Lifespan Development Theories

• Lifespan development explores how individuals change and remain the same from conception to death, covering physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains.

Theoretical Perspectives

• Psychoanalytic theories, like Freud's, emphasize unconscious drives and early experiences in shaping development.
• Freud proposed psychosexual stages (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital) that impact personality development.
• Erikson's psychosocial theory outlines eight stages across the lifespan, each with a unique developmental task or crisis to resolve.
• Learning theories, such as behaviorism (Pavlov, Skinner, Watson), focus on how environment shapes behavior through conditioning.
• Classical conditioning (Pavlov) involves associating stimuli, while operant conditioning (Skinner) uses reinforcement and punishment.
• Social learning theory (Bandura) highlights learning through observation, imitation, and modeling.
• Cognitive theories (Piaget) emphasize the role of thought processes in development.
• Piaget's theory includes stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.
• Information processing theory compares the mind to a computer, focusing on how information is encoded, stored, and retrieved.
• Vygotsky's sociocultural theory stresses the importance of social interaction and culture in cognitive development.
• Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory views development as influenced by multiple interacting systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.

Research Methods

• Cross-sectional studies compare different age groups at one time, providing information about age-related differences.
• Longitudinal studies follow the same individuals over time, revealing age-related changes.
• Sequential studies combine cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches.
• Correlational research examines relationships between variables without manipulating them.
• Experimental research involves manipulating variables to determine cause-and-effect relationships.

Prenatal Development

• The germinal period (0-2 weeks) involves fertilization, cell division, and implantation.
• The embryonic period (3-8 weeks) is characterized by organogenesis, where major organs and systems develop.
• The fetal period (9 weeks-birth) involves growth, maturation, and preparation for birth.
• Teratogens are environmental agents that can cause birth defects (e.g., alcohol, drugs, infections).

Infancy and Toddlerhood

• Physical development in infancy is rapid, with significant gains in height, weight, and motor skills.
• Reflexes are automatic responses present at birth, such as sucking, rooting, and grasping.
• Perceptual development includes improvements in vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch.
• Cognitive development is marked by Piaget's sensorimotor stage, where infants learn through senses and actions.
• Language development progresses from cooing and babbling to single words and early sentences.
• Emotional development involves the emergence of basic emotions (e.g., joy, sadness, anger, fear).
• Attachment theory (Bowlby, Ainsworth) emphasizes the importance of early relationships with caregivers.
• Attachment styles include secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant, and disorganized.
• Social development involves learning social skills and understanding social rules.

Early Childhood

• Physical development continues, but at a slower pace compared to infancy.
• Gross motor skills (e.g., running, jumping) and fine motor skills (e.g., drawing, writing) improve.
• Cognitive development is characterized by Piaget's preoperational stage, with symbolic thinking and egocentrism.
• Language development expands rapidly, with increased vocabulary and grammatical complexity.
• Emotional development involves learning to regulate emotions and understand others' emotions.
• Social development includes playing with peers, developing friendships, and understanding social norms.
• Gender development involves learning gender roles and identifying with a gender.

Middle Childhood

• Physical development is steady, with continued growth in height, weight, and muscle strength.
• Cognitive development is characterized by Piaget's concrete operational stage, with logical thinking about concrete events.
• Academic skills, such as reading, writing, and math, become increasingly important.
• Social development involves forming friendships, navigating peer relationships, and developing social competence.
• Moral development involves understanding and internalizing moral rules and values (Kohlberg's stages).
• Self-concept and self-esteem become more differentiated and realistic.

Adolescence

• Physical development includes puberty, with changes in hormones, primary sex characteristics, and secondary sex characteristics.
• Cognitive development is characterized by Piaget's formal operational stage, with abstract and hypothetical thinking.
• Identity development is a central task, involving exploration and commitment to values, beliefs, and goals (Erikson's identity vs. role confusion).
• Social development involves relationships with peers, family, and romantic partners.
• Moral development may progress to postconventional reasoning, with a focus on universal ethical principles.

Early Adulthood

• Physical development typically peaks in early adulthood, with optimal health and fitness.
• Cognitive development involves refining skills and expertise in chosen fields.
• Career development is a major focus, involving education, job training, and career advancement.
• Intimacy vs. isolation is a key psychosocial task (Erikson), involving forming close relationships and commitments.
• Lifestyle choices, such as marriage, parenthood, and health behaviors, have long-term consequences.

Middle Adulthood

• Physical development involves gradual changes, such as decreased sensory acuity and physical decline.
• Cognitive development remains relatively stable, with some potential declines in processing speed and memory.
• Generativity vs. stagnation is a key psychosocial task (Erikson), involving contributing to society and future generations.
• Career development may involve career changes, mentoring, or preparing for retirement.
• Family relationships may involve caring for children, aging parents, and grandchildren.

Late Adulthood

• Physical development involves continued decline in physical health and functioning.
• Cognitive development may involve declines in memory, attention, and executive function.
• Integrity vs. despair is a key psychosocial task (Erikson), involving reflecting on life and accepting its meaning.
• Retirement is a major life transition, with potential impacts on income, social connections, and well-being.
• Social relationships may involve maintaining connections with family and friends, and finding new sources of support.
• Aging and death are approached with varying levels of acceptance and preparation.