This document provides an overview of key concepts in early childhood development psychology. It discusses the roles of nature and nurture in child development and covers topics like reflexes, critical periods, attachment theory, parenting styles, cognitive development theories from Piaget and Kohlberg, and more. The document is a study guide for an exam on early childhood psychology with vocabulary definitions, summaries of theories and studies, discussion questions, and activities to help students learn and apply the concepts.

1. Psychology
Unit 5:Early Childhood
By Timothy Bradley

2. Lesson 1:
• Nature
• Nurture
• Monozygotic Twins
• Dizygotic Twins
• Reflex
• Maturation
• Imprinting
• Critical Period
EQ: How is behavior impacted by the role nature and
nurture play in child development?
Vocabulary

3. Essential Questions
• How does nature and nurture play a role in the lifespan
development?

4. “Heredity” “Environment”

5. Twins: Monozygotic vs. Dizygotic

6. Physical Development: Maturation
Definition: The automatic and sequential process of development
that results from genetic signals

7. Physical Development: Reflexes
Definition: Involuntary reaction or response
• Reflexes include:
– Grasping
– Rooting
– Sucking
– Swallowing
– The Moro reflex
– The Babinski reflex

8. Perceptual Development: Visual Cliff
Children under 9 months
were unafraid
Children over 9 months
(about the age of
crawling) most respond
with fear to the drop-off
and refuse to go onto the
glass.

9. Critical Periods
Definition: A time frame
during which a stimulus must
be experienced in order for a
certain stage of development
to be achieved
Imprinting: the eliciting of
behavior due to exposure of a
certain stimulus

10. Language Acquisition

11. Case Study: Genie

12. Lesson 2:
• Alfred Adler
• Birth Order
• Inferiority Complex
• Fictional Finalism
• Compensation
Vocabulary
EQ 1: How does Alfred Adler explain human behavior?
EQ 2: How does birth order affect behavior?

13. Feelings of
Inferiority

15. Lesson 3: Parenting
• Authoritarian Parenting
• Authoritative Parenting
• Permissive Parenting
• Uninvolved (Rejecting-
Neglecting) Parenting
• Attachment
• Contact Comfort
Vocabulary
EQ: How do parenting styles affect a child’s psychological
development?

16. Parenting Styles

17. Assignment: Role Play
• Create a parenting role play (5 min. minimum) which displays
the characteristics associated with a parenting style (permissive,
authoritarian, or authoritative) and the characteristics of the
children of each style.

18. Parenting Role Play Rubric
Criteria Excellent (4) Good (3) Limited (2) Inadequate (1)
Works
Cooperatively
with Group
Always willing and
focused during
assigned tasks.
Usually willing and
focused during
assigned tasks.
Sometimes
willing and
focused during
assigned tasks.
Rarely willing and
focused during
assigned tasks.
Presentation of
Perspective
Convincing
communication of
understanding of
the assigned role.
Competent
communication of
understanding of
the assigned role.
Limited
communication
of understanding
of the assigned
role.
Inadequate
communication of
understanding of
the assigned role.
Use of Non-
Verbal Cues
(voice, gestures,
eye contact,
props, costumes)
An impressive
variety of non-
verbal cues were
used in an
exemplary way.
Good variety (3 or
more) verbal cues
were used in a
competent way.
A Limited variety
of non-verbal
cues were used
in an adequate
way.
Inadequate
variety of non-
verbal cues were
used in a
developing way.
Time > 1:15 minute 1. minute >45 seconds < 45 seconds
Rubric

19. Parenting Outcomes

20. Ainsworth on Attachment
• Definition: emotional ties that form between
people
• Mary Ainsworth
• Initially infants prefer being held
• 4 months-attachment to primary caregiver
• 6 months-cry or complain when separated
• Beginning at 8 months
• Stranger Anxiety: fear of strangers.
This is less when being held by those
they are attached to.
• Separation Anxiety: child
demonstrates distress when primary
caregiver leaves

21. Mary Ainsworth on Attachment
Separation
Anxiety
Stranger
Anxiety
Reunion
Behavior
Other % of
Infants
Secure
Attachment
Distressed
when mother
leaves.
Avoidant of
stranger when
alone but friendly
when mother
present
Positive and
happy when
mother
returns.
Will use the
mother as a safe
base to explore
their
environment.
70
Ambivalent
Attachment
Infant shows
signs of
intense
distress when
mother
leaves.
Infant avoids the
stranger - shows
fear of stranger.
Child
approaches
mother but
resists contact,
may even push
her away.
Infant cries more
and explores less
than the other 2
types.
15
Avoidant
Attachment
Infant shows
no sign of
distress when
mother
leaves.
Infant is okay with
the stranger and
plays normally
when stranger is
present.
Infant shows
little interest
when mother
returns.
Mother and
stranger are able
to comfort infant
equally well.
15

22. HARLOW’S ATTACHMENT EXPERIMENT
• Attachment: Emotional ties that form between people
• Contact Comfort: the instinctual need to touch and be
touched by something soft, such as skin/fur.
What were Harlow’s findings according to the video
provided? (Summarize in writing)

23. Self Esteem
• Carl Rogers noted that there two types
of support parents give to their
children.
• Unconditional Positive Regard: Parents
demonstrate love and affection
regardless of a child’s behavior
• Children develop high self esteem
• Conditional Positive Regard: Parents
demonstrate love and affection when
child behaves in an acceptable manner
• Child feels worthwhile when pleasing
authority figures
• A sense of competence in cognitive,
physical, and social tasks also increases
self esteem.

24. Lesson 5: Piaget
• Jean Piaget
• Cognitive
• Scheme
• Assimilation
• Accommodation
EQ: According to Piaget, how do individuals cognitively
develop?
Vocabulary
• Sensorimotor
• Object Permanence
• Conservation
• Egocentrism
• Concrete Thinking

25. Schema (According to Piaget)
• Generalizations that form as people experience the world.
• Basic units of knowledge
• Building blocks of intellectual development
• They organize past experiences and provide a framework for
understanding future experiences.
• Involve
• Behaviors (sucking on fingers)
• Mental Symbols (words & images)
• Mental Activities (doing math in our head)

26. Cognitive Task: Assimilation
Assimilation involves taking in new information into our
previously existing schemas is known as assimilation.

27. Cognitive Task: Accommodation
Accommodation involves altering existing schemas, or
ideas, as a result of new information or new experiences.
New schemas may also be developed during this process.
Child calls this four-
legged animal a
“cow”.

28. Assimilation vs. Accommodation
Schema: a mental structure of preconceived ideas, a framework
representing some aspect of the world, or a system of organizing
and perceiving new information.

29. Piaget’s CognitiveDevelopmentTheory

30. Terms:
• Object Permanence: refers to a
child's ability to understand that
objects still exist after they are no
longer in sight.
• Conservation: the child
understands that changing the
form of a substance or object
does not change its amount,
overall volume, or mass.
• Egocentrism: refers to the belief
that others see the world from the
same point of view as you.

31. WithwhichcognitivetaskisHobbes(tiger) struggling?

32. Vocabulary
• Lawrence Kohlberg
• Carol Gilligan
• Morals
• Preconventional reasoning
• Conventional reasoning
• Postconventional reasoning
• Social Contract
EQ: According to Kohlberg, how do individuals
morally develop?

33. Activity:

34. Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

35. Limitationsand Bias to Kohlberg’s Theory
• First four stages have appeared in twenty-seven cultures
• Stages 5-6 don’t always appear in cultures
• Collectivist cultures are told to consider community over the
individual
• Carol Gilligan argues that gender plays a role (biased toward boys)
• Males focused on justice (taught to use reason)
• Women focused on relationships and caring (taught to use empathy)
• Differences in how boys are girls are raised
• Others have found there is no substantial difference in how males
and females reason about hypothetical moral dilemmas
• Moral reasoning doesn’t always match moral action.
• Conclusion: Moral development is an adaptation to our culture
and experience.

36. The End…

37. Study for the
Early Childhood
Exam

38. Lesson Activator
Any questions prior to the Early Childhood
Exam?