LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT Flashcards
Meaning of development
Development is the pattern of progressive, orderly and predictable changes that begin at conception and continue throughout life.
It mostly involves changes – both growth and decline, as observed during old age.
It is influenced by an interplay of biological, cognitive and socio-emotional processes.
Meaning of growth
Growth is the physical process of development, particularly the process of becoming physically larger. It is quantifiable, meaning that it can be measured, and it is mostly influenced by genetics. For example Riya got taller by two inches. This is an example of growth because it involves her getting physically taller and is quantifiable.
Meaning of maturation
Maturation is the physical, intellectual, or emotional process of development. Maturation is often not quantifiable, and it too is mostly influenced by genetics. For example, as Riya became older, her brain developed in a way that meant she was able to handle more complex tasks than she could before.
What are the stages of lifespan development?
PERIOD. AGE
1)PRENATAL PERIOD. - CONCEPTION TO BIRTH
2) INFANCY. - BIRTH 2ND WEEK
3) BABYHOOD. - END OF THE 2ND WEEK - 2YEARS
4) EARLY CHILDHOOD. - END OF 2YEARS - 6YEARS
5) LATE CHILDHOOD. - 6YEARS - 10/12YEARS
6) ADOLESCENCE. - 12YEARS - 18/19YEARS
Define development by E.B.HURLOCK (1959)
“Development means a progressive series of changes that occur in an orderly, predictable pattern as a result of maturation and experience “.
Define development by G.S.MARMOR ( 1979 )
“Development refers to a process of change in growth and capability over time and is a function of both maturation and interaction with the environment”.
Define bronfrenbrenner development theory
He believed that a child’s development was affected by everything that was in the environment around them. There are five different levels of the environment according to this theory.
1. Microsystem.
This is the environment that is closest to the child. It is those who have direct contact. It includes family members, teachers, daycare workers, and other caregivers. How people treat the child will affect how the child treats them in the return. This is the most influential environment in the theory.
- Mesosystem.
This is the environment that involves the relationships between the individuals that are within the microsystem of the child. They may not be direct relationships with the child, but still influence the child on a direct level. An example of this environment would be the relationship that a parent has with a child’s teacher or daycare worker. If these relationships work against each other, it can have a negative impact on the child’s development. - Exosystem.
This is the environment that does not involve active participation from the child, but it still offers a setting that affects their development. It would include a decision that has an effect on the child, though the child may not have any actual input on the decision-making process. A parent who is fired from their job would be an example of this environment. For example, a father who is continually passed up for promotion by an indifferent boss at the workplace may take it out on his children and mistreat them at home. This will have a negative impact on the child’s development. - Macrosystem.
This is the environment which involves the culture in which a child lives. It is the overall set of systems that support how a child lives every day. Government systems, religious values, and economic conditions are three common types of environments that can have a positive or a negative effect on a child. When local values clash with national values, the impact on a child could be positive or negative. - Chronosystem.
This is the environment which includes events that transpire during a child’s life. Any life transition, crossroads, or even a historical event can affect the development of a child because these specific incidents change how a child would interact with their environments.. It demonstrates the influence of both change and constancy in the children’s environments. The chronosystem may include a change in family structure, address, parents’ employment status, as well as immense society changes such as economic cycles and wars.
Explain prenatal stage
The period from conception to birth is known
as the prenatal period. Typically, it lasts for
about 40 weeks. Prenatal development is also affected by maternal characteristics, which include
mother’s age, nutrition, and emotional state.
Disease or infection carried by the mother can
adversely affect prenatal development.
Another source of threat to
prenatal development is teratogens -
environmental agents that cause deviations
in normal development that can lead to serious abnormalities or death. Common teratogens
include drugs, infections, radiations, and
pollution. Intake of drugs (marijuana, heroin,
cocaine, etc.), alcohol, tobacco, etc. by women
during pregnancy may have harmful effects
on the foetus and increase the frequency of
congenital abnormalities.
Explain infancy
The brain develops at an amazing rate before and after birth. The activities needed to sustain
life functions are present in the newborn — it breathes, sucks, swallows, and discharges the
bodily wastes. The newborns in their first week of life are able to indicate what direction a sound is coming from, can distinguish their mother’s voice from the voices of other women.
What are the physical development in infancy
• Physical development involves everything happening inside a baby’s
body as they go from being a newborn to a 1-year-old. A baby’s body lengthens, grows muscle, and puts on weight. The baby learns to use their body in new ways, like sitting up, grabbing toys, and crawling. Babies learn to voluntarily control their muscle movements, and their bodies build up the muscles needed to sit, stand, and eventually walk!
• The brain and senses also change during the first year of life. The brain grows in size and builds new neural connections as a baby is exposed to language, colors, shapes, and music. A baby’s senses improve drastically. At birth, a baby’s vision is very limited, especially their distance vision. Newborn babies go from responding to lifeto life automatically and reflexively to purposefully directing their actions, sounds, and movements
What are the motor development in infancy and childhood?
• Motor development is essential in order to adjust and accommodate with environment.
• It means gradual gaining of control over the bodily movements.
• Nature provides the newborn with a number of reflexes. They help in their survival until their motor development is well established. Few reflexes of the newborn are: Eye blinking, sucking, stepping
• Child’s toes should curl down once the foot is stroked. If they don’t, then the reflex, sometimes also called Babinski’s sign, could mean that something is wrong with the central nervous system.
Explain Piaget’s stage of cognitive development
Piaget outlined four stages of cognitive development, and gave approximate ages at which children reached those stages. He stressed, though, that these ages are only averages; individual children might go through the stages at a different speed but they would always go through the stages in the same order. The cognitive developmental stages are :- 1) SENSORIMOTOR ( birth - 2YEARS old)
2) PREOPERATIONAL ( 2 - 7years old )
3) CONCRETE OPERATIONAL (7 - 11years old)
4) FORMAL OPERATIONAL (adolescence - adulthood)
Explain the socio-Emotional development across babyhood to childhood
Babies from birth are social creatures. An infant starts
preferring familiar faces and responds to parent’s presence by cooing and gurgling. They become more mobile by 6 to 8 months of age and start showing a preference for their mother’s company. When frightened by a new face or when separated from their mother, they cry or show distress. On being reunited with the parent or caregiver they reciprocate with smiles or hugs. The close emotional bond of affection that develop between infants and their parents (caregivers) is called
attachment. In a classic study by Harlow and Harlow (1962), baby monkeys were separated from their mothers approximately 8 hours
after birth. The baby monkeys were placed in experimental chambers and reared for 6 months by surrogate (substitute) “mothers”, one made of wire and the other of cloth.
Explain the challenges of adolescence
The term adolescence derives from the Latin word adolescere, meaning “to grow into maturity”. It is the transitional period in a person’s life between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence is commonly defined as the stage of life that begins at the onset of puberty, when sexual maturity, or the ability to reproduce is attained. It has been regarded as a period of rapid change, both biologically and psychologically. Though the physical changes that take place during this stage are universal, the social and psychological dimensions of the adolescent’s experiences depend on the cultural context.
What major physical changes occur in adolescence?
• Adolescence- the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.
• Puberty - the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.
• T h e r e is a surge of hormones which may intensify moods and also triggers a 2 year period of rapid development (girls - age 11 and boys- age 13)
• Primary sex characteristics-the reproductive organs and
external genitalia-develop dramatically during this time (puberty).
• Secondary sex characteristics-the non-reproductive traits such as breasts and hips in girls, facial hair and deepened voice in boys, pubic and underarm hair in both sexes -also develop rapidly at this time.
