Psy 223 Test 2

the process of categoration and interpretation of sensory input; recognizing what you see

sensory receptor neurons detect imformation signals from environment and transmit it to the brain

sensation, perception are central to human functioning

John Locke and William James

• -believed that infants must learn to perceive, they are not born with the ability
• - knowledge only arises from experience
• -extreme nuture view
• - "blooming, buzzing confusion"

Descartes and Kant

• ability to perceive is innate (we are born with it)
• extreme nature view

• infants see some order in the universe at birth but perception is limited and comes about gradually
• biological maturation and experience both contribute to the growth of percetual awareness

You present two visual stimuli simultaneously and measure the looking time. If infants looks longer at one than the other then it is assumed that the infant as a preference

• -dealt with visual patterns
• used a looking chamber and found that infants preferred to look at complex patterened stimuli than simple

as early as 4 days, they show perference for mother's face

A stimulus is repeated over and over again that it becomes so familar that infant stops responding to it then a 2nd stimuli is presented. If the infant reacts to it, it is perceived different than the first stimulus. If no reaction, it is not perceived as different

• Event-related potentials
• recording of brain waves during stimuli presentaion. If change is detected, patterns of the brain will change and then you can determine if two stimuli are discriminated

technology allows direct measure of looking time and direction of gaze as an infrared camera tracks pupil and corneal reflection so you dont have to rely on the imprecise measures of looking time and gaze

looked at more mouth than eyes than those without Autism

vision

• newborn: 20/400
• 6 mo: 20/60
• 12 mo: 20/20

infants lack the muscle control for focusing and have immature retina and visual brain pathways

• they DO discriminate between black and white and color
• adult-like color by 2 mos.

recognize sound of mother's voice at less than 1 week and particulary responsive to human voice

• mental processes by which knowledge is acquired, stored, and used to solve problems
• includes things such as attention, learning,thinking,and remember

• prominent view in cognitive development
• 4 major steps
• invariant developmental sequences
• organized in schema

children aquire knowledge by acting on their environment and the level of understand depends on maturity of child's cognitive system

• mental constuct about an object or set of action
• how knowledge is organized

• first intellectual stuctures to emerge (first 2 yrs)
• organized patterns of behavior used to represent object formed by actively engaging with object

• emerges during 2nd year
• represent experiences, objects symbolically without having to act on them
• mental reprenstation or image of behavior formed and then retrieved

• emerges after 7 years, adult-like
• cognitive operations: mental activity used to reach logical, adult-like conclusions

organize schema which increases complexity

• to adapt and adjust to demands of the environment
• as a a child grows, they gain more complex and more differentiated schema

either strengthened or changed (accommodation or assimilation

• interpreting new experiences by incorporating into schema
• strengthens existing schema and makes new experiences fit existing schema

• changing
• adapt and modify existing schema
• must accoommodate old schema to new object

back and forth process of seeking fit with exisiting schemas and new experiences to achieve balance btw current understanding of world and new experiences

equilibruim-->assimilation-->accommodation-->organization

• mostly about behavioral schema
• coordinating sensory inputs and motor capablities
• has 6 substages

• 1. Reflex Activity
• 2. Primary Circular Reactions
• 3. Secondary Circular Reactions
• 4. Coorination of Secondary Circular Reactions
• 5. Teritary Circular Reactions
• 6. Symbolic Representation

• birth-1 1/2 month
• excercising reflex schema

• -1 1/2 mo- 4 mo.
• control over motor movements that are pleasurable; centered on baby's body
• -ex: blowing bubbles

• 4-8 mo.
• actions produce interesting chance in environment
• new relationship btw actions and environment
• action produces feedback

• 8-12 mo
• coordination of 2 or more actions to achieve a simple objective
• earliest form of problem solving and using a "plan"

• 1-1 1/2 yrs
• active experimentation with objects
• invent new ways to solve problems

• 1 1/2-2 yrs
• images and words come to stand for familar objects
• ex: use a stick to bring something out of reach
• new means of problem solving

• realization that objects continue to exist even when they aren't visible
• begins around 10-12 mo but full evident at 2 years

• characteristic mode of emotional and behavioral response to environmental events
• mode of responding to the world that's consistent across situations and stable over time
• core element of adult personality

• Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess
• defined 9 attributes of temperament

• activity level
• rhythmicity
• approach-withdrawl
• adaptablitity
• threshold of responsiveness
• intensity of reaction
• quality of mood
• distractibiltity
• attention span/persistence

Easy, Difficult, Slow-to-Warm-Up

• 40%
• even tempered
• open to new experiences
• adaptable
• regular biological functions

• 10%
• very active and irritable
• withdraw from new experiences
• intense negative reactions

• 15%
• low activity
• moody
• slow to adapt
• react with passive resistance
• not over-reactive

• core element of social and emotional development
• -4 stages

• 1. Asocial
• 2. Indiscriminate Attachments
• 3. Specific
• 4. Mulitple

• 0-6 wks
• not upset when left alone with stranger
• reacts favorably to most stimuli but has a peferencs for Social stimuli

• 6 weeks-6 Months
• prefer human company, but love attention from everyone
• soothed more quickly by caregiver

• 7-9 mo.
• protest only when separated from one person (mom)
• begin to show separation anxiety and stranger wariness
• primary caregiver becomes secure base

• -10+ mo
• not attached to just 1 person
• each attachment figure may serve difference puposes

attachment formed with the person who feeds you

• stresses importance of feeding as a reinforcer in creating attachment
• rewardingness leads to love
• Harlow soon proved infants form attachments to adults who provides variety of rewards

• must have achieved some degree of object permanence to be able to discriminate familart ppl from strangers
• depends part on cognitive development

• "born to love"
• John Bowlby
• biology
• attachment is a reciprocal relationship

• studied pattens of attachment
• used strange situation to measure attachment

• 65%
• infant actively explores while alone and visibly upset by separation but greets mom warmly with physical contact when she returns
• infant is able to rely on availability and sensitivity of mom and maintain a good balance btw saftey and exploitation
• caregiver: responsive to child, enjoy close contact, sensitive, encourage exploration

• 35%
• anxious/avoidant
• anxious/resistant
• disorganized

• 15%
• Infant: shows little distress when mom leaves, but avoids contact when she returns
• caregiver: impatient, unresponsive,negative, or overzealous, talkative, give too much stimulation

• 15%
• infant: poverty of exploration, clingy with mom, distressed at separation, hesitant when mom returns, resists contack and resentful
• caregiver: unresponsive or respond inconsistently-infants respond by increasing intensity and freq of attachment

• 5%
• infant: inconsistent behavior, dazed when mom returns, confused, moves closer then retreats, confused wheter or not to approach mom or not
• caregiver: neglectful and abusive or depressed, confusing; infants are drawn to but also fear

• image of self as lovable caregiver
• guides expectations in future close relationships