Lesson 3 GCPY 220 PDF

Lesson 3 GCPY 220  Definition of Terms Development: It covers all changes and systematic continuities in human domains (physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language) throughout the lifespan of an individual It is a multidimensional processes of growth and decline, gains and losses...

Lesson 3 GCPY 220  Definition of Terms Development: It covers all changes and systematic continuities in human domains (physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language) throughout the lifespan of an individual It is a multidimensional processes of growth and decline, gains and losses, brought about by interaction of heredity and environment, maturation, learning and harmonious integration of body parts from conception to death. Development comprises of maturation, growth and learning but they are distinct in meaning and scope Development refers to orderly, coherent qualitative changes with progressive sequence leading to maturity The changes are directional leading forward rather backward Orderly and coherent suggest a definite relationship between a given stage and the stages preceding or following it Developmental changes are categorized into changes in size, proportion and disappearance of old features  Psychology Psychology is the study of mind and behavior. It includes the biological influences, social pressures, and environmental factors that affect how people think, act, and feel. Psychology seeks to understand, predict, and explain development, personality, thoughts, feelings, emotions, motivations, and social behaviors. Some contribution of Psychology to individuals and society include: Improving our understanding of why people behave as they do. Understanding the different factors that can impact the human mind and behavior Understanding issues that impact health, daily life, and well- being Creating safer and more efficient environment Helping motivate people to achieve their goals Improving productivity Developmental Psychology A branch of psychology devoted to identifying and explaining the continuities and changes that individuals display over their lifespan. Developmentalist Any scholar, regardless of discipline, who seeks to understand the developmental process for example, psychologists, biologists, sociologists, anthropologists, educators. Maturation refers to changes according to biological program in the body or behavior that result from aging process rather than learning, injury, illness, or some other life experience. It is a process whereby a person develops genetically (naturally) and physically independent of experience or manipulation. Maturation ….. Our ability to walk, utter first meaningful words at about 1 year of age, reach sexual maturity between ages 11 and 15, and then age or die at approximately similar schedules results from maturation. Maturation is influenced by genetics and environmental factors. Maturation cont…. A person must show physical and psychological readiness for any event before he can perform outstandingly in such an event. To be able to walk or run, the bones and muscles must be strong enough to engage in such exercise. Changes such as increasing ability to concentrate, solve problems, and understand another person’s thoughts or feelings are partly the responsibility of maturation. Humans are similar in many important respects, at about the same points in our lives, as a result of maturation. Growth Refers to physical development that manifests within a person’s chronological framework as he/she attains certain stage in life. It represents the quantitative changes (increase in bodily dimensions such as height, weight and size. The development of body parts breast, legs, hands, body size, and mental alertness are indication of growth. Note: growth and maturation go hand in hand. Growth manifests in stages from simple to complex, from walking to running to jumping. Learning A relatively permanent change in a behavior or potential behavior as a result of experience on practice. Learning is the process through which a person’s experiences produce relatively permanent changes in feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Humans acquire and retain attitude, knowledge, understanding, skills and capabilities through experience or instruction. For learning to take place there must be readiness and maturation. Learning cont… Human abilities and habits do not simply unfold as part of maturation, people often learn to feel, think, and behave in specific ways from observations and interactions with parents, siblings, teachers, peers, and other people in and around their environment. Learning is affected by hereditary and environment. Most developmental changes are the product of both maturation and learning.  Principles of Human Development Human life is a process of continual development There are structural, physiological and behavior patterns in all the stages of development These patterns form the basic principles of development Several principles of human development exist however we shall discuss a few. 1. Cephalocaudal law vs Proximodistal law: Cephalocaudal law posits that development spreads from head to foot. Improvements in the structure and function of the body start in the head region, then spread to the trunk, and end in the leg region. This law sees growth as vertical, the reason for increase in height. It emphasizes that child’s growth is rapid in the prenatal stage. Consequently, in early babyhood development, the movement is more in the head region and less in the other parts of the body. Proximodistal law states that development proceeds from near to far-outward; from the central axis of the body towards the extremities. The heart, liver, head, and trunk develop before the limb buds appear, lengthen and develop into hands and finger. 2. Development is relatively orderly: The human development occurs in an orderly sequence. Acquisition of new abilities, skills, and knowledge are built on those already developed or learnt. 3. Continuities vs Discontinuities principle Continuities: Development is a continuous process that is gradual and cumulative. For example, a child will first learn to crawl, and then to stand and then to walk. A “continual and cumulative” process means that who we are at a particular stage in life depends over time on the experiences we had earlier in life. Discontinuities: This view believes that development occurs in different stages of life qualitatively different from each other. For example, people move from only being able to think in very literal terms to being able to think abstractly. It is like climbing series of staircase 4. Plasticity: Plasticity refers to a capacity for change in response to positive or negative life experiences if important aspects of their life change. Children who have horrible starts can often be helped to overcome their deficiencies. 5. Normative vs Idiographic development: Normative development refers to typical developmental pathways that virtually all people follow. There is a generalizable trends in trait expression across the lifespan. Physical, environmental, and psychosocial changes, occur at predictable age period (milestones). This principles of normative development helps professionals to spot potential problems and provide early intervention for better outcomes. Idiographic developmental principle: ‘Idiographic’ (from Greek word ‘idios’, meaning ‘own’ or ‘private’). Idiographic approach focuses on the individual and emphasize the unique personal experience of human nature in patterns of change. An idiographic approach does not seek to formulate laws or generalize results to others. Individual difference: While process of development is similar, rate of development vary among individuals. Differences occur in cognitive and emotional capacities, gender, social and physical growth. 6. Holistic process: Holistic means that development is not fragmented. Physical, cognitive, and social components of self depends, in part, on changes taking place in other areas of development. A child in good health has increased chance of being active socially and intellectually. The age at which a child reaches puberty has an effect on his social life. Boys who reach puberty early tend to enjoy better relations with their peers than those who reach puberty later. 7. Cultural Context: No single description of development is accurate for all cultures, social classes, or racial and ethnic groups. Each culture, subculture, and social class transmits a particular pattern of beliefs, values, customs, and skills its generations. 8. Historical context: Development is influenced by historical events such as wars, technological breakthroughs like the Internet, and social causes such as the gay and lesbian rights movement. Each generation develops in its own way. 9. Development takes gradual process: It takes weeks, months or years for a person to undergo changes that result in the display of developmental characteristics. 10. Nature vs Nurture Nature: Genetic instructions a child inherits from parents set out a road map for development e.g. height, intelligence. Nurture: The environment can impact directions or even silence the expression of development. For example, exposure to harmful drugs while in uterus can have a dramatic impact on brain development and later cognitive ability of the child. Human Development and its Theories The study of human development is a rich and wide subject but it is sometimes difficult to understand how and why people grow, learn, and act as they do. We may ask: Why do children behave in certain ways? Is their behavior related to their age, family relationships, or individual temperaments? Developmental psychologists attempt to answer such questions as well as to understand, explain, and predict behaviors that occur throughout lifespan through Theories Different theories have been developed in an attempt to explain the various aspects of human growth. Each approach tends to stress different aspects of development such as mental, social, or parental influences on how children grow and progress. By understanding how and why people change and grow, we can help individuals grow in positive ways.  What is a theory? A scientific theory is a set of concepts and propositions that a scientist believes to be true about a specific area of investigation. Hypothesis: A hypothesis is basically an educated guess. For instance, a scientist observes something happening repeatedly over time, and a question or a group of questions begin to be formed. One question could be: 'Why am I observing this happening?' Another question might be: 'Could this be occurring every time, or is this just a coincidence?' To answer these questions, a scientist, or a group of scientists, do an experiment to test the hypothesis. This is described as scientific research. Often, the research studies that are conducted with hypothesis testing happen over a long period of time. After many repeated research studies, a scientist would move to call the hypothesis a theory.  Fact and Theory What's the difference? Facts are measured and/or observed occurrence. They never change and are unmistakable evidence. Theory is the scientist's interpretation of the facts. Scientists may have differing opinions regarding the best interpretation of the facts. Theories can change and be rejected.  Characteristics of a Scientific Theory Although there are many characteristics of scientific theories, there are five basic characteristics that can help you understand how they work. A scientific theory should be: Testable: Theories can be supported through a series of scientific research projects or experiments. Sometimes a theory is proven to be wrong through evidence: this is called rejecting a theory. However, a theory can never be proven to be absolutely true because it is an interpretation. There is always the possibility that a different interpretation will someday be found to be more correct. Replicable: theories must also be repeated by others. This means that enough information and data must be available in the theory so that others can test the theory and get similar results. Stable: theories must be stable. This means that when others test the theory, they will get the same results - so a theory is valid as long as there is no evidence to dispute it. Simple: A theory should be simple does not mean that the concept must be basic. It means that only useful, relevant information should be presented in the theory. Consistent: A theory should agree with other theories, meaning that no principles in one theory should contradict another already accepted theory. However, some differences may be evident because the new theory may provide additional evidence.  Closing thought 1Thess 5:21 “But examine all things; hold fast to what is good”.