Introduction to lifespan development

Question 1

What is lifespan development?

Answer 1

A field of study that examines the patterns of change, growth and stability in behavior that occur throughout the entire lifespan.

Question 2

Define the topical areas in lifespan development.

Answer 2

The four topical areas of lifespan development are- Physical development, cognitive development, personality development and social development.

Question 3

What is a social constriction?

Answer 3

A social constriction is a shared notion of reality. One that is widely accepted but is a function of society and the culture at a given time.
(Ref. The broad age ranges used to study human development)

Question 4

What is emerging adulthood?

Answer 4

A new perspective which argues that adolescence extends to emerging adulthood. a period that begins with the end of the teens and ending at mid twenties. during this period, the individual isn’t an adolescent but neither is s/he ready to take upon the responsibilities and roles of an adult.

Question 5

What are history graded influences?

Answer 5

Biological and developmental influences associated with a particular historical event.
eg. Hiroshima Nagasaki Nuclear attack causing genetic mutilation.

Question 6

What are age graded influences?

Answer 6

age-graded influences are biological and environmental influences that
are similar for individuals in a particular age group, regardless of when or where they
are raised.
Eg. Menopause

Question 7

What are socio graded influences?

Answer 7

The social and cultural factors present in a particular time for a particular individual.
eg. poverty

Question 8

What is a non-normative life event?

Answer 8

An event that is atypical that happens at a time when most people don’t usually experience it.
eg. death of parents in an early age.

Question 9

name different phenomena that affect development.

Answer 9

Age graded influence, socio graded influence, history graded influence and non- normative life event.

Question 10

Differentiate between continuous and discontinuous change.

Answer 10

continuous- Gradual developments in which achievements from one level builds on those from previous levels.

Discontinuous- Behavior that occurs in distinct stages with each stage having different changes than the previous one.

Question 11

Differentiate between critical and sensitive period of development.

Answer 11

Critical period- When the consequences of an event is the most severe and the presence of certain external stimuli is necessary to develop properly.
ex. visual development in early years.

Sensitive period- Provides optimal level of development for certain capacities but the absence of those stimuli doesn’t cause irreversible change.
ex. Language can still be developed later in life.

Question 12

What are the main issues in lifespan development?

Answer 12

nature v nurture, whether to focus on entire lifespan v a particular stage, continuity v discontinuity and critical v sensitive period.

Question 13

What are the six theoretical perspectives used in lifespan development?

Answer 13

The six major theoretical perspectives used in lifespan development are- psychodynamic , behavioristic , Cognitive , Humanistic , Contextual and Evolutionary perspectives.

Question 14

How does the psychodynamic approach explain the lifespan development?

Answer 14

Psychodynamic perspective argues that a person’s behavior is mainly motivated by inner forces, conflicts and memories that a person isn’t mostly aware of. The inner forces that may stem from one’s childhood affect behavior throughout the lifespan.

Question 15

What are the 5 stages of psychosexual development?

Answer 15

The 5 stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital.

Question 16

What is Erikson’s Psychosocial theory?

Answer 16

Psychosocial Theory focus on the changes in our interactions with and understanding of one another and our knowledge and understanding of ourselves as a part of the society.

Question 17

What is psychosexual development?

Answer 17

According to Freud, a series of stages children go through in which pleasure or gratification focuses on a particular biological function and body part.

Question 18

What are the drawbacks of the Psychodynamic approach?

Answer 18

1. The psychodynamic approach isn’t backed up by subsequent research.
2. Questionable application in broad, multicultural populations.
3. Focuses primarily on male population and hence is criticized as sexist.

Question 19

What is the behavioral perspective

Answer 19

The approach suggests that the key to understanding behavior is external stimuli in the environment and observable behavior.

Question 20

How does behavioral perspective explain lifespan development? (John B Watson)

Answer 20

People are assumed to be affected by environmental stimuli to which they are exposed. Developmental patterns, then, are personal reflecting a particular set of environmental stimuli and behavior patterns is a result of continuous exposure to specific factors in environment.

Question 21

When does classical conditioning occur? (Ivan Pavlov)

Answer 21

Classical conditioning occurs when an organism learn to respond in a particular way to neutral stimulus that generally doesn’t evoke that kind of response.

Question 22

What is operant learning? (BF Skinner)

Answer 22

A form of learning in which voluntary response is strengthened or weakened by it’s association with positive or negative consequences.

Question 23

What is behavior modification?

Answer 23

A formal technique used for increasing the occurrence of desired behavior and decreasing the occurrence of the unwanted ones using reinforcement and punishment.

Question 24

What is social- cognitive learning theory? (Albert Bandura and colleagues)

Answer 24

Learning by observing another individual called a model. (Immitation)

Question 25

What are the 4 steps that are required for social- cognitive learning to take place?

Answer 25

1. Observer must pay attention and perceive most critical features of model’s behavior.
2. The observer must successfully be able to recall the modelled beh.
3. Observer must reproduce the beh. accurately.
4. Observer must be motivated to learn and carry out the beh.

Question 26

How does the cognitive perspective explain lifespan development? (Jean Piaget)

Answer 26

It emphasizes on how people internally represent and think about the world. This focuses on understanding how children and adults process information and how their way of thinking and understanding affects their beh.

Question 27

What are schemes?

Answer 27

Schemes are organized mental processes that represent actions and beh. These are very concrete during infancy and perform specific functions only and gets more sophisticated and abstract as an individual grows.

Question 28

What do you mean by assimilation?

Answer 28

Assimilation (SS-Same Schema) is the process in which people understand an experience in terms of their current stage of cognitive development and way of thinking.

Question 29

What do you mean by accommodation?

Answer 29

Accommodation (CC- Change and create) refers to changes in existing ways of thinking in response to exposure to new stimuli or events.

Question 30

What are the drawbacks of Piaget’s theory?

Answer 30

1. It’s universality is questioned as many cognitive developments occur at different times in non western countries than what Piaget suggested.
2. It is criticized because cognitive development isn’t as discontinuous as Piaget’s theory finds it but is more continuous nd lasts a lifetime.

Question 31

What are the information processing approach?

Answer 31

Models that seek to identify the ways individuals take in, store and use information.

Question 32

What is the neo Piagetian theory?

Answer 32

It is an information Processing Approach that builds on jean Piaget’s research. In contrast to Piaget’s original work which considered cognition as a single system of increasingly sophisticated general cognitive abilities, The Neo Piagetian theory considers cognition to be made up of multiple different types of individual skills.

Question 33

What are the drawbacks of the Information processing Approaches?

Answer 33

1. Do not offer complete explanation for behavior. For eg. Creativity.
2. Do not take account of the social context in which development takes place.

Question 34

What do you mean by Cognitive Neuroscience Approach?

Answer 34

This approach examines the cognitive development by looking at the processes of the brain. Like other cognitive approaches, this approach considers internal mental processes but it focuses mainly on the neurological activities that influence problem solving, reasoning and other cognitive processes.

Question 35

What is humanistic perspective? (Carl Rogers)

Answer 35

The humanistic perspective argues that humans have the potential to make their own decisions and control their beh.

Question 36

What is self actualization? (Abraham Maslow)

Answer 36

It is the primary goal of life. It is a state of self fulfilment in which people achieve their highest potential in their own unique way.

Question 37

What is the contextual perspective?

Answer 37

The contextual perspective considers the relationship between an individual and his/er physical, social, personality and cognitive worlds. It suggests that an individual’s development cannot be understood without understanding the impact of these influences on them.

Question 38

How does the bioecological approach understand development? (Urie Bronfenbrenner)

Answer 38

The bioecological approach suggests that five levels of the environment simultaneously influence individuals. We cannot understand development without considering how these levels influence humans. (Macrosystem, mesosystem, exosystem, microsystem and chronosystem.)

Question 39

How does the socio cultural theory explains development? (Vygotsky)

Answer 39

The socio cultural theory suggests that cognitive development proceeds as a result of social interaction between members of a culture.

Question 40

How does evolutionary perspective explain lifespan development?

Answer 40

The evolutionary perspective identifies behaviors as a result of genetic inheritance from our ancestors.