Lecture #1 Flashcards
What is development?
“Systematic changes and continuities in the individual that occur between conception and death”
Domains of development
Physical Development
Eg. growth of body, organs, hormonal changes, brain, motor skills
Cognitive Development:
Eg. perception, memory, thinking, problem solving, language
Psychological Development:
Eg. change in personal and interpersonal relationships, roles, cultural influences
Why study lifespan development?
Description
Normal development and individual differences
Prediction:
Factors that cause humans to develop typically or differently
Explanation:
Typical vs. individually different development
Optimisation:
Positive development and enhanced capacity
Preventing and overcoming difficulties
Perspectives on Human Development:
Development is a lifelong process
- Lifespan perspective
- From ‘womb to the tomb’
Development is multidirectional
Development involves both gain and loss
Development is characterised by lifelong plasticity
- Plasticity: the capacity to change in response to positive and negative experiences
Development is shaped by the historical- cultural context
Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model
Explains how biology and environment interact in development
Microsystem: immediate environment
Mesosystem: linkages between microsystems (eg. conflict between parent impacts performance at school)
Exosystem: linkages of social systems (impact of experiences on person. Eg. work pressure on parent makes them tired at home)
Macrosystem: larger cultural context (eg use of technology)
Chronosystem: patterning of events over time
