AP Psychology: Unit 3 Review - Development and Learning

Introduction

• Video Disclaimer: Stunts performed by professionals in a controlled setting.
• Content Warning: Be cautious in psychoanalyzing friends/family based on this content.

Unit 3 Overview

• Focus on development and learning throughout life.

Developmental Psychology

• Studies changes in physical, mental, and social growth.
• Key themes:
  • Nature vs. Nurture: Genetics vs. environment influence.
  • Stability vs. Change: Which traits remain stable or change over time?
  • Continuity vs. Discontinuity: Is development a gradual process or stage-based?

Research Methods in Developmental Psychology

• Longitudinal Research: Follows the same group over time.
  • Pros: In-depth developmental data.
  • Cons: Time-consuming, expensive, high dropout rate.
• Cross-Sectional Research: Compares different age groups at a single time.
  • Pros: Quick, less costly.
  • Cons: Does not show individual change, cohort effects.

Physical Development

• Begins prenatally.
• Influencing factors:
  • Teratogens: Harmful substances affecting fetal development.
  • Maternal Illness: Can impact fetal development.
  • Hormonal and Environmental Factors: Affect prenatal health.
• Motor Skills Development:
  • Fine Motor Skills: Small muscle coordination.
  • Gross Motor Skills: Large muscle coordination.
• Infant Reflexes: Rooting and sucking for feeding.
• Visual Cliff Experiment: Tests infant depth perception.

Cognitive Development

• Jean Piaget's Theory:
  • Stages: Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational.
  • Concepts: Schemas, Assimilation, Accommodation, Object Permanence.
• Lev Vygotsky's Theory:
  • Zone of Proximal Development: Learning with guidance.
  • Scaffolding: Support to reach higher levels of understanding.
• Intelligence Types:
  • Crystallized Intelligence: Knowledge accumulation, stable/increasing with age.
  • Fluid Intelligence: Problem-solving, declines with age.

Language Development

• Stages: Cooing, Babbling, One-word, Telegraphic Speech.
• Key Concepts:
  • Phonemes and Morphemes: Smallest units of sound and meaning.
  • Grammar and Syntax: Rules of language structure.

Social and Emotional Development

• Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory: Environmental influences on development.
• Parenting Styles:
  • Authoritarian: Strict rules, obedience expected.
  • Authoritative: Balances expectations with support.
  • Permissive: Indulgent or indifferent.
• Attachment Styles:
  • Secure: Trusting and healthy relationships.
  • Insecure: Avoidant, anxious, or disorganized.

Erikson's Psychosocial Development

• Stages:
  • Trust vs. Mistrust
  • Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
  • Initiative vs. Guilt
  • Industry vs. Inferiority
  • Identity vs. Role Confusion
  • Intimacy vs. Isolation
  • Generativity vs. Stagnation
  • Integrity vs. Despair

Aversive Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

• Impact of traumatic events in childhood on development.
• Influence of sociocultural factors.

Identity Development

• James Marcia's Identity Statuses:
  • Identity Achievement
  • Identity Diffusion
  • Identity Foreclosure
  • Identity Moratorium

Learning

Classical Conditioning

• Pavlov and Watson's Contributions:
  • Classical Conditioning Concepts: Unconditioned/Conditioned Stimulus/Response.
  • Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery.
  • Stimulus Generalization and Discrimination.
  • Higher-Order Conditioning: Building complexity through associations.

Operant Conditioning

• Thorndike and Skinner's Theories:
  • Reinforcement Types: Positive/Negative.
  • Punishment Types: Positive/Negative.
  • Reinforcement Schedules: Fixed/Variable Ratio and Interval.
  • Shaping: Successive approximations.
  • Instinctive Drift and Superstitious Behavior.

Social Cognitive and Neurological Factors

• Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory: Learning through observation.
• Mirror Neurons: Role in empathy and imitation.
• Insight and Latent Learning: Cognitive problem-solving and memory.

Conclusion

• Review and test knowledge of Unit 3 content.
• Prepare for application in exams.