Lifespan Development Ch4 - PDF

2 I. What is Lifespan Development? II. Lifespan Theories III. Stages of Development 3 1  ¡ “Who you are today and who you will be in the future depends on a blend of genetics, environment, culture, relationships, and...

2 I. What is Lifespan Development? II. Lifespan Theories III. Stages of Development 3 1  ¡ “Who you are today and who you will be in the future depends on a blend of genetics, environment, culture, relationships, and more, as you continue through each phase of life.” ¡ Something we all experience 4 ¡ Human development from conception to death ¡ Three broad developmental domains 1. Physical: changes in body, brain, skills, etc. 2. Cognitive: learning, attention, memory, language, etc. 3. Psychosocial: emotions, personality, relationships, etc. 6 2  ¡ Developmentalists also use naturalistic observations, case studies, surveys, and experiments § Naturalistic à observing behaviour in its natural context § Case study à in-depth data from one individual § Surveys à self-reports on thoughts, experiences, or beliefs § Experiments à control of IV examining its impact on DV, causal § Correlational Studies 7 ¡ Human development from conception to death ¡ Three broad developmental domains 1. Physical: changes in body, brain, skills, etc. 2. Cognitive: learning, attention, memory, language, etc. 3. Psychosocial: emotions, personality, relationships, etc. 8 3  Cross-sectional design ¡ Recruits people of different ages to collect data on the same outcome § Convenient (quick & easy) § Subject to cohort effects ▪ Are differences real or related to differential exposure? 9 Longitudinal design ¡ Recruits the same people at different points in time (e.g., different ages) § Reduces cohort effects § Takes time and money § Attrition § Can support causal inferences 10 4  Longitudinal Sequential ¡ The most comprehensive design – combination of both ¡ Recruits people of different ages and follows those same people at different points in time (e.g., different ages across the same time frame) 11 ¡ Focus on how people change ¡ Is change gradual or abrupt? § Continuous vs. discontinuous 12 5  ¡ Is development continuous or discontinuous? 13 ¡ Does it go that way for everyone? § Universal vs. variable ¡ What roles do genetics and environment play? § Nature vs. nurture 14 6  NATURE NURTURE ¡ Nature: genetics ¡ Nurture: environment § What you’re born with § How you’re raised § Genes for freckles or dimples § Attitudes, beliefs, and values Evidence suggests the two interact (gene-environment interaction) Experiences can turn off/on genes The debate now focuses on relative contribution rather than which best explains behaviour. 15 I. What is Lifespan Development? II. Lifespan Theories III. Stages of Development 17 7  Sigmond Freud Jean Piaget Erik H Erikson Lawrence Kohlberg 1856-1939 1896-1980 1902-1994 1927-1987 18 1) Psychosexual Theory – Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) ¡ Personality develops and is shaped by early childhood experiences ¡ Children are pleasure-seeking ¡ Discontinuous (stage-like) development § Stages are oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital 19 8  ¡ Divided life span into eight psychosocial stages, each associated with a different drive and a problem or crisis to resolve § Occurs through to adulthood § Conflict/task in stages drives development via mastery § Failure = inadequacy 20 ¡ Biological belief that there are innate drives to develop social relationships and that these promote survival (Darwinism) ¡ Outcome of each stage varies along a continuum from positive to negative 21 9  ¡ Infants must rely on others for care ¡ Consistent and dependable caregiving and meeting infant needs leads to a sense of trust ¡ Infants who are not well cared for will develop mistrust 22 ¡ Discovering their own independence ¡ Those given the opportunity to experience independence will gain a sense of autonomy ¡ Children that are overly restrained or punished harshly will develop shame and doubt 23 10  ¡ Children are exposed to the wider social world and given greater responsibility ¡ Sense of accomplishment leads to initiative, whereas feelings of guilt can emerge if the child is made to feel too anxious or irresponsible 24 ¡ Mastery of knowledge and intellectual skills ¡ Sense of competence and achievement leads to industry ¡ Feeling incompetent and unproductive leads to inferiority 25 11  ¡ Developing a sense of who one is and where s/he is going in life ¡ Successful resolution leads to positive identity ¡ Unsuccessful resolution leads to identity confusion or a negative identity 26 ¡ Time for sharing oneself with another person ¡ Capacity to hold commitments with others leads to intimacy ¡ Failure to establish commitments leads to feelings of isolation 27 12  ¡ Caring for others in family, friends and work leads to sense of contribution to later generations ¡ Stagnation comes from a sense of boredom and meaninglessness 28 ¡ Successful resolutions of all previous crises leads to integrity and the ability to see broad truths and advise those in earlier stages ¡ Despair arises from feelings of helplessness if the sense that life has been incomplete 29 13  Schema Networks of associations, beliefs, and expectations about categories of things and people. Plural:schemata 30 Schemas are mental molds into which we pour our experiences. 31 14  § Assimilation: include the new information into the existing scheme § Accommodation: cannot include it because it’s too different from existing scheme, so we alter the scheme or create a new one § Equilibrium: engaging in assimilation and accommodation we achieve balance 32 Constructs understanding of world Sensory experiences and physical actions Birth Reflexes to beginning to 2 yrs of symbolic thought 33 15 34 ¡ Object permanence-- that objects exist even when out of view— § 8 months, in the sensorimotor stage of development ¡ Under 6 months: when an object is no longer visible it no longer exists. 35 16  Begins to represent world with words and images. Symbolic thinking Two to 7 yrs 36 Failure to conserve 37 17 38 39 18  ¡ Piaget: children of this age are egocentric ¡ Do not have the ability to take another’s viewpoint ¡ Theory of Mind Preschoolers eventually start to realize that people have minds. 40 ¡ Disorder characterized by deficient communication and social interaction. 41 19  ¡ ~ 7 years old, Seven children acquire logical thinking to 11 yrs skills. § Mathematical transformations § Conservation task § Can classify objects into different sets. 42 43 20  Adolescents reasons in more abstract, idealistic, and Eleven yrs logical ways. to adulthood 44 ¡ As moral development progresses, the focus of concern moves from the self to the wider social world. 45 21  Postconventional level Conventional level Morality of self-interest: Preconventional level to avoid punishment or gain concrete rewards 46 Postconventional level Conventional level Morality of law and Preconventional social rules: level to gain approval or avoid disapproval 47 22  Postconventional level Conventional level Morality of abstract Preconventional principles: level to affirm agreed-upon rights and personal ethical principles 48 23