Welcome to the Journey of Development!
Ever wondered how you went from being a tiny baby who couldn't even hold their head up to a person who can solve complex maths problems and have deep conversations? That is what Development is all about! In this chapter, we explore how our brains grow and how our thinking changes as we get older. This is part of the Cognition and Behaviour section, which just means we are looking at how our minds work and how that affects what we do.
Don’t worry if some of the names like "Piaget" or "Thalamus" look a bit scary at first – we’ll break them down together step-by-step!
1. Early Brain Development
Before you were even born, your brain was hard at work. It starts as a simple neural tube and grows into the most complex organ in your body. To understand this, we need to look at four key parts of the brain that develop very early on:
• The Brain Stem: Think of this as the "control center" for things you don't even have to think about, like breathing, your heartbeat, and blood pressure. These are called autonomic functions.
• The Thalamus: This is like a "hub" or a "switchboard." It takes in sensory information (what you see, hear, and feel) and sends it to the right part of the brain.
• The Cerebellum: This is located at the back of the brain. It coordinates movement and balance. If you can walk without falling over, thank your cerebellum!
• The Cortex: This is the outer layer of the brain. It's responsible for "higher" thinking, like cognition (thinking), language, and processing our senses.
Nature vs. Nurture
One of the biggest debates in Psychology is Nature vs. Nurture.
• Nature refers to your genetics – the blueprint you are born with.
• Nurture refers to your environment – your experiences, how you are raised, and what you learn.
Analogy: Imagine your brain is like a new smartphone. Nature provides the hardware (the screen, the battery, the chips), but Nurture provides the apps and the data you download onto it. You need both for the phone to work!
Quick Review: The Brain Parts
1. Brain Stem = Survival (Breathing/Heart)
2. Thalamus = Sensory Switchboard
3. Cerebellum = Movement/Balance
4. Cortex = High-level thinking
Key Takeaway: Brain development starts in the womb. Basic survival functions (brain stem) develop first, followed by more complex areas for movement and thinking.
2. Piaget’s Stage Theory
Jean Piaget was a famous psychologist who believed that children don't just know less than adults; they actually think in a completely different way. He believed we develop in four distinct stages.
Building Blocks of Thinking: Schemas
Piaget said we use Schemas to understand the world. A schema is a mental "file folder" or a mental picture of what something is. For example, a child might have a schema for a "dog" (four legs, furry, barks). When we learn new things, we use two processes:
• Assimilation: Putting new information into an existing schema. (Seeing a Poodle and saying "That’s a dog!").
• Accommodation: Changing an existing schema or creating a new one because the old one doesn't fit. (Seeing a cat and realizing it's not a dog, so creating a "cat" schema).
The Four Stages of Development
Memory Tip: Remember the phrase "Silly Pigs Can Fly" to remember the stages!
1. Sensorimotor Stage (0–2 years): Babies learn through their senses and movement. The big milestone here is Object Permanence – knowing that an object still exists even if you can't see it (like when you hide a toy under a blanket).
2. Pre-operational Stage (2–7 years): Children start using symbols and language. However, they are Egocentric (they think everyone sees the world exactly like they do) and they lack Conservation (the understanding that quantity stays the same even if the shape changes).
3. Concrete Operational Stage (7–11 years): Children start to think logically about physical (concrete) things. They can now conserve and are less egocentric.
4. Formal Operational Stage (11+ years): This is the final stage where we can think about abstract ideas and "what if" scenarios. We can solve problems in our heads without needing physical objects.
Key Takeaway: Piaget believed we all go through these four stages in the same order as our brains mature.
3. Challenging Piaget: The Studies
Piaget was a genius, but some psychologists thought he made his tests too difficult, making children seem less "smart" than they actually were. Two famous studies challenged his ideas:
Study 1: McGarrigle and Donaldson’s ‘Naughty Teddy’ (1974)
Piaget tested conservation by moving counters and asking if there were still the same amount. Children usually failed. McGarrigle and Donaldson used a "Naughty Teddy" to accidentally mess up the counters.
• The Result: Many more children passed the test!
• Why? Because the "accident" made more sense to the children than a grown-up moving things for no reason.
Study 2: Hughes’ ‘Policeman Doll’ (1975)
Piaget tested egocentrism with the "Three Mountains Task," which was very confusing. Hughes used a model with walls and two policeman dolls. He asked children to hide a "boy doll" so the police couldn't see him.
• The Result: Even children as young as 3.5 years old could do it successfully!
• Why? The task made "human sense" to the children. It showed they were less egocentric than Piaget thought.
Key Takeaway: Piaget might have underestimated children. When tasks are made more realistic and simple, children show they can conserve and see other perspectives earlier than Piaget predicted.
4. The Effects of Learning on Development
How we think about learning can actually change how we develop! This is where Dweck’s Mindset Theory comes in.
Dweck’s Mindset Theory
• Fixed Mindset: The belief that intelligence is something you are born with and cannot change. "I'm just bad at maths."
• Growth Mindset: The belief that intelligence can be developed through hard work and effort. "I'm not good at maths yet."
The Role of Praise:
Dweck found that the type of praise matters.
• Person Praise: "You're so smart!" (This can lead to a fixed mindset because the child fears failing and not being "smart" anymore).
• Process Praise: "You worked so hard on that!" (This builds self-efficacy – the belief that you can succeed – and encourages a growth mindset).
Learning Styles vs. Willingham
For a long time, people thought students were either Verbalisers (learn best by hearing/reading) or Visualisers (learn best by seeing pictures/diagrams). This is known as Learning Styles.
Willingham’s Learning Theory:
Daniel Willingham argues that learning styles are actually a myth! He says there is no scientific evidence that teaching in a specific "style" helps students learn better. Instead, he suggests:
• Focus on Meaning: Students should learn the meaning of information, not just what it looks or sounds like.
• Practice and Effort: To move things into long-term memory, you need to practice and repeat them.
• Previous Knowledge: What you already know is the most important factor in learning something new.
Did you know? Willingham believes that even if you prefer drawing pictures (visualising), if you are learning a language, you still have to hear and speak it to understand the meaning!
Quick Review: Learning
1. Growth Mindset = Effort leads to success.
2. Process Praise = Praise the work, not the person.
3. Willingham = Forget "styles," focus on meaning and practice.
Key Takeaway: Having a growth mindset and focusing on the meaning of what you learn (rather than just your "style") are the best ways to improve your cognitive development.
Summary: Putting it all together
In this chapter, we learned that:
1. Our brain grows in the womb, starting with basic survival parts like the brain stem.
2. Piaget showed that we think in stages, using schemas to learn through assimilation and accommodation.
3. Other researchers (like Hughes) showed that children are often more capable than Piaget's original tests suggested.
4. Our mindset (Growth vs. Fixed) and how we are praised can change how well we learn and develop.