Live Span Perspective Chapter 1

Development The pattern of change from conception to end of life. Includes growth Includes decline brought on by aging

Development is: Lifelong - No age period dominates development Multidimensional - Body, mind, emotions, and relationships are changing and affecting each other Biological Dimensions Cognitive Dimensions Socioemotional Dimensions

Development is: Multidirectional - These dimensions or components of these dimension expand and others shrink Ex: Language Skills, Relationships, Wisdom Plastic - These dimensions have the capacity for change Ex: Cognition can improve for the elderly

Development is: Multidisciplinary - various interested parties Psychologists Sociologists Anthropologists Neuroscientists Medical researchers

Development is: Contextual - situational Ex: Families, schools, churches, countries, etc. Influenced by history, economics, social and cultural factors

Development is: 3 Types of Contextual Influences Normative age-graded - Similar for individuals in a particular age groups Ex: Puberty and menopause Normative history-graded - generational Ex: Civil Rights Movement, Great Depression, Wars No normative life events - Unusual occurrences that impact lives Death of a child, winning a lottery

Development is: As we age it involves: Growth Maintenance Regulation of Loss

Development is: A Co-Construction of Biology, Culture, and the Individual factors working together. Each shapes each other.

Development Process Biological Changes in physical nature Cognitive Changes in thought, intelligence and language Socioemotional Relational, emotional and personality

Periods of Development A time frame in a person's life that is characterized by certain features. 8 period sequence Prenatal- Conception to birth Infancy- birth to 24 months Early childhood- 3-5 years Middle and late childhood-6 to 10/11 years Adolescence - 10-12 to 18-21 years Early adulthood - 20s to 30s Middle adulthood-40s to 50s Late adulthood- 60s, 70s, to death

Conceptions of Age Chronological Age Years since birth Biological Age Health related age Psychological age Adaptive capacities compared to others with same chronological age Social age Connectedness with others

All are Important

The Nature of Development Nature and Nurture Nature- biological inheritance Nurture-environmental experiences

The Nature of Development Stability and Change Stability- we become older renditions of early experiences Change- we become someone different

The Nature of Development Continuity and discontinuity Continuity - development involves gradual cumulative changes Discontinuity - development involves distinct stages

Scientific Method Four step process Conceptualize a process of problem to be studied Collect research information (data) Analyze the data Draw conclusions

In Formulating a Program (step 1) Researchers draw on a theories and develop hypotheses. Theory-An interrelated, coherent set of ideas that helps to explain phenomena and facilitate predictions Hypotheses- Specific assumptions and predictions that can be tested to determine their accuracy

Theoretical Orientations to Development Psychoanalytic Theories Cognitive Theories Behavioral and Social Cognitive Theories Ethnological Theory Ecological Theory An Eclectic Theoretical Orientation

Psychoanalytic Orientations to Development Psychoanalytic Theories (Freud, Erikson) Development is primarily unconscious Emotive Deep inner workings of the mind Symbolic meanings of behavior Early experienced with parents shape development

Psychoanalytic Orientations to Development Freud's Psychosexual Stages - "if the need for pleasure at any stage is either under gratified or over gratified, an individual may become fixated, at that stage of development. Oral - pleasure is centered on the mouth Anal- pleasure focuses on the anus Phallic- pleasure focuses on the genitals Latency-develops social and intellectual skills Genital- sexual pleasure

Psychoanalytic Orientations to Development Erikson's 8 Psychosocial stages of human development Each stage consists of a unique developmental task that confronts individuals with a crisis (turning point) that must be resolved. The more successful an individual resolves each crisis, the healthier development will be. Early and later experiences.

Psychoanalytic Orientations to Development Erikson's 8 Psychosocial stages of human development Trust versus mistrust Autonomy versus shame and doubt Initiative versus guilt Industry versus inferiority Identity versus identity confusion Intimacy versus isolation Generative try versus stagnation Integrity versus dispair

Cognitive Orientations to Development Cognitive Theories (Importance of conscious thoughts) Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory Vygotsky's Sociocultural Cognitive Theory Information-processing Theory

Cognitive Orientations to Development Piaget's 4 Stages of a Child's cognitive development (understanding the world) Sensorimotor stage -coordinating sensory experiences with physical actions. (Birth to 2 years) Pre operational stage- words and images reflecting symbolic thinking (2-7 years) Concrete operational stage- perform operations, reason logically (7 to 11) Formal operational stage- reasoning is abstract, idealistic and logical (11-15)

Cognitive Orientations to Development Vygotsky's Sociocultural Cognitive Theory How culture and social interaction guide cognitive development Learning to use language, math, memory Childs social interactions with adults and peers

Cognitive Orientations to Development Information-Processing Theory Individuals manipulate information, monitor it, and strategize about it. Memory and thinking are central Individuals develop a gradually increasing capacity for processing information, which allow them to acquire increasingly complete knowledge and skills

Behavioral and Social Cognitive Orientations to Development We can study only what can be directly observed and measured. Development is observable behavior that can be learned through experience with the environment Skinner's Operant Conditioning Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory

Behavioral and Social Cognitive Orientations to Development Skinner's Operant Conditioning - The consequences of a behavior produce changes in the probability of the behavior's occurrence. Rewards and punishment shape development (not thoughts and feelings)

Behavioral and Social Cognitive Orientations to Development Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory- Behavior, environment, and cognition are the key factors in development. Observed learning is key People acquire a wide range of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings through observing others' behavior

Ethological Orientations to Development Behavior is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution, and characterized by critical or sensitive periods Presence or absence of certain experiences has a long-lasting influence on individuals Imprinting -the rapid innate learning that involves attachment to the first moving object

Ecological Orientations to Development Emphasized environmental factors Bronfenbrenner- development reflects the influence of several environmental systems Microsystems- the setting one lives in Mesosystem-relations between Microsystems Exosystem-links between a social setting where the individual does not have an active role and the individuals contexts Macrosystem- the culture one lives in Chronosystem - patterning of environmental events and traditions over the life course, as well as sociobiological circumstances

Eclectic Orientations to Development Does not follow any one theoretical approach but rather selects from each theory whatever is considered its best features