Transcript Developmental Psychology: Infant Biosocial Development

Michael Hoerger
Chapter 5
Biosocial Development: 0-2
Statistics
• Norms: statistics describing percentile rank
within a population
• Importance to developmental psychology?
• Percentile: proportion of the population
scoring below a particular score
• IQ of 115 = 84th percentile
Brain Basics
• Frontal Lobe: Planning, self-control, decision
making, speaking, muscle movement
• Brain cells (neurons)
• Axon: passes messages from cell body to other
neurons
• Dendrite: receives messages from other neurons
• Myelin Sheath: insulate axons, increases signal
transmission speed
• Synaptic Cleft: junction between axon and dendrite
Experience
• Experience-expectant learning: necessary for
normal development
• Light, sound, spoken language
• Universal across cultures
• Sensitive periods
• Experience-dependent learning:
• Which language, vocabulary, facts
• Variable across culture
• No strict sensitive periods
Sensation vs. Perception
• Sensation: information detected from
outside stimuli
• Green, prickly, smells nice
• Perception: integration and
interpretation of sensory
information
• Pine tree
Michael Hoerger
To cite this textbook:
• Berger, K. (2005). The developing person
through the lifespan. New York: Worth.
To cite this lecture:
• Hoerger, M. (2007, January 24).
Developmental Psychology: Infant Biosocial
Development. Presented at a PSY 220 lecture
at Central Michigan University.