Chapter 1 - Introduction to Lifespan Development Flashcards
How long is development?
Development is lifelong
- Change is apparent across the lifespan
- No single age period is more crucial or dominates human development
Is development linear or multidirectional?
Multidirectional
- Some areas may grow, while some areas may have losses
Is development unidimensional/multidimensional?
What are the 3 domains?
Development is multidimensional
1) Physical domain: Changes in height, weight, sensory capabilities, nervous system
2) Cognitive Domain: Changes in intelligence, wisdom
3) Psychosocial domain: Changes in emotion, interpersonal relationships
All three domains influence each other
What is plasticity?
Plasticity - Our ability to change, and that many of our characteristics are malleable
Which people will generally experience similar circumstances as one another?
Those within the same cohort
Cohort - Group of people who are born at roughly the same period in a particular society
What is lifespan vs. life expectancy?
Lifespan/Longevity - The length of time a species can exist in optimal conditions
Life expectancy - The estimated number of years a person born in a particular time period can reasonably expect to live
What are the different types of age?
Chronological: Number of years from your birth
Biological: How quickly your body is aging
Psychological: Psychological adaptive capacity compared to others of our chronological age
Social: Based on the social norms of our culture and the expectations our culture has for people of our age group
What are teratogens?
Environmental factors that can lead to birth defects
Define Prenatal Development
Starts at conception and ends at birth; Conception occurs and development begins
- Health of mother is primary concern
- Major structures of body are forming
Define Infancy and Toddlerhood
First two years of life
Describe Middle and Late Childhood
Age 6 to the onset of puberty
- World becomes one of learning and testing new academic skills
- Assessing one’s abilities by comparing oneself
Describe Adolescence
Onset of puberty until 18
Period of dramatic physical change marked by an overall growth spurt and sexual maturation (puberty)
- Time of cognitive change: person begins to think of new possibilities and to consider abstract concepts
- Sense of invincibility increases risk of dying
Describe emerging adulthood
18-29
Transition between end of adolescence and before individuals get all benchmarks of adulthood
Continued identity exploration and preparation for full independence
Describe Established Adulthood
30-45
Intimate relationships, establishing families and work
Describe middle adulthood
45-65
Aging becomes more noticeable
Peak of productivity in love and work
Describe late adulthood
Age 65 onwards
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Describe Nature vs. Nurture
Nature: Heredity plays the most important role in bringing about a feature
Nurture: Environment plays the most important role in shaping the way we are
Describe Continuity vs. Discontinuity
Freud, Erikson, Piaget and Kohlberg = Stage/Discontinuous: Developmental change occurs in distinct stages and sequences
Vygotsky and others = Continuous: Development is a more slow and gradual process
- “Adult does not possess new skills, but more advanced skills that were present as children”
Describe Active vs. Passive Development
Theorists see humans as having a more active role in their development
Behaviorists view humans as being more passive in the developmental process
Describe Stability vs. Change
Theorists argue personality traits of adults are rooted in behavioral and emotional tendencies of infant and young child
Others say tendencies are modified by social and cultural forces over time
Historical Theories on Development:
Describe the Preformationist View of Development
A tiny, fully formed human is implanted in the sperm or egg at conception and then grows in size until birth
- Children were believed to possess all their sensory capabilities, emotions and mental aptitude at birth. These then developed
- Environment was thought to play no role in determining development
Historical Theories on Development:
Describe John Locke’s theory on development
Through education a child learns socialization, or what is needed to be an appropriate member of society
- A child’s mind is a blank slate (tabula rasa), whatever comes into the mind is from the environment
- Environment is powerful
Historical Theories on Development:
Describe Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Children should be allowed to think by themselves according to their own ways and biological timetable
Father of developmental psychology
Historical Theories on Development:
Describe Arnold Gesell
Belieeved that a child’s development was activated by genes; process referred to as “maturation”
- Believed development was in fixed sequences
Historical Theories on Development:
Sigmund Freud
- Believed personality formed during first few years of life
- The way parents interacted with children have long lasting impact on children’s emotional state
- Suggested much of what causes our actions were unknown, and scientists cannot measure unconscious concepts
Contemporary Theories on Development:
Erik Erikson & Psychosocial Theory
Believed each period of life had a unique challenge the person must face = psychosocial crises
- Social relationships foster development
8 developmental stages encompass entire lifespan
- If person doesn’t resolve one stage, it may hinder their ability at other stages
Contemporary Theories on Development:
Learning Theory / Behaviorism
Based on the premise that it is not possible to objectively study the mind, therefore psychologists should limit their attention to the study of behavior itself
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Contemporary Theories on Development:
Social Learning Theory
“Learning by watching others”
- ## Children learn behaviors through imitation
What is reciprocal determinism?
There is interplay between our personality and the way we interpret events and how they influence us.
- Parents may respond differently with their first child and their fourth. Different expectations for them and the child
- Our environment creates us and we create our environment
Who / what are the three important Cognitive Theories?
Jean Piaget
Lev Vygotsky
Information-Processing
Describe Jean Piaget
Believed children’s intellectual skills change over time, and maturation brings about that change
Four stages of cognitive development:
- Sensorimoter
- Preoperational
- Concrete operational
- Formal operational
Describe Lev Vygotsky
Sociocultural Theory - Importance of culture and interaction in the development of cognitive abilities
- Believed a person has a set of abilities, and a set of potential abilities that can be realized w/ proper guidance
Describe information proessing
Work of several cognitive scientists
Assumes that humans gradually improve in their processing skills; cognitive development is continuous rather than stage-like
- Humans are born with the ability to notice stimuli, store and retrieve information
- Brain maturation = advancements in our information processing system
