Human Development 1 Flashcards
Get an A in Human Development
What is development?
There are many definitions of development.
Human Development or Lifespan Development
constancy and change in behavior
throughout the life course from
conception to death.”
– Paul Baltes, 1987
what are the domains of Developmental Science?
- physical
- neurophysiological
- cognition
- language
- emotion
- personality
- moral psychosocial development
- relationships with others
who identified several underlying principles of the lifespan perspective ?
Paul Baltes
Term for: Lifespan theorists argue that development is caused by multiple factors, and is always shaped by both biological and environmental factors. In addition, the individual plays an active role in their own development.
Multiply determined
Name the three systems of developmental influence. ( Contextualism as paradigm.) Baltes (1987) identified three specific developmental systems of influence, all of which include biological and environmental forces.
1.Normative age-graded influences
2.Normative history-graded influences
3.Non-normative influences
The time period in which you are born shapes your experiences
Normative history-graded influences
Humans experience particular age-graded social experiences (e.g., starting school) and biological changes (e.g., puberty).
Normative age-graded influences
People’s development is also shaped by specific influences that are not organized by age or historical time, such as immigration, accidents, or the death of a parent. These can be environmental (e.g., parental mental health issues) or biological (e.g., life threatening illness).
Non-normative influences
age-grade
a specific age group, such as toddler, adolescent, or senior
cohort
a group of people who are born at roughly the same period in a particular society
silent generation
1928- 1945
baby boomers
1945-1964
Gen -X
1965-1980
Millenials
1981-1996
Gen-Z
1997-2009
Generation Alpha
2010-2024
Generation Beta
2025-2039
what domain includes changes in height and weight, sensory capabilities, the nervous system, as well as the propensity for disease and illness
physical
what domain includes changes in intelligence, wisdom, perception, problem-solving, memory, and language
cognitive
what domain includes changes in emotion, self-perception, and interpersonal relationships with families, peers, and friends.
psychosocial
highlight societal contexts that influence our development
contextual perspectives
way to identify families and households based on their shared levels of education, income, and occupation
socioeconomic status
S.E.S.
Socioeconomic Status
an income amount established by the federal government that is based on a set of thresholds that vary by family size
poverty level
culture
the totality of our shared language, knowledge, material objects, and behavior
ethnocentrism
the belief that our own culture is superior
an appreciation for cultural differences and the understanding that cultural practices are best understood from the standpoint of that particular culture
cultural relativity
the maximum age any member of a species can reach under optimal conditions
lifespan
the average number of years a person born in a particular time period can typically expect to live
life expectancy
chronological age
the number of years since your birth
biological aging
how quickly the body is aging
psychological age
Our psychologically adaptive capacity compared to others of our chronological age
social age
based on the social norms of our culture and the expectations our culture has for people of our age group
prenatal age period
Starts at conception, continues through implantation in the uterine wall by the embryo, and ends at birth
infancy and toddlerhood age period
Starts at birth and continues to two years of age
early childhood age period
Starts at two years of age until six years of age
middle and late childhood age period
Starts at six years of age and continues until the onset of puberty
adolescence age period
Starts at the onset of puberty until 18
emerging adulthood age period
Starts at 18 until 25.
early adulthood age period
Starts at 25 until 40-45.
late adulthood age period
Starts at 65 onward.
teratogens
environmental factors that can lead to birth defects
middle adulthood age period
40 until 65
assumptions researchers hold about the nature of humans and their development
metatheories
meta means
above or beyond
whether people are born as blank slates or whether people are inherently good or inherently bad.
human nature
tabula rasa
blank slate
whether development is determined by nature (genes, biology) or determined by nurture (environment, learning).
causes of development
whether people are passive participants, reacting to external forces or whether they are active in choosing and shaping their own development.
role of the individual
whether traits, characteristics, and experiences early in life have permanent effects or whether people are malleable and open to change throughout life.
stability vs. change
whether development involves quantitative incremental change or qualitative shifts
continuity vs. discontinuity
whether development follows a universal pathway or depends more on specific experiences and environmental contexts.
universality vs. context specificity
assume that developmental change occurs in distinct stages that are qualitatively different from each other, and that unfold in a set, universal sequence.
Stage theories or discontinuous development
The four meta-theories of human development
1.Maturational
2.Mechanistic
3.Organismic
4.Contextualist
humans as seeds growing into a tree (metaphor for)
maturational
humans as machines (metaphor for)
mechanistic
development is a more slow and gradual process known as
continuous development