Chapter 11 Human Development Across the Life Span

Progress Before Birth: Prenatal Development 3 phases  germinal stage = first 2 weeks  conception, implantation, formation of placenta  embryonic stage = 2 weeks – 2 months  formation of vital organs and systems  fetal stage = 2 months – birth  bodily growth continues, movement capability begins, brain cells multiply  age of viability Fertilization Early Fetal Development Pregnancy weeks 1-9 Pregnancy weeks 10-14

Figure 11.1 Overview of fetal development

Environmental Factors and Prenatal Development Maternal nutrition  Malnutrition linked to increased risk of birth complications, neurological problems, and psychopathology Maternal drug use  Tobacco, alcohol, prescription, and recreational drugs  Fetal alcohol syndrome

Environmental Factors and Prenatal Development Maternal illness  Rubella, syphilis, mumps, genital herpes, AIDS (20%- 30% transmission rate  Herpes can cause microcephaly, paralysis, deafness, blindness, brain damage or fatal for newborns  Prenatal health care  Prevention through guidance

The Childhood Years: Motor Development Basic Principles  Cephalocaudal trend – “head to foot” (crawling with arms first)  Proximodistal trend – “center-outward” (turn torso before they learn to reach with an arm) Maturation – gradual unfolding of genetic blueprint, due to age not learning Developmental norms – median age  Cultural variations

Easy and Difficult Babies: Differences in Temperament Longitudinal vs. cross-sectional designs Thomas, Chess, and Birch (1970)  3 basic temperamental styles  easy – 40%  slow-to-warm-up – 15%  difficult – 10%  mixed – 35% Children were followed into adulthood and study found that temperament from age 3 months was stable at age 10

Easy and Difficult Babies: Differences in Temperament Kagan & Snidman (1991)  Inhibited vs. uninhibited temperament  inhibited – %  uninhibited – % stable over time, genetically based Studies have shown that adults with an inhibited temperament showed a stronger reaction in the amygdala to unfamiliar stimuli Temperament is not destiny, social interactions also shape our personality

Figure 11.6 Longitudinal versus cross-sectional research

Early Emotional Development: Attachment Harry Harlow’s Monkey Study – Contact Comfort Separation anxiety Starts around 6-8 months, peaks months  Ainsworth (1979)  The strange situation and patterns of attachment  Secure  Anxious-ambivalent  Avoidant Developing secure attachment  Bonding at birth  Daycare  Cultural factors Evolutionary perspectives on attachment

Stage Theories of Development: Personality Stage theories, three components  progress through stages in order  progress through stages related to age  major discontinuities in development Erik Erikson (1963)  Eight stages spanning the lifespan  Psychosocial crises determining balance between opposing polarities in personality

Figure Stage theories of development

Figure Erikson’s stage theory

Stage Theories: Cognitive Development Jean Piaget (1920s-1980s)  Cognitive Development  4 stages and major milestones  Sensorimotor - (birth-age 2) Object permanence Object permanence (4-18 months)  Preoperational - (age 2- 7) Centration, Egocentrism, Conservation, Animism  Concrete Operational - (age 7- 11) Decentration, Reversibility, Conservation  Formal Operational - (age 11+) Abstraction (thinking about love, justice, freewill)  Piaget’s Stages Demonstrated in Children Piaget’s Stages Demonstrated in Children

Figure Piaget’s stage theory

Figure Piaget’s conservation task

Figure The gradual mastery of conservation

The Development of Moral Reasoning Kohlberg (1976)  Reasoning as opposed to behavior  Moral dilemmas (Heinz Dilemma) Measured nature and progression of moral reasoning  3 levels, each with 2 sublevels  Preconventional  Conventional  Postconventional

Figure Kohlberg’s stage theory

Adolescence: Physiological Changes Pubescence Puberty  Secondary sex characteristics  Not related to reproduction  Primary sex characteristics  Menarche  Sperm production  Maturation: early vs. late  Sex differences in effects of early maturation Early development can lead to less emotional stability and engagement in risky behavior

The Search for Identity James Marcia (1988)  4 identity statuses  Identity Diffusion Apathy, refuse to chart a course  Identity Foreclosure Doing whatever your parents expected, not challenging  Identity Moratorium Delaying commitment, exploring alternatives, should be temporary  Identity Achievement Sense of self and direction after exploring alternatives

The Expanse of Adulthood Personality development Social development Career development Physical changes Cognitive changes