might
you have when your own children go through adolescence. How are you going to
handle those concerns? Discuss.

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
16
 GE 101 UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SELF

Job well done! You have just finished chapter 2. You may relax, do some stretching
or grab something to eat.

by: Prof. Mary Vincentia O. Beldiall

Capiz State University Main Campusll
College of Engineering, Architecture & Technology
17