BIOM 121 1st Edition Lecture 7 Outline of Last Lecture N A Outline of Current Lecture I The life span perspective II The nature of development III Theories of development IV Research in life span development Current Lecture I The life span perspective a Development Pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and continues through the human life span Development never ends b The importance of studying life span development c Prepares us to take responsibility for children d Gives us insight about our own lives e Life span perspective Views development as i Lifelong ii Multidimensional many variables iii Multidirectional iv Plastic development is constantly changing v Multidisciplinary involves many dif fields of professionals vi Contextual considers all types of environment people exist in vii A process that involves growth maintenance and regulation of loss f Types of contextual influences i Normative age graded influences Similar for individuals in a particular age group drinking voting driving age ii Normative history graded influences Common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances Great Depression WW2 These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute II iii Nonnormative life events Unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an individual s life loss of parent teen pregnancy kidnapping g Contemporary concerns in life span development i What can we do to lead healthy lives ii Research of effects on kids when parents both work divorce etc iii What type of school environments have different effects on kids iv How is growing up in a white black latino family different v People erroneously use white middle class standards as the norm to compare others to h Cross cultural studies Comparison of one culture with one or more other cultures i Ethnicity Based on cultural heritage nationality characteristics race religion and language j Socioeconomic status Grouping of people with similar occupational educational and economic characteristics k Gender Characteristics of people as males or females l Social policy National government s course of action designed to promote the welfare of its citizens The nature of development a Biological processes changes in an individual s physical nature influenced by genetics and lifestyle b Cognitive processes changes in an individual s thought intelligence and language c Socioemotional processes changes in an individual s relationships with other people emotions and personality d Connecting biological cognitive and socioemotional processes Connection is obvious in i Developmental cognitive neuroscience Explores links between development cognitive processes and the brain ii Developmental social neuroscience Examines connections between socioemotional processes development and the brain e Periods of development Four types of age i Chronological age number 19 ii Biological age Person s age in terms of biological health look young old for their age iii Psychological age Individual s adaptive capacities compared with those of other individuals of the same chronological age III iv Social age Connectedness with others and the social roles individuals adopt v Research revealed that happiness increased with age vi Developmental issues 1 Nature nurture issue Concerns the extent to which development is influenced by nature and by nurture Most say we are a combination of both 2 Nature Organism s biological inheritance 3 Nurture Environmental experiences 4 Is our development continuous or discontinous Are you the same person but with just added skills over time 5 Stability change issue Involving the degree to which early traits and characteristics persist through life or change 6 Continuity discontinuity issue Focuses on the degree to which development involves either 7 Gradual cumulative change or distinct stages 8 Nature and nurture stability and change continuity and discontinuity characterize development throughout the human life span Theories of development a Scientific method A four step process i Conceptualize a process or problem to be studied ii Collect research information iii Analyze data iv Draw conclusions b Theory An interrelated coherent set of ideas that helps to explain phenomena and facilitate predictions c Hypotheses Specific assumptions and predictions that can be tested to determine their accuracy d Psychoanalytic theories Describe development as primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion i Emphasis on 1 A developmental framework 2 Family relationships 3 Unconscious aspects of the mind ii Criticisms 1 Lack of scientific support 2 Too much emphasis on sexual underpinnings 3 An image of people that is too negative iii Freud We are motivated by basic needs sex food aggression emphasis on early mother child and other family relationship importance early on iv Erikson during each phase of development we undergo a conflict we have to resolve which will cause problems later if not resolved e Cognitive theories i Contributions 1 Positive view of development 2 Emphasis on the active construction of understanding ii Criticisms 1 Skepticism about the pureness of Piaget s stages 2 Little attention to individual variations he underestimated children 3 Lacks acknowledgment of uniqueness iii Piaget s cognitive developmental theory States that children go through four stages of cognitive development as they actively construct their understanding of the world Development occurs in stages and is universal Children are active in their own learning explore things and learn iv Vygotsky s sociocultural cognitive theory Emphasizes how culture and social interaction guide cognitive development People develop differently based on how they live cultural differences Children learn by watching other people participating in their culture v Information processing theory Emphasizes that individuals Manipulate monitor and strategize information Emphasis on active role of learner f Behavioral and social cognitive theories Development can be described in terms of behaviors learned through interactions with our surroundings What do people learn while interacting with their surroundings Environment very important People product of environment Behaviorists everything based on observation i Emphasis on 1 Scientific research good bc measureable 2 Environmental determinants of behavior ii Criticisms 1 Little emphasis on