WK 1: What is Lifespan development?

Question 1

What is lifespan development?

Answer 1

Lifespan development concerns continuities and changes in a person’s long-term growth, feelings and patterns of thinking. ​

It occurs in the physical, cognitive and psychosocial domains.​

Knowledge about a person’s life span development has come from our desire to understand who we are and how we become that way​

The processes of continuity and change are called human development

Question 2

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Answer 2

changes taking place in the body, genetic make-up, nutrition and health.

Question 3

COGNITIVE ​DEVELOPMENT

Answer 3

changes in intellectual abilities including: thought processes, language development, perception, imagination, decision making, communication and learning.

Question 4

PSYCHOSOCIAL ​DEVELOPMENT

Answer 4

Emotional and Social development refer to changes in emotional regulation, interpersonal skills and relationship building.

Question 5

Bronfenbrenner: ecological perspective

Answer 5

Micro system - Meso system - Exo system - Macro system
Bronfenbrenner’s work considered the individual as
developing within a complex system of relationships and
contexts = ecological systems

Question 6

MICRO SYSTEM

Answer 6

The microsystem contains relations between the individual and the immediate environment surrounding the individual, such as the home, school and workplace ​

Question 7

MESO SYSTEM​

Answer 7

The mesosystem comprises interrelations between major settings containing an individual, such as relations between home and school, home and peer -groups, etc. ​

Question 8

EXO SYSTEM​

Answer 8

embraces social structures —major institutions of the society —such as the world of work, the mass media and public agencies. These social structures do not themselves contain the developing person but impinge upon the immediate settings in which that person is found, and as such influence what is going on in these settings​

Question 9

MACRO SYSTEM​

Answer 9

The macrosystem consists of the blueprints of a particular society such as laws and regulations but also unprinted rules and norms​

Question 10

Paul Baltes (psychologist) saw development as influenced by multiple, interacting forces. What are they?

Answer 10

▪ Normative age-graded
Chronological age e.g. puberty

▪ Normative history-graded
Historical time e.g. famine

▪ Non-normative influences
Events that do not occur in any normative age-
graded or history-graded
manner e.g. recovery from trauma

Question 11

What are the 3 types of development?

Answer 11

Continuous growth, Discontinuous growth, Lifelong growth​

Question 12

Continuous development

Answer 12

is a gradual building in skills and achievements over time (i.e. an increase in height)

Question 13

Discontinuous development

Answer 13

is a process where development occurs in stages or steps, where development is different from behaviour at earlier stages. (i.e. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development) e.g. crawling to walking

Question 14

Lifelong growth

Answer 14

Lifelong growth highlights the​ potential for growth at all ages.

Damon’s (1996) example of development of ‘moral goals’
Sense of right and wrong deepens with age
Children’s moral opinions do not necessarily match their actions
Aligning self with ideals enhances commitment to morally consistent actions
Less verbal hypocrisy in adulthood

Question 15

Development is Multidimensional. What does this mean?

Answer 15

Affected by a blend of biological, psychological and social forces. This refers to the complexities of development which includes both genetic and environmental influences.

Question 16

Development is Multidirectional​. What does this mean?

Answer 16

Refers to the notion that throughout life there is growth and decline. Growth is very obvious in the early years and decline in the later years. At any age you can learn a new skill or develop ways to compensate for the skills we are losing

Question 17

Nature of Development

Answer 17

• Patterns of constancy and change
• Change can be specific or general
• Constancy can be short or long term
• Changes may not necessarily be developmental
• Developmentalists view development as
  a continuing process of growth, constancy
  and change

Question 18

Ford and Lerner systems perspective

Answer 18

▪ The developmental systems perspective
▪ Development occurs through transaction with
the environment
▪ Dynamic system where multiple elements
interact to shape an individual’s life
▪ System modifies and evolves in response
to changes in biology and/or environment

Question 19

Stability

Answer 19

▪ Persistence of individual differences
▪ Lifelong patterns established by early experiences

Question 20

Plasticity

Answer 20

▪ Development is open to lifelong change
▪ Change occurs based on influential experiences (Berk, 2018)

Question 21

Developmental diversity

Answer 21

• Development is plastic –flexible
• Opportunities for growth
• Developmental plasticity refers to the openness
  of human development to change in response
  to influential experiences
• Differences in development relate to genetic, environmental, social and cultural context

What determines who we are and who we become?
* Question of extent of influence:
◦ Nature
- Genetically inherited traits, abilities
◦ Nurture
- Environmental influences
* Which influences development more: genes
or environment?
◦ Likelihood of joint influences in development

Question 22

Biology and Environment:
Resilience

Answer 22

▪ Ability to adapt effectively in the face of threats to development
▪ Factors in resilience:
* Personal characteristics
* Warm parental relationship
* Social support outside family
* Community resources and opportunities (Berk,2018)