1. Slide 1 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT 1 A Topical Approach to John W. Santrock Introduction

2. Slide 2 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Life-Span Perspective Development — pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through life span The Life-Span Perspective

3. Slide 3 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The Importance of Studying Life-Span Development Personal insight Explore growth and decline Experiences influence development The Life-Span Perspective

4. Slide 4 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Views of Child Development The Life-Span Perspective Original sin view Tabla rasa view Innate goodness view Children are born into a world corrupted with inclination toward evil Children born as “blank slates” and acquire characteristics through experience (Locke) Children born inherently good (Rousseau)

5. Slide 5 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Adult Development –Maximum human life span unchanged –Life expectancy — average number of years a person is expected to live when born in a particular year has changed –Developmental change occurs during adulthood as well as childhood The Life-Span Perspective

6. Slide 6 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Characteristics of the Life-Span Perspective –Lifelong –Multidimensional –Multidirectional –Plastic –Maintenance The Life-Span Perspective –Contextual –Multidisciplinary –Individualistic –Growth – Regulation

7. Slide 7 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Processes in Development The Nature of Development Fig. 1.3

8. Slide 8 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Periods of Development Prenatal Period Infancy Early childhood Middle and late childhood Adolescence Early adulthood Middle adulthood Late adulthood The Nature of Development

9. Slide 9 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Periods of Development The Nature of Development Each period of the life span has its own stresses, ups and downs, and concerns. Older adults have different views than children or adolescents. Variations in capabilities of same age individuals occur in all periods of development How does satisfaction in life relate to age?

10. Slide 10 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Conceptions of Age The Nature of Development Chronological age — number of years elapsed since person’s birth Biological age — age in terms of biological health Psychological age — individual’s adaptive capacities Social age — social roles and expectations related to person’s age

11. Slide 11 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Developmental Issues The Nature of Development Nature and Nurture Stability and Change Continuity- Discontinuity Extent to which development is influenced by nature and by nurture Degree to which early traits and characteristics persist through life or change Extent development involves gradual, cumulative change (continuity) or distinct stages (discontinuity)

12. Slide 12 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Continuity and Discontinuity in Development The Nature of Development Fig. 1.7

13. Slide 13 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Theories of Development Scientific method: –Conceptualize a problem to be studied –Collect research information/data –Analyze data –Draw conclusions Theories of Development

14. Slide 14 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Theories of Development Theory — interrelated set of ideas that helps to explain data, make predictions Hypotheses — assertions or predictions, often derived from theories that can be tested Theories of Development

15. Slide 15 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Psychoanalytic Theories Development depends primarily on the unconscious mind –Heavily colored by emotion –Behavior is a surface characteristic –Important to analyze symbolic meanings of behavior –Early experiences important in development Theories of Development

16. Slide 16 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Freud’s Psychosexual Theory Id, ego, and superego create personality Defense mechanisms and Repression Anxiety and defense mechanisms Five stages of psychosexual development Theories of Development

17. Slide 17 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Fig. 1.8 Freudian Stages Theories of Development

18. Slide 18 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory Eight stages of development –Unique development task confronts individuals with crisis that must be resolved –Each stage has both positive and negative poles –Positive resolution builds foundation for healthy development Theories of Development

19. Slide 19 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages Theories of Development Fig. 1.9

20. Slide 20 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Evaluating the Psychoanalytic Theories Theories of Development Contributions include –Emphasis on early experiences, family relationships, and the unconscious mind Criticisms include –Difficulty in testing, negativity, cultural and gender bias, sexual underpinnings

21. Slide 21 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cognitive Theories Theories emphasize cognitive thoughts Three important theories –Piaget’s cognitive development theory –Vygotsky’s sociocultural cognitive theory –Information-processing theory Theories of Development

22. Slide 22 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Cognitive Theories Children actively construct understanding Piaget’s cognitive development theory Four stages of development — age-related Based on qualitative logic and thinking Vygotsky’s sociocultural cognitive theory Children actively construct their knowledge Emphasizes culture and social interactions Theories of Development

23. Slide 23 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Theories of Development Fig. 1.10 Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development

24. Slide 24 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Information-Processing Approach Brain is compared to computer’s hardware Cognition is viewed as computer software Individuals acquire increasingly complex information Thinking: perceive, encode, represent, store, and retrieve information Theories of Development

25. Slide 25 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Information-Processing Theory OUTPUT INPUT math history religion culture science literature Theories of Development Fig. 1.11

26. Slide 26 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Evaluating Cognitive Theories Theories of Development Contributions include – Active construction of understanding, importance of developmental changes, detailed descriptions Criticisms include – Lack of individual variation, information processing approach lacks clarity, and emphasis on unconscious processes

27. Slide 27 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Behavioral Theories Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning –Neutral stimulus paired with active stimulus to produce response Watson’s Conditioning of ‘little Albert’ –Involuntary responses are learned Skinner’s Operant Conditioning –Consequences, rewards and punishment, shape behavior Theories of Development

28. Slide 28 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Social Cognitive Theories Bandura –Emphasizes observational learning –Focus on reciprocal interactions among behavior, cognition, and environment (any one can influence the others) –Cognitive thought needed to imitate others Theories of Development

29. Slide 29 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Model Fig. 1.12 Theories of Development

30. Slide 30 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Evaluating the Behavioral and Social Cognitive Theories Theories of Development Contributions include –Emphasis on scientific research, person and cognitive factors, environmental determinants, and observational learning Criticisms include –Lack of focus on cognition, too little attention to developmental changes, and overemphasis on environmental determinants

31. Slide 31 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Ecological Theory Bronfenbrenner’s view that development influenced by five environmental systems –Microsystem –Mesosystem –Exosystem –Macrosystem –Chronosystem Theories of Development

32. Slide 32 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory Theories of Development Fig. 1.13

33. Slide 33 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Sociocultural Contexts Key dimensions include –Cross-cultural studies — comparisons of one culture with one or more other cultures –Ethnicity — range of characteristics rooted in cultural heritage –Gender — psychological and sociocultural dimension of being female or male Theories of Development

34. Slide 34 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Family Contexts Children in non-poor environments were more likely than those in poor homes to –Get responses to their speech –Have toys or interesting activities –Have more books of their own –See their father daily Theories of Development

35. Slide 35 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Evaluating Ecological Theory Theories of Development Contributions include – Emphasis on macro and micro dimensions and socio-historical influences Criticisms include –Lacks emphasis on biological foundations and inadequate attention to cognitive processes

36. Slide 36 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Research in Life Span Development Methods for Collecting Data –Observation Laboratory setting Cultural concerns –Naturalistic observation –Survey and interview Research in Life-Span Development –Standardized tests –Case study –Life-history record –Physiological measures MRI, blood test

37. Slide 37 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Research Designs Descriptive research Correlational research –Correlation coefficient and range –Correlation does not equal causation Experimental research –Independent and dependent variables –Experimental and control groups Research in Life-Span Development

38. Slide 38 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Possible Explanations for Correlational Data Fig. 1.17 Research in Life-Span Development

39. Slide 39 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Principles of Experimental Research Fig. 1.18 Research in Life-Span Development

40. Slide 40 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Time Span of Research Cross-Sectional Approach — individuals of different ages are compared at one time Longitudinal Approach — same individuals studied over period of time Sequential Approach — combined cross-sectional, longitudinal design Cohort effects Research in Life-Span Development

41. Slide 41 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Research Journals Scholarly and academic information Specific domain; academic discipline Abstract Method section Results, discussion, and references Research in Life-Span Development

42. Slide 42 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Research Ethics Informed consent Confidentiality Debriefing Deception Gender bias Cultural and ethnic bias –‘ Ethnic gloss’ and over-generalizing Research in Life-Span Development

43. Slide 43 © 2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The End 1