The Life span Perspective Development Pattern of movement or change that beings at conception and continues through the human life span o Studying it Prepares us for children Gives us insight about our own lives Characteristics of Development o Lifelong o Multidimensional o Multidirectional o Plastic o Multidisciplinary o Contextual environmental factors o Process that involves growth maintenance and regulation of loss Contextual Influences Normative age graded similar for individuals in a particular age group o Ex driving drinking etc Normative History graded common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances o Ex social media great depression etc Non normative life events unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an individual s life o Ex young age pregnancy young child losing a parent Contemporary concerns o Health and well being o Parenting and education o Sociocultural contexts an diversity Culture behavior patterns beliefs and all other products of a group that are passed on from generation to generation Cross cultural studies comparison of cultures Ethnicity based on cultural heritage nationality characteristics race religion and language Socioeconomic status grouping of people w similar occupational educational and economic characteristics Gender male vs female Social policy national governments course of action designed to promote the welfare of its citizens o Poverty rates are highest within young single mothers w children under 5 years of age 50 o Poverty also hits elderly and ethnic minorities Biological Cognitive and Socioemotional Processes Biological changes in an individual s physical nature Cognitive changes in an individual s thought intelligence and language Socioemotional changes in relationships w others emotions personality Periods of Development Conceptions of age o 4 types Chronological age Biological age terms of biological health Psychological adaptive capacities compared w those of other individuals of the same chronological age Social age connectedness w others and social roles individuals adopt Age and happiness research revealed that happiness increased w age Developmental issues Nature nurture issue concerns the extent to which development is influenced by nature and by nurture o Nature organisms biological inheritance o Nurture environmental experiences o Development is a COMBINATION of both Stability change issue involving the degree to which early traits and characteristics persist through life or change Continuity discontinuity the degree to which development involves either o Gradual cumulative or distinct stages Evaluating the developmental issues o All of the above characterize development through life span Theories of Development Scientific method 4 step process o Conceptualize a process or problem to be studied o Collect research info o Analyze data statistical part o Draw conclusions Theory coherent set of ideas that helps explain phenomena and facilitate predictions Hypothesis assumptions and prediction that can be tested to determine accuracy not proven Psychoanalytic Theories Describe development as primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion o Freud s Theory first to emphasize the early parent and child relationship o Erickson s Psychosocial theory eight stages of development unfold as we go through life Cognitive Theories Piagets cognitive developmental theory o Children go through 4 stages of cognitive development as they actively construct their understandings of the world Vygotsky s sociocultural theory o Emphasizes how culture and social interaction guide cognitive development Information processing theory o Emphasizes that individuals Manipulate information Monitor information Strategize about it Behavioral and Social Cognitive Theories Development can be described in the terms of behaviors learned through interactions with our surrounding o Skinners operant conditioning Development consists of the pattern of behavioral changes that are brought about by rewards and punishments o Banduras social cognitive theory Hold that behavior environment and person cognitive factors are the key factors in development Ethological Theories Ethology study of the behavior of animals in their natural habitat o Theory stresses that behavior is Strongly influenced by biology Characterized by critical or sensitive periods Tied to evolution o Lorenz s research with Greylag Geese Konrad Lorenz helped bring ethology to prominence John Bowlby Attachment to a caregiver over the first year of life has important consequences throughout the life span Brofenbrenher s Ecological Theory of Development To understand a person s development we also need to understand the bigger picture o Microsystem setting in which individuals lives family peers school direct interaction o Mezzosystem relationships between microsystems Ex home school family peers o Exosystem links between social settings in which the individual does not have an active role and the individuals immediate context Indirect interaction o Macrosystem culture where individuals live Values beliefs socialization etc o Chronosystem represents the temporal dimension Ex timing of when events occur Eclectic Theoretical Orientation Does not follow any one theoretical approach o Selects best info from each theory Methods for Collecting Data Observation o Lab controlled setting in which many complex factors of the real world are removed Naturalistic studies involve observing behavior in real world settings Survey and Interview o Easy way to get a lot of information o Downsides Lie for rewards Honesty Anonymity Standardized Test o Uniform procedures for administration and scoring Case study o In depth look at a single individual Psychological measures Research Designs Descriptive o designed to observe and record behavior Correlational o Describe the strength of the relationship between 2 or more events or characters o No set rule o Correlation coefficient a number based on statistical analysis that is used to describe the degree of association between 2 variables Ranges from 1 00 1 00 Experimental research o Experiment One or more factors are manipulated while all other factors are held constant Independent variables what we manipulate dependent variables outcome no manipulation Experimental and control groups Time Span of Research Cross sectional different ages are compared at one time Longitudinal same individuals are studied over a period of time usually several