HDFS201 Exam 1 Study Guide 09 23 2015 INTRODUCTION Development the pattern of movement and change that begins at conception and continues through human life span The Importance of Studying Life Span Development When becoming a mother or teacher it is better to know more about children in order to benefit them the best you can Gain some insight about your own infancy Most development involves growth but also includes decline and dying Characteristics of the Life Span Perspective Traditional Perspective Development emphasizes extensive change from birth to adolescence little or no change during adulthood and decline in old age The life span perspective emphasizes developmental change throughout adulthood as well as during childhood Developments occurs throughout ones life span Development is lifelong multidimensional multidirectional plastic multidisciplinary and contextual Process that involves growth maintenance and regulation of loss Life expectancy the average number of years a person is expected to live has increased in time EIGHT MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LIFE SPAN PERSPECTIVE Development is Lifelong o Early adulthood is not the endpoint of development rather no age period dominants development Development is Multidimensional o At every age your body your mind your emotions and your relationships change and effect each other o Biological cognitive and Socioemotional dimensions Development is Multidirectional o Some dimensions or components of dimension expand and others shrink Development is Plastic o The capacity for change Developmental Science is Multidisciplinary o How does your heredity and health limit your intelligence o Do intelligence and social relationships change with age in the same way around the world Development is Contextual o All development occurs within a context or setting Contexts families neighborhoods schools peer groups work settings churches universities cities countries etc o Each context is influenced by historical economic social and cultural factors o Individuals are changing beings in a changing world o Normative age graded influences similar for individuals in a particular age group Ex Puberty and menopause o Normative history graded influences common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances Ex baby boomers all experienced the Cuban missile crisis o Nonnormative Life Events Unusual life occurrences that have a major impact on an individual s life These events do not happen to all people Ex death of a parent when one is still a child Development Involves Growth Maintenance and Regulation of Loss o The three aspects shift based on age period Maintenance and regulation of loss are less impactful during childhood while maintenance and regulation of loss are more impactful during late adulthood Development Is a Co construction of Biology Culture and the Individual shapes the brain o All play off each other the brain shapes culture but culture Some Contemporary Concerns Health and Well Being Professionals today recognize the power of lifestyles and psychological states in health and well being Effects of parenting and parents relationships on the education of Parenting and Education Sociocultural Context and Diversity students Culture o Encompasses the behavior patterns beliefs and all other products of a particular group of people that are passed on from generation to generation o Results in the interaction of people over many years o Cross cultural studies studies that compare aspects of two or more cultures Provides information about the degree to which development is similar or universal across cultures or instead is culture specific o Rooted in cultural heritage nationality race religion and Ethnicity language o Diversity exists within each ethnic group o Ex African American Latinos etc Socioeconomic Status SES o A person s position within society based on occupational education and economic characteristics o Differences in the ability to control resources and to participate in society s rewards produce unequal opportunities Gender o Male or female Social Policy A government s course of action designed to promote the welfare of Statistics and Life Span development studies help to drive social its citizens policy o Ex infant mortality rate mortality among children under 5 and percentage of children who are malnourished or living in poverty 21 9 of U S children are living in families with incomes below the poverty line More children in poverty are exposed to family turmoil separation from parents violence crowding excessive noise and poor housing Another study showed that the more children spent living in poverty the higher their physiological indices of stress Some kids triumph over poverty due to some characteristics o Individual good intellectual functioning appealing sociable easygoing self confidence high self esteem talents faith o Family close relationship authoritative parenting warmth structure high expectations Socioeconomic advantages connections to extended support o Extrafamilial Context bonds to caring adults outside the family connections to positive organizations attending effective schools Concerns rising for health costs and ensuring that older adults have access to adequate health care o Concerns heightened by two things 1 Number of older adults in the United States is growing rapidly 2 Many of the older Americans are likely to need society s help o People are less likely now to get married and have children the main supports for them in old age Biological Cognitive and Socioemotional Processes Biological Processes produce changes in an individual s physical Examples genes development of brain height and weight changes appearance in motor skills etc intelligence and language Cognitive Processes changes in an individual s thought process Examples putting together sentences memorizing poems imagining what it would be like to be a movie star etc Socioemotional Processes changes in the individual s relationships with other people changes in emotions and changes in personality Examples baby s smile with a parent s touch child s development of assertiveness teen s joy at senior prom affection between a married couple etc Connecting Biological Cognitive and Socioemotional Processes Example a baby smiling in response to a parent s touch o Biological process physical nature of touch and responsiveness to it o Cognitive Process the ability to understand intentional acts o Socioemotional Process the act