Transcript Lifespan Development

Lifespan
Development
Maturation
The sequential unfolding
of genetically influenced
behavior and physical
characteristics
From Conception
NOVA – Life’s Greatest Miracle
The Three Pre-Birth Stages

Germinal Stage (Approx. 2 weeks)
Zygote is a fertilized egg
 Inner portion becomes the embryo, the
outer portion becomes the placenta
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Embryonic Stage (Approx. 2 weeks
to 9 weeks)
 Fetal Stage (Approx. 9 weeks to 38
weeks)
Conception to Birth Visualized
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Harmful influences that can cross
the placenta barrier include
German measles, radiation, toxic
chemicals, sexually transmitted
diseases, cigarette smoking, heavy
alcohol consumption,
prescription and nonprescription
drugs. These are collectively
known as Teratogens.
One thing to remember is
that as an individual grows,
they go through a variety of
critical periods. Critical
periods are specific
windows of time after
which it is very difficult to
acquire a skill.
The Newborn’s Physical
Abilities
Reflexes
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Rooting Reflex
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This reflex occurs when a baby's cheek is
stroked. The infant will turn toward the side
that was stroked and begin to make sucking
motions.
Reflex –
grasping objects
that are placed in
the hand
 Babinski Reflex –
toes splaying
outwards when the
foot is stroked
 Moro Reflex – limb
splaying when a
loud noise occurs
 Grasping
Newborn Reflexes
Newborns and their
Temperaments
Temperament
A
person’s characteristic
emotional reactivity and
intensity
Temperament
Kagan defined two types of
temperament:
 Jerome
 Inhibited
(or high reactive) refers
to a shy, timid, and fearful child.
 Uninhibited (or low reactive) refers
to the appearance of bold, sociable
and outgoing behaviors.
Kagan and Temperament
Newborns and Attachment
Attachment
the
bonding between child
and caregiver that
provides a secure base
from which children
can explore
Harry Harlow
 One
wire monkey with a milk
bottle, one soft cloth monkey
 Baby monkeys preferred the softer
mother figure when they were
scared
 Physical Comfort is a key to
attachment, emotional
communication, a secure base
Harry Harlow’s Experiment
 Ainsworth
devised an
experimental method called
the Stranger Situation in
which the babies behavior is
observed when the mother
leaves the baby with a
stranger
Stranger Situation Experiment
Securely attached children
are clearly more attached to
the mother. They explore
while a parent is present, are
distressed when they leave,
and go to the parent upon
return
Insecurely Attached children
don’t particularly like to be
held, may explore with or
without the parent around,
may show a lot of stress when
their parents leave though
they may or may not go to
the parent upon return
Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Parenting Style
Authoritarian parents have high expectations of
their children and have very strict rules that they
expect to be followed unconditionally.
Authoritarian Parents:
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Have strict rules and expectations.
Very demanding, but not responsive.
Don't express much warmth or nurturing.
Utilize punishments with little or no explanation.
Don't give children choices or options.
The Effects of Authoritarian
Parenting
The children of authoritarian parents:
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Tend to associate obedience and success with
love.
Some children display more aggressive
behavior outside the home.
Others may act fearful or overly shy around
others.
Often have lower self-esteem.
Have difficulty in social situations.
Permissive Parenting Style
Permissive parenting is sometimes known as indulgent
parenting. Parents who exhibit this style make relatively few
demands upon their children. Because these parents have low
expectations for self-control and maturity, they rarely discipline their
children.
Permissive Parents:
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Have few rules or standards of behavior
When there are rules, they are often very inconsistent
Are usually very nurturing and loving towards their kids
Often seem more like a friend, rather than a parent.
May use bribery such as toys, gifts and food as a means to get child to
behave
The Effects of Permissive
Parenting
Children raised by permissive parents:
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Lack self-discipline
Sometimes have poor social skills
May be self-involved and demanding
May feel insecure due to the lack of
boundaries and guidance
Authoritative Parenting Style
People with authoritative parenting styles want their children to utilize
reasoning and work independently, but they also have high
expectations for
their children. When children break the rules, they are disciplined in a
fair and
consistent manner, though authoritative parents are also flexible
Authoritative Parents:
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Listen to their children
Encourage independence
Place limits, consequences and expectations on their children's behavior
Express warmth and nurturance
Allow children to express opinions
Encourage children to discuss options
Administer fair and consistent discipline
The Effects of Authoritative
Parenting
Child development experts generally identify the authoritative
parenting style as the "best" approach to parenting. Children raised by
authoritative parents tend to be more capable, happy and successful.
According to Baumrind, children of authoritative parents:
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Tend to have a happier dispositions
Have good emotional control and regulation
Have strong emotional understanding, self-confidence and self-esteem
Develop good social skills
Are self-confident about their abilities to learn new skills
Infancy and Early
Childhood
Development
Piaget and Thinking
Infant Cognitive Development
Thinking
 Assimilation-adding
new
information into our present
system of knowledge, belief and
schemas through experience
 Accommodation-we must change
or modify existing schemas to
accommodate new info that does
not fit with the old
 Piaget’s
proposed that there are
four stages of cognitive growth that
humans go through, from birth
through to adulthood. Each stage
marks a new way in which a person
learns new information and is able
to think about the world around
them.
Sensorimotor Stage (Preconventional)
 (Birth to 2 years old)
Infants
learn through concrete
actions; “thinking” consists of
coordinating sensory info with
bodily movement – experience
the world through looking,
touching, mouthing, and
grasping
Begin
to understand object
permanence at around 6
months; involves
understanding that things exist
even they are not perceived
Object Permanence
Preoperational Stage
 (Ages 2-6 Years)
 The time period in which a child learns to
use language to learn about the world
 Egocentrism – Children at this age cannot
perceive things from another’s point of
view - the world revolves around them
and them alone
 Artificialism – Children at this age may
believe that all things are human made
 Animism – Children at this age may
believe that all things are living
Concrete Operational Stage
(Ages 7-11)
Conservation is the
understanding that
properties such as mass,
volume, and number remain
the same despite changes in
the forms of objects
Formal Operations Stage
(Age 12 to adulthood)
• Beginning of abstract
reasoning
• Can reason systematically,
think about the future, think
about situations they have not
experienced firsthand
The Development of Morals
 Lawrence
 Moral
Kohlberg
Reasoning is the
thinking that occurs as we
consider the ideas of what is
right and what is wrong, and
what guides our judgments
and behaviors
 There are three stages of
moral growth
1 – Preconventional
Morality
Level
Choosing
what is right or
wrong is based on the fear
punishment for disobedience,
or the promise of rewards
Children often do what is in
their own best interest
2 – Conventional
Morality
Level
Beginning
to care for other’s
feelings, and understanding
that there are laws and social
rules to follow
Choices are also made based
on social acceptance as
adolescence begins
3 – Postconventional
Morality
Level
Abstract
reasoning is used
Broader, ethical themes of
justice and human rights
An internal struggle between
your personalized morals, and
those of society
Social
Development
Social Development
 Erik
Erickson’s psychosocial
theory says that all people go
through eight stages in their lives,
resolving a “crisis” at each one
while learning to deal with the
rest of society. How we resolve
the “crisis” is the basis for our
social interactions.
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Trust vs. Mistrust
 If needs are met, infants develop (mis)trust
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
 Toddlers learn independence or dependence.
Initiative vs. Guilt
 Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks or follow.
Industry vs. Inferiority
 Children apply themselves or feel inferior.
Identity vs. Role Confusion
 Teens will refine their sense of self or are
confused about their roles.
Intimacy vs. Isolation
 Young adults form close relationships or feel
socially isolated.
 Generativity
vs. Stagnation
 In middle age adults contribute
to the world through work and
family or feel a lack of purpose
 Integrity vs. Despair
 Older adults reflect on their lives
and feel either satisfied or failed
Language
Infant Speech Development
 Noam
Chomsky
 Every
child is
born with the
biological
predisposition
to learn
language,
any
language.
Stages of Language Development
 Cooing
sounds
(3 mos.) – repeated vowel
 “aaaaa,
oooooo”
 Babbling
(5 mos.) – adding in
consonants, stringing together
vowel sounds
 “da-da-da,
ma-ma-ma, ba-bab-ba”
Stages of Language Development
 Babbling,
Pt. II (9 mos.) –
babbling in sounds specific to
their language
 One-Word Stage (1 year) –
typically, single concrete words
used
 “dada,
mama, baba”
Stages of Language Development
 Two-Word
Stage (2 years) – two
word sentences, all content
 “Where
 By
kitty? No potty !”
age 3, children begin to add in
articles and prepositions and have
a vocabulary of over 3,000 words.
Adolescence
 Adolescence
is the
transitional
period from
childhood to
adulthood,
extending from
puberty to
independence
– the
period of sexual
maturation,
during which a
person becomes
capable of
reproducing
 Puberty
Girls usually begin at age 11
Boys usually begin at 13
Puberty
Landmarks
Menarche – the first
menstrual cycle for
females
 Spermarche - The first
ejaculation for boys
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Sex Characteristics – the
body structures (ovaries, testes,
and external genitalia) that make
reproduction possible
 Secondary Sex Characteristics –
non-reproductive sexual
characteristics, such as female
breasts and hips, male voice
quality and facial hair, and pubic
and underarm hair in both sexes
 Primary
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Identity – One’s sense of
self; according to
Erickson, the adolescent
task is to solidify a sense
of self by testing and
integrating various roles
– trying new things to
discover the answer to
the question “Who am
I?”
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the ability to
form close,
loving
relationships
Intimacy
Gilligan – studies suggest that
women are naturally more concerned
with making connections
(interdependent) than men
(independent)
 Carol
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Independence begins to occur as teens
become young adults, go off to colleges or
the world of work
Adulthood
To
measure the mental
and physical changes that
take place over a lifetime,
researchers typically use
either a cross-sectional or
longitudinal study.
– a study in
which people of different
ages are compared with
another
 Longitudinal Study –
research in which the same
people are restudied and
retested over a long period of
time
 Cross-sectional
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Muscular strength, reaction time, sensory keenness,
cardiac output all peak by the mid-twenties
Women and
Menopause
 The end of
menstruation
 Only about 10% of
all women have
severe physical
symptoms
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 Men
and
Sexuality –
Gradual
decline in
sperm count,
lowering
testosterone
levels, slower
speed of
erections and
ejaculation
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Contrary to popular belief, recent studies found
that people over 60:
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39% were satisfied with the amount of sex that they
were having
39% wanted sex more frequently
Visual sharpness declines
 Distance perception declines
 Less adaptation to light changes
 Hearing declines
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 The
immune system weakens
 Slower reaction times
 Short-term memory decreases
Recognition
declines
slower than recall
information
Overall, intelligence
does not sharply
decline with age
 Fluid
Intelligence decreases
slowly up to the age of 75,
and then rapidly thereafter
 One’s
ability to reason
speedily and abstractly
 Crystallized
Intelligence
increases up to old age
 One’s
accumulated knowledge
and verbal skills
 The
Marriage Phenomena
 Lasts
longer for those that marry
after the age of 20 and are educated
 Those that lived together prior to
marriage have a higher rate of
divorce than those that didn’t
Crisis – As people enter
middle age, they realize that life will
very soon be mostly behind then
instead of ahead of them. The crisis
is a question of whether to continue
on their current path, or to change
while there’s still time?
 Midlife
It’s presumed that
depression sits in and we
wait for death……
 Over-65?
 Studies
suggest that those
over-65 report that they are
80% “satisfied” with their life
at that age, a greater
percentage than other age
bracket