Unit 1 Outline Chapter 1 Child development an area of study devoted to understanding constancy and change from conception through adolescence Child development is part of a larger interdisciplinary field known as developmental science which includes all changes we experience throughout the lifespan Common goal of those who study child development to describe and identify those factors that influence the consistencies and changes in young people during the first two decades of life Information about child development is interdisciplinary Grown through combined efforts of people from many fields Domains of Development p 5 o Development is divided into 3 disciplines physical cognitive and emotional and social o Domains are integrated Periods of Development p 6 o Prenatal period from conception to birth In this 9 month period the most rapid time of chance a one celled organism is transformed into a human baby with remarkable capacities for adjusting to life in the surrounding world o Infancy and toddlerhood from birth to 2 years This period brings dramatic change in the body and brain that support the emergence of a wide array of motor perceptual and intellectual capacities the beginnings of language and first intimate ties to others Infancy spans the first year toddlerhood spans the second during which children take their first independent steps marking a shift to greater autonomy o Early childhood from 2 to 6 years The body becomes longer and leaner motor skills are refined and children become more self controlled and self sufficient Make believe play blossoms supporting every aspect of child development Thought and language expand at an astounding pace a sense of morality becomes evident and children establish ties with peers o Middle childhood from 6 to 11 years Children learn about the wider world and master new responsibilities that increasingly resemble those they will perform as adults Hallmarks of this period are improved athletic abilities participation in organized games with rules more logical thought processes mastery of fundamental reading writing math and other academic knowledge and skills and advances in understanding the self morality and friendship o Adolescence from 11 to 18 years old This period initiates the transition into adulthood Puberty leads to an adult sized body and sexual maturity Thought becomes abstract and idealistic and school is increasingly directed toward preparation for higher education and the world of work Young people begin to establish autonomy from the family and to define personal values and goals o Emerging adulthood 18 to 25 years Not yet fully assumed adult roles During higher education and sometimes beyond these young people intensify their exploration of options in love career and personal values before making enduring commitments Basic Issues p 7 o Theory orderly integrated set of statements that describes explains and predicts behavior o Theories are vital for 2 reasons 1 they provide organizing framework for our observations of children they guide and give meaning to what we see 2 theories that are verified by research often serve as a sound basis for practical action Once a theory helps us understand development we are in a much better position to know how to improve the welfare and treatment of children o Theories are influenced by cultural values and belief systems o Theories differ from opinions or beliefs A theory s continued existence depends on scientific verification so it must be tested using a fair set of research procedures agreed on by the scientific community and its findings must endure or be replicated over time o No single theory can explain certain aspects of children because researchers don t agree and children are changing all the time o Theories look at three basic issues Is the course of development continuous or discontinuous Does one course of development characterize all children or are there many What are the roles of genetic and environmental factors nature and nurture in possible courses development complexity there to begin with Continuous or discontinuous development p 7 o The difference between the immature and the mature being is simply one of amount or o Continuous a process of gradually adding more of the same types of skills that were o Discontinuous a process in which new ways of understanding and responding to the world emerge at specific times Move through a series of developmental steps each with unique features until he reaches the highest level of functioning o Theories that accept the discontinuous perspective regard development as taking place in stages Stages qualitative changes in thinking feeling and behaving that characterize specific periods of development Development is like a staircase with each step corresponding to a more mature reorganized way of functioning The stage concept also assumes that children undergo periods of rapid transformation as they step from one stage to the next alternating with plateaus during which they stand solidly within a stage change is very sudden One course of development or many P 8 o Stage theorists assume that people follow the same sequence of development o Child development is becoming increasingly aware that children grow up in distinct contexts Contexts unique combination of personal and environmental circumstances that can result in different paths of change Relative influence of Nature and Nurture o Different circumstances foster different cognitive capacities social skills and feelings about the self and others o On the personal side this includes heredity and biological makeup o On the environmental side immediate settings home child care center school and neighborhood and circumstances that are more remote from children s everyday lives like community resources societal values and priorities and historical time period o Are genetic or environmental factors more important in influencing development This is the nature nurture controversy o Nature inborn biological givens the hereditary information we receive from our parents at the moment of conception o Nurture complex forces of the physical and social world that influence our biological makeup and psychological experiences before and after birth o Stability that children are either high or low in a characteristic and will remain so at later stages These theorists usually stress the importance of heredity If they do regard environment as important they usually point to early experiences as
View Full Document
Unlocking...