A Cultural Approach to Human Development

1. 1 A Cultural Approach to Human Development

2. Introduction to Human Development • Human Development-the way people grow and change across the lifespan • Culture- the total pattern of a group’s customs, beliefs, art, and technology • Globalization-connections between different parts of the world in trade, travel, migration and communication

3. Human Development Today and Its Origins

4. Figure 1.1 World Population Growth, Past 10,000 years What happened in recent human history to cause population to rise so dramatically? Source: Ember (2007)

5. Variations Across Countries • Developed Countries-most affluent countries in the world • 17% of total world population • Developing Countries-less wealth than the developed countries • 83% of total world population

6. United States Variation • Two reasons the US follows a different demographic path • Total Fertility rate is higher than most developing countries • United States allows more LEGAL immigration than most developing countries

7. Map 1.1 Projected Ethnic Changes in U.S. Population to 2050 Which ethnic group is projected to change the most in the coming decades, and why?

8. More Cultural Variation • Variations between developing and developed countries • Income • Education • Cultural Beliefs • Individualism • Collectivism

9. Map 1.2 Worldwide Variations in Population and Income Levels Developed countries represent only 18% of the world population yet they are much wealthier than developing countries. At what point in its economic development should a developing country be reclassified as a developed country? (continued on next slide)

10. Map 1.2 Worldwide Variations in Population and Income Levels Developed countries represent only 18% of the world population yet they are much wealthier than developing countries. At what point in its economic development should a developing country be reclassified as a developed country? (continued from previous slide)

11. Variations Within Countries • Majority culture-Sets norms and standards • Contexts-Settings and circumstances • SES (Socioeconomic Status)-social class including educational level, income level and occupational status

12. Variations Within Countries • Gender-Expectations of male and female roles • Ethnicity-Cultural origin, traditions, race, religion and language

13. Human Origins and the Birth of Culture

14. Evolutionary Beginnings • Evolutionary theory proposed by Charles Darwin • Natural selection • Young are born with variations of characteristics • Species change little by little each generation

15. Evolutionary Beginnings • Humans’ evolutionary beginning shares ancestry with chimpanzees and gorillas • Human evolutionary line called hominid line • Hominid line split resulting in Homo species • Homo species evolved into Homo sapiens

16. Figure 1.2 Changes in Brain Size in Early Humans

17. The Origin of Cultures and Civilizations • Upper Paleolithic Period • Art appeared, trade, cultural differences appeared • Neolithic Period • Last Ice Age • Development of Civilization • Including Egyptian, India, China and Mediterranean

18. Figure 1.3 Time Line of Human History From Upper Paleolithic Period to the Present (continued on next slide)

19. Figure 1.3 Time Line of Human History From Upper Paleolithic Period to the Present (continued from previous slide)

20. Human Evolution and Human Development Today • Human development can be understood by understanding human evolution • Development is partly based on evolution • Little biological change since Homo sapiens • Development of larger brain contributes to culture and environmental expansion

21. Theories of Human Development

22. Ancient Conceptions of Development:Hindu

23. Ancient Conceptions of Development: Greek

24. Ancient Conceptions of Development: Jewish Talmud

25. Ancient Conceptions of Development: Jewish Talmud (Continued from previous slide)

26. Ancient Conceptions of Development • Similarities in all three • Youth is for preparation • Adulthood is for experience • Old age is for wisdom and peace • Difference is found in division of lifespan • Lifespan not cleanly divided by biology but culturally and socially based

27. Scientific Conceptions of Human Development • Scientific theories have been around for a short time • The major theories of conceptualizing development are: • Psychoanalytic theory • Psychosexual-Freud • Psychosocial-Erikson • Ecological Approach • Bronfenbrenner

28. Freud’s Psychosexual Theory • Based on Freud’s belief of sexual desire as the driving force behind human development • Driven by three psychic structures • Id-Basis is pleasure principle • Superego-Basis of conscience • Ego-Basis of reality

29. Freud’s Psychosexual Theory • Psychosexual stages focused on areas of sensation and fixation • Limits include: Complexity of human behavior and Freud’s research methodology

30. Table 1.1 Freud’s Psychosexual Stages

31. Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory • Focuses on social and cultural environment and not sexuality • Continued throughout lifespan and not limited to first six years as Freud • Eight stages of development characterized by crisis and resolution

32. Table 1.2 Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development

33. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory • Focuses on multiple influences that shape behavior and is not a stage theory • Five levels: • Micro System-Immediate environment • MesoSystem-Interconnections • Exosystem-Social Institutions • Macrosystem-Cultural Beliefs • Chronosystem-Time

34. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory

35. Stage Theory • Prenatal Development • Infancy • Toddlerhood • Early childhood • Middle Childhood • Adolescence • Emerging adulthood • Young adulthood • Middle adulthood • Late Adulthood

36. How We Study Human Development

37. Scientific Study of Human Development • The scientific method • The scientific method is composed of 5 steps • Identifying a question • Forming a hypothesis • Choosing a research method or design • Collecting data • Drawing conclusions

38. Figure 1.5 The Steps of the Scientific Method

39. The Five Steps of the Scientific Method • Every study starts with an idea or question • Can come from previous research, a theory or personal observation • Forming a hypothesis • The researcher’s idea about a possible answer to a research question • Will dictate research methods, design, and analysis

40. The Five Steps of the Scientific Method • Choose a research method and design • The way hypotheses are investigated • Collecting data • Researchers try to collect a sample that represents the population • Draw conclusions • Data is inferred and peer reviewed • Can lead to theory modification or changes

41. Ethics in Human Development Research • Institutional Review Boards work to prevent ethical violations • Ethical guidelines include • Protection from physical and psychological harm • Informed consent prior to participation • Confidentiality • Deception and debriefing

42. Methods and Designs in Research • Researchers use various methods to investigate human development • Questionnaires • Close or Open ended • Interviews-qualitative • Observations • Ethnographic Research • Case studies • Biological Methods

43. Table 1.3 Research Methods: Advantages and Limitations

44. Methods and Designs in Research • Researchers use multiple methods, but it is important that they have reliability and validity • Reliability-Consistency of measurement • Validity-Truthfulness of the measure • Does it measure what it claims to measure?

45. Methods and Designs in Research • Research design allows researchers to examine changes over time • Cross-sectional • Gathers information from wide age range at a single time • Correlation • Positive • Negative

46. Figure 1.6 Physical Health and Exercise Are Correlated—But Which Causes Which?

47. Methods and Designs in Research • Longitudinal design follows same persons over time • Can focus on how people change over time • Can deal with cohort effects to SOME degree

48. Figure 1.7 Religiosity Changes With Age—But Is It an Age Effect or a Cohort Effect?

49. Methods and Designs in Research • Experiments help to establish cause and effect • Tend to have basic components • Experimental Group • Control Group • Independent Variable • Dependent Variable • Natural experiments