Chapter 1 Flashcards
What was Sofie’s deathbed advice?
“I learned from my own life and marriage that you must build a life together but also a life apart. You must grant each other the time, space, and support to forge your own identities, your own ways of expressing yourselves and giving to others. The most important ingredient of your relationship must be respect.”
The central questions addressed by developmental science?
- What determines the physical characteristics, mental capacities, interest and behaviors that we share with others or are unique to us?
- Why do we retain some persistent characteristics throughout life but change in other essential ways?
- How do historical and cultural conditions affect well-being throughout life?
- How does the timing of event affect development?
- What factors, both genetic and environmental, cause some people to die sooner than expected? pg 4
What is the single goal of developmental science?
to identify those factors that influence consistencies and transformations in people from conception to death. pg 4
1.1 What factors stimulated expansion of the field of developmental science?
applied (practical) importance, scientific curiosity, social pressure to improve people’s lives, interest in improving people’s health, desire to treat emotional problems and help people adjust to major life events, expert advice about child-rearing practices and experiences that promise the well-being of children. pg 4
1.1 What is developmental science?
a field of study devoted to understanding constancy and change throughout the lifespan (Lerner et al., 2014; Overton & Molenaar, 2015). A body of knowledge that is not only scientifically important but also relevant and useful. pg. 4
1.2 Identify three basic issues on which theories of human development take a stand.
(1) Is the course of development continuous or discontinuous?
(2) Does one course of development characterize all people, or are there many possible courses?
(3) What are the roles of genetic and environmental factors—nature and nurture—in development? pg. 5
What is a theory?
an orderly, integrated set of statements that describes, explains, and predicts behavior.
It’s existence depends on scientific verification. (must be tested using fair research procedures, findings must endure or be replicated.
pg 5
What are 2 reasons that theories are vital tools?
- They provide organizing frameworks for our observations of people. (guide and give meaning to what we see.)
- Second, they are verified by research and provide a sound basis for practical action. (understanding development informs the welfare of and treatment of children and adults.) pg 5
What influences theories?
The cultural values and believe systems of the time. pg 5
Why doesn’t the study of development provide ultimate truth?
- Investigators do not always agree on the means of what they see. (different points of view)
- Humans are complex and change over time.
- No single theory has ever explained all aspects, physical, mental, emotional, and social, of humans.
What must researchers continually try to do as they study human developmental science?
They must try to support, contradict, and integrate different points of view.
What is the theory of continuous development?
The belief that development is a smooth, continuous process. Individuals gradually add more of the same types of skills.
The response of a person from infancy to adulthood is the same, the difference in behaviors in a result of maturity (amount of complexity) - in other words a process of gradually augmenting the same types of skills that were there to begin with.
Change is gradual rather than sudden. Augmenting of skills that have always been present.
pg 5
What is the theory of discontinuous development?
The belief that development takes place in discontinuous stages. People change rapidly as they step up to a new level and then change very little for a while. With each new step, the person interprets and responds to the world in a reorganized, qualitatively different way.
Infants and children have unique ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving, ones quite different from those of adults - new ways of understanding and responding to the world emerge at specific times. We move through a series of developmental steps, each with unique features, until we reach the highest level of functioning.
Move through STAGES- qualitative changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving. Similar to climbing a staircase. Rapid transformation, change is sudden rather than gradual.
pg 5
STAGE THEORISTS assume that people everywhere follow the same sequence of development. pg 6
Define contexts
unique combinations of personal and environmental circumstances that can result in different paths of change- personal include heredity and biology, environmental include settings and circumstances.
example: shy vs outgoing, non-western villages vs large western cities.
affects: intellectual capacities, social skills, feelings about self and others. pg 6
Define mutually influential relations
The relationship between individuals and their contexts: People not only are affected by but also CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONTEXTS in which they develop (Elder, Shanahan, & Jennings, 2015).
Includes cultural diversity and how it impacts development PG. 6
What major question does every theory take a stand on?
Are genetic or environmental factors more important? pg 6
What is the difference between nature vs nurture?
Nature refers to the hereditary information we receive from our parents at the moment of conception.
Nurture references the complex forces of the physical and social world that influence our biological makeup and psychological experiences before and after birth. pg 6
Where do theorists who emphasize STABILITY stand on the issue of nature vs nurture?
NATURE- individuals who are high or low in a characteristic (such as verbal ability, anxiety, or sociability) will remain so at later ages- heredity. If they regard environment as important, they usually point to early experiences as establishing a lifelong pattern of behavior. Powerful negative events in the first few years, they argue, cannot be fully overcome by later, more positive ones (Bowlby, 1980; Sroufe, Coffino, & Carlson, 2010). pg 6
Define plasticity
NURTURE- development includes change in response to influential experiences. pg 6.
What was the commonly held belief about development during the first half of the twentieth century? And how has that changed?
it was widely assumed that development stopped at adolescence. Infancy and childhood were viewed as periods of rapid transformation, adulthood as a plateau, and aging as a period of decline.
The changing character of the North American population awakened researchers to the idea that gains in functioning are lifelong. (Since the 1960’s) Pg 7
How has life expectancy changed since 1900?
average life expectancy - gained more in the twentieth century than in the preceding 5,000 years.
In 1900, U.S. life expectancy was just under age 50; in 2000, it was 76.8. Today, it is 78.8 years in the United States and even higher in most other industrialized nations. It is predicted to reach 84 years in 2050.
People age 65 and older accounted for about 4 percent of the U.S. population in 1900, 7 percent in 1950, and 14 percent in 2013 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015d). pg 7
Why has life expectancy exploded in the past 100 years?
Because of improvements in nutrition, sanitation, and medical knowledge pg 7
What is a developmental systems perspective?
a perpetually ongoing process, extending from conception to death, that is molded by a complex network of biological, psychological, and social influences (Lerner, 2015). pg 7
1.3 Describe the lifespan perspective on development. PG 7
Four assumptions make up this broader view: that development is (1) lifelong, (2) multidimensional and multidirectional, (3) highly plastic, and (4) affected by multiple, interacting forces (Baltes, Lindenberger, & Staudinger, 2006; Smith & Baltes, 1999; Staudinger & Lindenberger, 2003).
What characterizes the development is lifelong assumption?
no age period is supreme important events occurring during each major period and can have equally powerful effects on future change. Within each period, change occurs in three broad domains: PHYSICAL, COGNATIVE, and EMOTIONAL/SOCIAL, yet these domains are not really distinct; they overlap and interact. pg 7
Age range and description of Prenatal period
Conception to birth
The one-celled organism transforms into a human baby with remarkable capacities to adjust to life in the surrounding world.
Age range and description of Infancy and toddlerhood
Birth–2 years
Dramatic changes in the body and brain support the emergence of a wide array of motor, perceptual, and intellectual capacities and first intimate ties to others.
Age range and description of Early Childhood
2–6 years
During the “play years,” motor skills are refined, thought and language expand at an astounding pace, a sense of morality is evident, and children establish ties with peers.
Age range and description of Middle childhood
6–11 years
The school years are marked by improved athletic abilities; more logical thought processes; mastery of fundamental reading, writing, math, and other academic knowledge and skills; advances in self-understanding, morality, and friendship; and the beginnings of peer-group membership.
Age range and description of Adolescence
11–18 years
Puberty leads to an adult-sized body and sexual maturity. Thought becomes abstract and idealistic and school achievement more serious. Adolescents begin to establish autonomy from the family and to define personal values and goals.
Age range and description of Early Adulthood
18–40 years
Most young people leave home, complete their education, and begin full-time work. Major concerns are developing a career, forming an intimate partnership, and marrying, rearing children, or pursuing other lifestyles.
