Understanding lifespan, human development

Question 1

What do we mean by development?

Answer 1

Systemic changes and continuities in an individual

Occur between conception and death: physical development, cognitive development, psychosocial development

Question 2

Defining development

Answer 2

Growth - physical changes: conception to maturity

Biological aging - deterioration of organisms, gain stability loss

Aging - physical, cognitive and psychosocial changes; positive and negative

Question 3

Periods of the lifespan

Answer 3

Prenatal period: conception to birth

Infancy: first two years of life

Preschool Period: 2 to 5/6 years

Middle childhood: 6 to 10 years

Adolescence: 10 to 18 years

Emerging adulthood: 18 to 25 years

Early adulthood: 25 to 40 years

Middle adult head: 40 to 65 years

Late adult hood: 65 years and older

Question 4

Cultural differences

Answer 4

Age means different things in different societies

Question 5

Age grade

Answer 5

Socially defined age group in a society

Assigned different roles, responsibilities, statuses, privileges

Question 6

Rite of passage

Answer 6

That marks the persons passage from one status to another

Question 7

Age norms

Answer 7

Societies way of telling people how to act their age which influence peoples decisions about how to lead their lives

Question 8

Social clock

Answer 8

Person sense of: when things should be done, when they are ahead or behind schedule, dictated by age norms

Question 9

Subcultural differences

Answer 9

Ethnicity, socioeconomic, statuses,

Question 10

Developmental changes by nature

Answer 10

Hereditary, maturation, genes, innate, or biologically based predispositions

Question 11

Developmental changes by nurture

Answer 11

Environment, learning, experience, cultural influences

Question 12

How does the concept of aging differ from the concept of biological aging?

Answer 12

Biological aging refers to the biological deterioration of the organism leading to death

Aging refers to positive as well as negative changes in a range of areas (physical, cognitive psychosocial) in mature organisms

Question 13

Goals of studying development

Answer 13

Description prediction explanation optimization

Question 14

Theory

Answer 14

Propositions intended to describe and explain certain phenomena

Question 15

Hypothesis

Answer 15

Predictions regarding a particular set of observations

Question 16

Three major types of data collection

Answer 16

Verbal reports
Behavioral observations
Physiological measurements

Question 17

Verbal reports

Answer 17

Interviews
questionnaires or surveys
ability and achievement tests
Personality scales

Question 18

Behavioral observation

Answer 18

Naturalistic observation – observing people in every day surroundings

Question 19

Physiological measurements

Answer 19

Hormones
Heart rate
Skin conductance
Brain activity

Question 20

Case study

Answer 20

In-depth examination of one or a few individuals
Can complement correlation on experimental research
Can be a good source of hypothesis
Can provide a rich picture of atypical development
May not generalize to other individuals

Question 21

Experimental method

Answer 21

Investigator manipulates variable(environment)
Independent variable (IV) “cause” Variable that is manipulated so that causal effects can be assessed
Dependent variable (DV) “effect” variable expected to be affected

Question 22

Three key features of a true experiment

Answer 22

1. random assignment of participants to different experimental conditions
2. manipulation of the IV
3. Experimental control – factors other than IV are held constant.

Question 23

Cross-sectional design

Answer 23

Different age groups are compared

Provides information about age differences

Question 24

Age effects

Answer 24

Relationship between age and development

Question 25

Define cohort

Answer 25

A group of people born at the same time

Question 26

Longitudinal design

Answer 26

One cohort of individuals assessed repeatedly overtime

Provide information about age changes rather than age differences

Can indicate whether correct characteristics/behaviors measured remain consistent overtime