THE DEVELOPING PERSON THROUGH THE LIFE SPAN 8E

Chapter 1– Introduction 1. Why do developmentalists consider themselves scientists?

2. Does life get better or worse as we grow older?

3. At what age do we stop changing?

7 STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

 1. Infancy  2. Early Childhood  3. Middle Childhood  4. Adolescence  5. Emerging Adulthood  6. Adulthood  7. Late Adulthood

DEFINING DEVELOPMENT

The science of human development…

seeks to understand how and why people— all kinds of people, everywhere, of every age—change over time.

1. SCIENCE  developmental study is a

science

….

 theories  data  analysis  critical thinking  sound methodology  Understand the “how” and “why” 4

2. DIVERSITY  studying

all kinds of people

 young and old  rich and poor  every ethnicity, background  sexual orientation  What is universal? What is unique? 5

3. CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CHANGE AND TIME  Changing or remaining the same over time  transformations  consistencies of human life  beginning to end  understanding each segment of life Each stage is better understood by remembering the whole life, and, conversely, the whole life is understood best by knowing each segment.

6

Understanding How and Why

Five Basic Steps of the Scientific Method •

Begin with curiosity.

•

Develop a hypothesis.

•

Test the hypothesis.

•

Draw conclusions.

•

Report the results.

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Often, a sixth step is needed before the scientific community accepts conclusions.

 Replication:

THE NATURE-NURTURE DEBATE

 Nature  Nurture      health and diet of the embryo’s mother family school community society 

Can we really ask, “How Much?”

CRITICAL AND SENSITIVE PERIODS

 A critical period is a time when certain things

________________

for normal development.

 A sensitive period is when a particular development occurs __________________.

OBSERVING CHANGES OVER TIME

 Dynamic-Systems Theory A view of human development as an ongoing, ever-changing interaction between the physical and emotional being and between the person and every aspect of his or her environment, including the family and society.

THE LIFE-SPAN PERSPECTIVE “…developmentalists are acutely aware of the reciprocal connections between one moment in life and another… leading to

five principles

that are useful for understanding any age of human life…” 12

MULTIDIRECTIONAL

(1) 

Change occurs in every direction

 you are affected by many forces!

 physical health, intellectual growth, and social interaction  up, down, stable or erratic

MULTICONTEXTUAL (2)

“…humans develop in dozens of contexts that profoundly affect their development…”  physical surroundings  family patterns  Urie Bronfenbrenner  Social context   historical socioeconomic 14

MULTICONTEXTUAL (2)

 Ecological-Systems Approach  (Urie Bronfenbrenner)  a leader in understanding

ecological systems approach

 he believed that we need to examine all systems surrounding the development of each person 

microsysems



exosystems



macrosystems

ECOLOGICAL-SYSTEMS APPROACH

   microsysems  a person’s immediate surroundings exosystems  local institutions, such as schools and churches macrosystems  larger social setting, including cultural values, economic polices, and political processes 16

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT 

cohort



people born within a few years of one another

 these people are affected by the same  values  events  technologies  culture 17

THE SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT  Socioeconomic includes  socioeconomic status (ses),

MULTICULTURAL (3)

 Culture—  set of

values

, assumptions, and customs as well as

physical objects

such as clothing, housing, etc.

 includes

all

decisions people make  is dynamic, supportive

ETHNICITY, RACE, AND CULTURE  ethnic groups  share certain attributes  ancestral heritage (customs and traditions)   national origin (country of birth)   religion culture  language  ethnic categories arise from history, sociology, and psychology,

not from biology

20

ETHNICITY, RACE, AND CULTURE  Race  a distorted concept, no clear cut racial groups (1970’s census: white/black/other)  What racial categories have been added?

For your racial profile report? Well, sir, my mother was part Panamanian, part Jamaican. My dad was part Ukrainian, part Puerto Rican. I hope that helps.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY (4)

“…a broad array of disciplines and cross-cutting topics… each person develops simultaneously in body, mind, and spirit…” Development is divided into three domains;  Biosocial –   Cognitive – Psychosocial – 22



PLASTICITY (5)

The possibility to change:  human traits can be molded  yet maintaining durability of identity  culture and upbringing affect both aspects of plasticity  Genes and other biological influences  provides hope and realism  hope = changes is possible  realism = each developing person must build on what has come before 23

THE LIFE-SPAN PERSPECTIVE



Mirror neurons-

Cells in an observer’s brain that respond to an action performed by someone else in the same way they would if the observer had actually performed it.



“We need to keep in mind that the future is not something we simply enter, the future is also something we help create .”

 Paul Baltes study) (Founder of lifespan developmental