Childhood Around the World Exam 1 02 22 2016 How are children different from adolescents and adults How do you know it s a child or an adolescent or an adult when you see one What changes physically and behaviorally Body size proportions Expressive behavior lively vs sedate Voice quality high pitch vs lower pitch Speed of speech rapid vs slow Body movements energetically wasteful vs energetically efficient Big dreams for the future vs acceptance of limitations Anthros human Logos the study of Anthropology the holistic study of humans comparisons across time space There are many versions of a human A child is a version of a human Therefore children are appropriate objects of study by anthropologists These versions of a human can be sorted into stages Childhood is stage in the sequence of stages that occur over the lifespan of all humans make up human life history the human life cycle Passing through the sequence of stages is an inevitable part of being human Ex gestation infancy childhood juvenile adolescent Rich or poor high intelligence or not all humans go thru stages According to Barry Bogin the human lifespan includes 7 stages more than any other species 1 Embryonic gestation Exists in all mammals and other vertebrates such as birds reptiles amphibians and This stage begins when the fertilized egg is embedded in the uterus for internal This stage ends with the birth of an infant that must now survive outside of the fish gestation mother s body 2 Infancy a stage found in all mammals and only in mammals Begins with birth and ends when nursing ceases Dependent on caretaker and lactation feeding dependence What happens when infancy ends It depends on the species mammals vary in what happens next rodents o ex when infancy ends for rodents they are adults o ex when infancy ends for primates they become juveniles more stages than o primates have at least 4 stages embryonic infant juvenile adult o ex when infancy is over for humans they become children 3 Childhood 3 7 years old only found in humans No longer nursing so no longer an infant but still food dependent as food dependent as a primate infant but receiving special provisions not mother s milk Immature dentition and small digestive tract needs special food nutrient dense Few human groups breastfeed past 3 years old but forager cultures nurse this long In humans the 1st permanent molar erupts at 5 7 years old as an indicator of chewing ability and end of childhood beginning of juvenile Rapid brain growth then stops Brain growth is mostly complete by 6 7 years old Needs lots of food Motor cognitive language social deficits needs protection Body growth is steady not the rapid deceleration of infancy In humans growth is rapid during 1st 2 years and then slows An acceleration of growth during puberty Acquiring adult locomotion efficiency walking up right Adrenarche mid growth spurt marks end of childhood chimps do not have this All primates Feeding independence but lacks sexual maturity Likely to survive the death of their caretaker or parent but have not matured sexually Feeding independence Body growth is steady but slower after childhood mid growth spurt Brain growth is mostly complete not much change in brain size 2nd permanent molar 11 12 years old Survival without adults is possible spurt 4 Juvenile 5 Adolescence 6 Adulthood 7 Old age Adolf Schultz 1st to use dental eruption to define life periods and to compare primates comparative stage boundaries Humans 1st permanent molar 6 7 years old 2nd 11 12 years old Shows that human infancy 6 years chimps infancy 3 years The infant stage of other primates infant child stage of humans Apes mature slowly and live long Ape mothers invest heavily in a few expensive offspring who take a long time to grow up they care for one dependent offspring at a time Apes are barely able to replace their numbers every year Humans mature even slower than apes and live even longer slower life history Humans should produce fewer offspring per female than apes but instead they produce more offspring per female If humans followed an ape pattern inter birth intervals would be very long 9 10 years Chimps inter birth interval 5 5 years and about 5 offspring per female high infant mortality Humans inter birth interval 3 5 years have more offspring and higher survival Humans take longer to reach maturity yet the inter birth intervals are shorter Humans have multiple immature offspring dependent on parental care and feeding simultaneously Apes only have one offspring at a time Childhood no longer nursing but dependent on adults for care and feeding which can be done by individuals other than the mother An adult female who is not lactating can get pregnant again Lactation functions as effective contraception in forger cultures because of limited calories low body fat extreme energy demands of daily foraging Why a childhood stage To produce more offspring per female and increase rate of reproduction Humans have more children per female despite life history traits like long immaturity that would otherwise push the species to extinction Having a childhood stage freed human reproduction from the constraints which plague closely related apes humans were able to reproduce more offspring per female despite having the longest period of maturation of any primate Humans are a multi stage species not all species have stages not all species have as many stages as humans Stage traits traits found in all individuals as they change from child adolescent adult body size voice fidgety behavior cheerful disposition cognitive limitations Stage traits are universals Are humans the only species to experience childhood yes Childhood a stage in the life cycle of the human species Other species experience change over the lifespan but only humans label one stage childhood For many species dramatic changes in structure and behavior can occur before an individual is reproductively mature Ex newborn panda is 4 oz vs 200 lbs grown panda newborn is 1 900th the size of its mother pink hairless and blind Species vary in the number of life stages Species vary in the duration of life stages Elite Education Secondary school Public school prestigious selective private often a boarding school Middle school Preparatory school prestigious private selective admission often a boarding school State Supported Education Secondary school Grammar school selective admission secondary school that prepares students for university Middle school Comprehensive