Lifespan Developement - General overview & Research methods Flashcards
Definition of lifespan development
Lifespan or developmental psychology is concerned with understanding and explaining changes that occur between conception and death.
The 2 views of Livespan Development are
- -Restricted/Traditional View
- -Contemporary/Lifespan Veiw
Restricted/Traditional view is
All important developmental changes occur between conception and adolescence; derives from the Freudian era
Contemporary/Lifespan view is
Important changes can occur at all ages throughout the lifespan
The Biopsychosocial Model
- -Basic forces in human development are
- -Biological: Genetic and health related factors
- -Psychological: Perceptual, cognitive, emotional and personality
- -Sociocultural: Interpersonal, societal, cultural and ethnic
- -Lifecycle: how the same event may affect people differently at different ages
Divisions of Lifespan
- -Birth and infancy
- -Early Childhood
- -Middle childhood
- -Adolescence
- -Emerging Adulthood
- -Early Adulthood
- -Middle Adulthood
- -Late Adulthood
Birth and infancy years
Newborn: birth to one month
Infant: one month to 1 year
Toddler: 1 year to 2 year
Early childhood
Preschooler, 3-8 years
Middle childhood
School-aged child, 9-12 years
Adolesence
13-18 years
Emerging adulthood
Late teens - mid to late twenties
Early adulthood
mid twenties to mid forties
Middle adulthood
Mid forties to mid sixties
Late adulthood
mid sixties and up, broken in to 2 stages
- -Young old: 65 - 80
- -Old-old: 80+
Gail Sheehy’s “New Passages”
Says that age norms are shifting:
- -Children are leaving childhood sooner
- -Adolescents are taking longer to grow up
- -Adulthood is expanding (people living longer)
Sheey’s “New Passges” adult stages
Provisional adulthood: 18-30 1st Adulthood: 30-45 2nd Adulthood: 45-85+ Age of Mastery: 45-65 Age of Integrity: 65-85+
Controversies in developmental psychology?
How are we to view the newborn child? 2 views:
- -John Locke: the child is a blank slate
- -Rousseau: child is innately good
Predominate view today
Is to see the child as:
- -Active and exploring
- -While recognizing the importance of rewards/punishment on the child
Nature vs. Nurture
Is the environment (nurture) solely responsible for whatever we become?
Does genetic background (nature) determine the outcome of development?
Or–nature and nurture are mutually interactive influences
Definitions in psychology: growth
Refers to physical changes that are quantitative in nature
Definitions in psychology: maturation
Naturally unfolding changes that are relatively independent of environment
Definitions in psychology: Learning
Relatively permanent changes in behavior that results from practice or experience
Measurement in Human Development Research–Systematic Observation
Involves watching people and carefully recording what they do and say. Two types:
- -Naturalistic Observation: Subjects are observed in their natural settings and the observer is as detached as possible
- -Structured Observation: Since some behaviors are difficult to observe naturally, it may be necessary to artificially create a setting that is likely to elicit the behavior of interest.
Measurement in Human Development Research–Self Reports
Gathering information through the use of clinical interviews, surveys or questionnaires.
- -Gather a lot of data in a short period of time
- -Convenient
- -Problem: answers are sometimes inaccurate
Measurement in Human Development–Formal experiment
Method of study requires a deliberate and systematic manipulation of some aspect of situation to detect possible change. you start with a hypothesis, the purpose of the experiment is to test the hypothesis. Requires 2 groups:
- -Experimental Group: group on which the independent variable is manipulated
- -Control Group: group on which the independent variable is not manipulated. (A drug study is an example of a formal experiment)
Measurement in Human Development–Formal experiment: other variables
- -Dependent variable: the variable you predict will change as a result of the manipulation of the independent variable
- -Relevant (extraneous) variables: other variables having an effect on results that you can’t control
in a drug study, the independent variable is the drug. The dependent variable is the outcome. Relevant variables may relate to the health of the subjects, etc.
Measurement in Human Development Research–Correlational Method
This is where the relationship of two or more variables that exists naturally in the world are examined.
–A correlation exists when changes in one variable are accompanied by changes in the other variable
Problem: Cause and effect relationships cannot be determined based on the correlational method
Designs for studying human development
Longitudinal studies–observes same subjects over a period of time
Cross-sectional–compares different subjects of different developmental levels at the same time
Longitudinal studies Advantages and Disadvantages
Disadvantages: --May be costly --Time consuming --Subjects die or move --Experimenter dies --Methods and instruments may become obsolete Advantages: --Sensitive to intra-individual changes: how individuals change over time
Cross-sectional Studies Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
–Less costly
–Can complete in less time
–Don’t lose subjects
–Methods and instruments don’t become obsolete
Disadvantages:
–Looks at each individual only once; not sensitive to intraindividual changes
