PSY 301 Developmental Psychology Exam 1 Study Guide Chapter 1 Understanding life span Human Development 1 Conceptualization a Defining development systematic orderly patterned and relatively enduring changes and continuities in the individual that occur between conception and death or from womb to tomb i Physical the growth of the body and its organs the functioning of physiological systems including the brain physical signs of aging changes in motor abilities and so on ii Psychosocial changes and carryover in personal and interpersonal aspects traits interpersonal skills and relationships and roles played in the family and in the larger society iii Cognitive changes and continuities in perception language learning memory problem solving and other mental processes b Conceptualizing the Lifespan Period of Life Prenatal period Infancy Preschool period Middle childhood Adolescence Emerging adulthood Early Adulthood Middle adulthood Late adulthood Age Range Conception to birth First 2 years of life the first month is the neonatal or newborn period 2 5 or 6 years some prefer to describe as toddlers children who have begun to walk are age 1 3 6 to about 10 or until the onset of puberty Approximately 10 18 or from puberty to when the individual becomes relatively independent 18 25 or even later transitional period between adolescence and adulthood 25 40 years adult roles are established 40 65 years sometimes characterized as a time of crisis 65 years and older some break out subcategories such as the young old old old and very old based on differences in functioning 2 Development as a Science a Goals of Developmental Science i Description developmentalists characterize the functioning of humans of different ages and trace how it changes with age 1 Describes both normal development and individual differences or variations in development ii Explanation see if there is a relationship between a possible influence on development and an aspect of development this must be established before the goal of explanation is achieved iii Optimization How can humans be helped to develop in positive directions How can their capacities be enhanced how can developmental difficulties be prevented and how can any developmental problems that emerge be overcome b Modern life span perspective Assumptions i Life span perspective is a perspective that views development as a lifelong multidirectional process that involves gain and loss is characterized by considerable plasticity is shaped by its historical cultural context has many causes and is best viewed from a multidisciplinary perspective ii Lifelong process Humans change throughout the life span Development in any period of life is best seen in the context of the whole life span iii Multidirectional Different capacities show different patterns of change over time Different aspects of human functioning have different trajectories of change iv Involves both gains and losses Both gain and loss are evident in each phase of the life span Gain and loss occur jointly v Characterized by lifelong plasticity Plasticity refers to the capacity to change in response to experience whether positive or negative Child development can be damaged by a deprived environment and optimized by an enriched one Plasticity continues into later life the aging process is not fixed but rather can be altered considerably depending on the individual s environment and experiences 1 Neuroplasticity the brain s remarkable ability to change in response to experience throughout the life span 2 Physical exercise and mental stimulation can result in changes in neurochemistry the formation of new connections among neurons and new neurons even in aging brains vi Shaped by historical cultural context example the Great Depression fathers became less affectionate and consistent in disciplining their children so children had behavior problems low aspirations and poor record in school vii Multiple influences Human development is the product of nature and nurture of many interacting causes both inside and outside the person and both biological and environmental It is the often unpredictable outcome of ongoing interactions between a changing person and her changing world viii Multiple disciplines It is impossible for one discipline to have all the answers A full understanding of human development will come only when many disciplines each with its own perspectives and tools of study join forces 3 How is development studied a The Scientific Method b Data Collection i Verbal reports i ii It is both a method and an attitude a belief that investigators should allow their systematic observations or data to determine the merits of their thinking Involves a process of generating ideas and testing them by making observations iii Preliminary observations provide ideas for a theory set of concepts and propositions intended to describe and explain certain phenomena iv Theories generate specific predictions or hypotheses regarding a particular set of observations v Hypotheses are tested through observation of behavior and new observations indicate which theories are worth keeping and which are not 1 A good theory should be a b c internally consistent its different parts and propositions should hang together and should not generate contradictory hypotheses falsifiable It can be proved wrong that is it can generate specific hypotheses that can be tested and either supported or not supported by the data collected supported by data a good theory should help us better describe predict and explain human development that is its hypotheses should be confirmed by research results 1 Interviews written questionnaires or surveys ability and achievement tests and personality scales all involve asking people questions either about themselves self report measures or about someone else 2 Ask same amount of questions in same order so everyone is directly compared ii Behavioral observations 1 Naturalistic observation involves observing people in their everyday surroundings development a Used to study child development more often than adult b Only data collection technique that can reveal what children or adults do in everyday life c Limitations i Some behaviors occur too infrequently and ii unexpectedly to be studied through naturalistic observation It is difficult to pinpoint the causes of the behavior observed because in a natural setting many events are usually happening at the same time any of which may affect behavior c Methods