Introduction to Lifespan Development
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Questions and Answers

What does the term 'plasticity' refer to in the context of lifespan development?

  • The unchangeable nature of personality traits.
  • The ability to learn new skills at any age.
  • The capacity for change in individual characteristics. (correct)
  • The emphasis on genetic factors over environmental influences.

    • Which of the following best describes the concept of normative age-graded influences?

  • Changes specific to a cohort based on historical events.
  • Characteristics that remain constant throughout life.
  • Common developmental milestones typically experienced at certain ages. (correct)
  • Life events unique to each individual.

    • Which of the following areas is NOT typically explored by developmentalists?

  • Cognitive enhancement through medication. (correct)
  • Non-normative transitions in life.
  • Predictable milestones in development.
  • Individual differences in temperament.

    • The study of lifespan development is characterized by which of the following features?

    <p>It includes a range of disciplines and perspectives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary focus of gerontology within lifespan development?

    <p>The study of aging and the elderly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of an experiment in research methods?

    <p>To identify cause-and-effect relationships</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which research method is best suited for observing changes in a single individual over time?

    <p>Longitudinal research</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key limitation of cross-sectional studies?

    <p>They do not track changes over time within individuals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following accurately describes qualitative research?

    <p>Involves in-depth observation of individual experiences</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What distinguishes sequential research from other research methods?

    <p>It combines aspects of longitudinal and cross-sectional designs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What positive societal change is associated with the late 20th-century 'Revolution in Lifestyles'?

    <p>More open society with diverse choices</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following accurately defines socioeconomic status (SES)?

    <p>Identification based on education, income, and occupation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does chronological age measure?

    <p>The number of years since birth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the definition of ethnocentrism?

    <p>The belief that one's own culture is superior to others</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key tenet of stage theories in development?

    <p>Change occurs in distinct and qualitatively different stages</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is preformationism in the context of development?

    <p>The idea that a fully formed human exists in the sperm or egg from conception</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is social age defined?

    <p>The norms and expectations of behavior for one's age group</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following factors has influenced the negative changes related to economics in the late 20th-century?

    <p>Rising poverty levels and single parenthood</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What concept did John Locke introduce regarding human development?

    <p>Humans are born as a 'tabula rasa'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which philosopher emphasized nurturing babies as part of their natural plan?

    <p>Jean Jacques Rousseau</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary characteristic of experimental research?

    <p>It manipulates one or more variables to observe their effects.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key criticism of Freud's psychoanalytic theory?

    <p>It has significant Issues with its research methods.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How many stages are in Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory?

    <p>8 stages</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a disadvantage of naturalistic observation?

    <p>It lacks control over the environment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which research method is best suited for examining rare or abnormal experiences?

    <p>Case Study</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Erikson believe is necessary for a person to progress successfully through developmental stages?

    <p>Mastering the crisis of previous stages.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a fundamental premise of behaviorism as it relates to psychology?

    <p>Psychologists should focus on observable behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What defines a population in research?

    <p>The entire group a researcher wishes to study.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Erikson, what defines each of the eight stages of development?

    <p>Psychosocial crises to be faced.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common drawback of conducting interviews compared to surveys?

    <p>Interviews take longer and are often more expensive.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) measure?

    <p>The strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of childhood development did Freud emphasize in his theories?

    <p>Early childhood experiences.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Piaget's Cognitive-Developmental Theory primarily emphasize?

    <p>Qualitative stages of thinking development</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which method involves observing behavior in a controlled environment?

    <p>Laboratory Observation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the first step in the scientific method as outlined in the content?

    <p>Review the literature</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What benefit does psychophysiological assessment provide in research?

    <p>It records physiological data to explain development.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Urie Bronfenbrenner, what plays a critical role in a child's development?

    <p>Multidirectional forces and ecology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which research method is designed specifically to describe what is occurring at a particular point in time?

    <p>Descriptive research</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the primary goals of developmental theories?

    <p>To predict outcomes and suggest interventions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does correlational research enable researchers to do?

    <p>Discover relationships among variables</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of cognitive development, what did Piaget specifically study?

    <p>His own children’s cognitive processes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In developmental psychology, what does the nature/nurture debate primarily address?

    <p>Whether behavior is solely learned or inherited</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Introduction to Lifespan Development

    • Lifespan development is a scientific study of human development throughout life.
    • Key stages: Conception, Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence, Emerging Adulthood, Adulthood, and Gerontology.
    • The study is multidisciplinary.

    Definition of Developmental Psychology

    • Developmental psychology (also known as human development or lifespan development) is the scientific study of how people change and stay the same from conception to death.
    • Developmental psychologists explore predictable milestones, individual differences, nature vs. nurture, temperament, talent, traits, normative and non-normative transitions.
    • Originally, the focus was only on infants and children, but now every stage of life is being studied.

    Lifespan Perspective

    • Development is a lifelong process.
    • Development is multidirectional, multidimensional (physical, cognitive, psychosocial), and multidisciplinary.
    • Development is characterized by plasticity (the ability to change).
    • Development is multicontextual.

    Normative Influences

    • Normative age-graded influences: Events that typically occur at similar ages for most people (e.g., toddler, adolescent, senior stages.)
    • Normative history-graded influences: Events that commonly affect a particular cohort (e.g., Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Generation Z, experienced the Great Recession of 2008)
    • Non-normative life influences: Uncommon events that affect individuals in ways typically not expected for their age (e.g., life events not typical to that age group).

    Cohort Changes in Adult and Late Life

    • The late 20th century saw revolutions in lifestyles, particularly affecting the Baby Boomer generation (60s and early 70s).
    • Positive changes include a more open society with greater freedom of choice.
    • Negative changes include economic challenges (e.g., single parenthood, poverty)

    Socioeconomic Status (SES)

    • Socioeconomic status (SES) is a way to classify families and households based on shared levels of education, income, and occupation.

    The Great Recession of 2008

    • Income growth between 2000 and 2007 primarily benefited the top 10% of earners.
    • The top 1% received a disproportionate share of the income growth.

    Culture

    • Culture encompasses shared language, knowledge, material objects, and behavior.
    • Culture is learned from numerous sources throughout life (e.g., parents, schools, religion, media, friends).
    • Ethnocentrism is the belief that ones own culture is superior. It can hinder understanding of cultures different from our own.

    Conceptions of Age

    • Chronological age: The number of years since birth.
    • Biological age: The rate at which the body ages.
    • Psychological age: The adaptive capacity of an individual compared to others of the same chronological age.
    • Social age: The social norms and expectations of a culture related to a specific age group (e.g., college, retirement).

    Age Periods

    • Prenatal: Begins at conception, continues through uterine wall implantation, and ends at birth.
    • Infancy and Toddlerhood: Starts at birth and lasts up to two years.
    • Early Childhood: Starts at two and lasts up to six years.
    • Middle and Late Childhood: Starts at six and continues until puberty.
    • Adolescence: Begins at puberty and lasts until 18.
    • Emerging Adulthood: Starts at 18 and continues until 25.
    • Early Adulthood: Starts at 25 and lasts up to 40-45.
    • Middle Adulthood: Starts at 40-45 and lasts until 65.
    • Late Adulthood: Starts at 65 and continues onward

    Issues in Lifespan Development

    • Stage theories (discontinuous): Assume developmental change happens in qualitatively different stages in a set, universal sequence.
    • Continuous development: A more slow and gradual process.

    Changing Conceptions of Childhood

    • Preformationism: The belief that a tiny fully formed human is implanted in the sperm or egg at conception.
    • John Locke (1632-1704): Believed humans were born with a "tabula rasa" (blank slate), shaped by the environment.
    • Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778): Believed infants were innocent and should be nurtured.

    Changing Conceptions of Childhood (Sigmund Freud)

    • Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): Emphasized the importance of early childhood experiences in shaping personality and behavior.
    • Psychodynamic perspective, psychosexual development.

    Freud

    • Psychoanalytic Theory: Childhood experiences shape personality and behavior.
    • Age-Linked Stages: Psychosexual development.
    • Criticisms: Difficult to test scientifically, issues with research.
    • Later theories challenged his psychoanalytic theory.

    Erik Erikson

    • Psychosocial Theory (1902-1994): Development continues throughout life, with 8 stages.
    • Psychosocial Crises: Unique challenges that must be overcome at each stage.

    Psychosocial Development: Erikson

    • Father of lifespan development.
    • Believed in continuous development throughout the lifespan.
    • Identified eight stages of psychosocial crises that occur from infancy through old age.
    • Crisis mastery is necessary for dealing with later stages.

    Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

    • Lists different approximate ages to correlate with certain psychological crises, such as trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, and industry vs. inferiority.

    Contemporary Theories on Development

    • Learning theory/Behaviorism: Focus only on observable behavior, and not the mind.
    • Social Learning Theory: Learn through observation and modeling.
    • Cognitive Theory: Focuses on changes in how we think over time (stages and continuity).
    • Jean Piaget (1896-1980): Notable for describing different cognitive stages of development and how children learn.
    • Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934): Viewed development through a sociocultural lens, emphasizing social interaction.

    Behaviorism

    • Based on the idea that the mind can't be objectively studied, thus focusing on observable behavior.
    • Application of rewards/reinforcements.
    • Provided insights into the Nature-Nurture debate.

    Bandura (Social Learning Theory)

    • Emphasized cognition and modeling, how we learn through observing others.

    B.F. Skinner (Operant Conditioning)

    • Focuses on learning through reward or reinforcement of behaviors.

    Social Learning Theory

    • Includes reciprocal determinism: interplay between personality, way we interpret events, and how they influence us.

    Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

    • Describes stages for cognitive development, including Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational, including the characteristics of each stage (e.g., object permanence).

    Age-Linked Theories: Piaget

    • Developed a cognitive-developmental theory based on observation of his own children.
    • Believed children's intelligence changed over time through maturation, not training.
    • Cognitive development occurs in stages with qualitatively different ways of thinking.

    Cognitive Development: Piaget

    • Tried to understand the unique qualities of cognition in childhood
    • Setting up tests and observing children's actions.

    Theories of Development

    • Theories explain individual behavior; allow us to predict and intervene to change the behavior.
    • Includes the Nature/Nurture perspective: the interplay between biological and environmental forces shaping development.

    The Developmental Systems Perspective

    • Highlighting multiple forces in human development.
    • The total ecology (life situation) influences development.
    • Children's experiences are shaped by larger forces like family, school, religion, and cultural contexts.

    The Scientific Method

    • Assumptions, rules, and procedures for conducting research.
    • Stages include reviewing literature, formulating a hypothesis, designing a study, collecting data, drawing conclusions, and reporting findings.

    Research Methods

    • Research Design: Determines how data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted.
    • Descriptive Research: Describes what is happening at a specific point in time.
    • This includes case studies (individual or small group descriptive), naturalistic observation (everyday settings), laboratory observation (research controlled environment), interviews, and surveys.
    • Case Study: Descriptive record of an individual or small group. Examples include Piaget observing his children.
    • Naturalistic Observation: Observing behavior in natural settings; no control over the environment.
    • Laboratory Observation: Observing behavior in a controlled environment.
    • Survey: A questionnaire used to collect data on beliefs and behavior.
    • Interviews: Asking direct questions.
    • Correlational Research: Examines relationships between variables.
    • Experiments: Methods for identifying cause-and-effect relationships (variables).

    Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Studies

    • Cross-Sectional: Testing/comparing different age groups at the same time.
    • Longitudinal: Testing the same group over a long time.
    • Sequential: Combines elements of both, studying different cohorts over time.

    Quantitative and Qualitative Research

    • Quantitative: Using numerical data, groups, analyses to make general predictions about behavior.
    • Qualitative: Studying a single person, focused observation, interviews, observing in-depth.

    Measuring Variables in Developmental Research

    • Strategies for measuring behaviors and concepts of interest.

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    Chapter 1: Introduction to Lifespan Development PDF

    Description

    Explore the key stages of human development from conception to old age in this quiz. Understand the principles of developmental psychology, its multidisciplinary approaches, and how individual differences shape our life experiences. Test your knowledge on the various transitions and milestones throughout the lifespan.

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