Chapter 4 Lifespan Development PDF

Chapter 4 Lifespan Development  Introduction  Developmental Psychology is the branch of psychology that studies how people change over the lifespan.  At every age and stage of life, developmental psychologists investigate the influence of multiple factors on development...

Chapter 4 Lifespan Development  Introduction  Developmental Psychology is the branch of psychology that studies how people change over the lifespan.  At every age and stage of life, developmental psychologists investigate the influence of multiple factors on development, including biological, environmental, social, cultural, and behavioral factors.  We are born with a specific genetic potential that we inherit from our biological parents, although our environment influences and shapes how that potential is expressed.  Genetic Contributions to Your Life Story  Your unique genetic makeup results from the pairing of one set of chromosomes from each biological parent.  Human Chromosomes is a person’s unique genetic blueprint that is contained in the 23 pairs of chromosomes found in every body cell.  Dominant and Recessive Characteristics Recessive Characteristics Dominant Characteristics Thin lips Full lips Straight hair Curly hair Light hair Dark hair Attached earlobes Free earlobes Congenital deafness Normal hearing No freckles Freckles Inability to make U-shape with Ability to make U-shape with tongue tongue No dimples Dimples Flat feet Feet with normal arches  Prenatal Development  During the prenatal stage, the single-cell zygote develops into a full-term fetus.  Prenatal Stage is the stage of development before birth; divided into the germinal, embryonic, and fetal periods.  Germinal period is the first two weeks of prenatal development. The zygote undergoes rapid cell division. By the end of the this period the single- celled zygote has developed into a cluster of cells called the embryo. Weeks of Development  Teratogens Teratogens are harmful agents or substances that can cause malformations or defects in an embryo or fetus. The greatest vulnerability to teratogens occurs during the embryonic stage when major body systems are forming. Known teratogens include:  Exposure to radiation.  Toxic industrial chemicals, such as mercury and PCBs.  Diseases, such as rubella, syphilis, genital herpes, and AIDS.  Drugs taken by the mother, such as alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.  Development During Infancy and Childhood  Rooting Reflex is when the infant turns toward the source of the touch and opens his mouth.  Robert Fantz, in a classic study(1961), demonstrated that the image of a human face holds the newborn’s gaze longer than do other images.  The newborn also responds with increased alertness to the sound of human voices and can distinguish between his mother’s voice and that of another woman.  Social and Personality Development Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess Study They rated young infants on a variety of characteristics, such as activity level, mood, regularity in sleeping and eating, and attention span. They found that about two-thirds of the babies could be classified into one of three broad temperament patterns: Easy Difficult Slow-to-warm-up  Social and Personality Development About a third of the infants were characterized as average babies because they did not fit neatly into one of these three categories.  Easy babies readily adapt to new experiences, generally display positive moods and emotions, and have regular sleeping and eating patterns.  Difficult babies tend to be intensely emotional, are irritable and fussy, and cry a lot. They also tend to have irregular sleeping and eating patterns.  Slow-to-warm-up babies have a low activity level, withdraw form new situations and people, and adapt to new experiences very gradually.  Attachment: Forming Emotional Bonding Attachment is the emotional bond that forms between an infant and caregiver(s), especially his or her parents. Infants tend to form attachments to both parents at the same time. Infants are also capable of forming attachments to other caregivers in their lives, such as relatives or workers at a day-care center. Which is known as Multiple attachments. Secure base by providing the infant comfort and security- a safe haven from which the infant can.explore and learn about the environment Secure attachment is when an infant will use her mother as a "secure base" from which to explore the new environment, periodically returning to her side. Insecure attachment is when an infant is less likely to explore the environment, even when her mother is present.  Language Development Every child is born with a biological predisposition to learn language—any language. Infants are innately equipped not only to understand language but also to extract grammatical rules from what they hear (linguist, Noam Chomsky, 1965). Comprehensive vocabulary are the words that are understood by an infant or child. Production vocabulary are the words that an infant or child understands and can speak.  Cognitive Development Jean Piaget, originally trained as a biologist, he combined a boundless curiosity about the nature of the human mind with a gift for scientific observation. He believed that children actively try to make sense out of their environment rather than passively soaking up information about the world. He developed four stages, Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete, Formal.  Cognitive Development According to Piaget’s theory, children progress through four distinct cognitive stages, and each marks a shift in how they think and understand the world. Piaget observed his own three children in developing his theory.  Piaget’s Four Developed Stages  The Sensorimotor Stage: Piaget's theory, from Birth until about 2 years of age. During this stage, infants acquire knowledge about the world trough actions that allow them to directly experience and manipulate objects.  Preoperational Stage: In Piaget's theory, the second stage of cognitive development, which lasts from about age 2 to 7; characterized by increasing use of symbols and prelogical thought process.  Concrete Operational Stage: In Piaget's theory, the third stage of cognitive development, which lasts from about age 7 to adolescence; characterized by the ability to think logically about concrete objects and situations.  Formal Operational Stage: In Piaget's theory, the fourth stage of cognitive development, which lasts form adolescence through adulthood; characterized by the ability to think logically about abstract principles and hypothetical situations.  Social Development Adolescence is the transitional stage between late childhood and the beginning of adulthood, during which sexual maturity is reached. Although parents remain influential throughout adolescence, relationships with friends and peers become increasingly important.  Erik Erikson's Theory Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s landmark theory of psychosocial development stressed the importance of social and cultural influences on personality throughout the stages of life. He proposed that each of eight stages of life is associated with a particular psychosocial conflict that can be resolved in either a positive or a negative direction. Adult Development: - Physical Changes: Physical strength typically peaks in early adulthood, the twenties and thirties. During later adulthood, from the mid-sixties on, physical stamina and reaction time tend to decline further and faster. - Social Development: Erik Erikson described two fundamental themes that dominate adulthood: love and work. During middle adulthood, the primary psychosocial task becomes one of generativity — to contribute to future generations through your children, your career, and other meaningful activities. Late Adulthood and Aging: - Late adulthood does not necessarily involve a steep decline in physical or cognitive capabilities. - According to the activity theory of aging the psychosocial theory that life satisfaction in late adulthood is highest when people maintain the level of activity they displayed earlier in life. Thank You