LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT

1. 1 A Topical Approach to LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT Introduction John W. Santrock

2. The Life-Span Perspective The Life-Span Perspective • Development — pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through life span

3. The Life-Span Perspective The Importance of Studying Life-Span Development • Personal insight • Explore growth and decline • Experiences influence development

4. Children are born into a world corrupted with inclination toward evil Original sin view Children born as “blank slates” and acquire characteristics through experience (Locke) Tabla rasa view Innate goodnessview Children born inherently good (Rousseau) The Life-Span Perspective Views of Child Development

5. The Life-Span Perspective Adult Development • Maximum human life span unchanged • Life expectancy — average number of years a person is expected to live when born in a particular year has changed • Developmental change occurs during adulthood as well as childhood

6. Lifelong Multidimensional Multidirectional Plastic Maintenance Contextual Multidisciplinary Individualistic Growth Regulation The Life-Span Perspective Characteristics of the Life-Span Perspective

7. The Nature of Development Processes in Development Fig. 1.3

8. Prenatal Period Infancy Early childhood Middle and late childhood Adolescence Early adulthood Middle adulthood Late adulthood The Nature of Development Periods of Development

9. Each period of the life span has its own stresses, ups and downs, and concerns. Older adults have different views than children or adolescents. Variations in capabilities of same age individuals occur in all periods of development How does satisfaction in life relate to age? The Nature of Development Periods of Development

10. The Nature of Development Conceptions of Age • Chronological age — number of years elapsed since person’s birth • Biological age — age in terms of biological health • Psychological age — individual’s adaptive capacities • Social age — social roles and expectations related to person’s age

11. Extent to which development is influenced by nature and by nurture Nature and Nurture Degree to which early traits and characteristics persist through life or change Stability and Change Extent development involves gradual, cumulative change (continuity) or distinct stages (discontinuity) Continuity-Discontinuity The Nature of Development Developmental Issues

12. The Nature of Development Continuity and Discontinuity in Development Fig. 1.7

13. Theories of Development Theories of Development • Scientific method: • Conceptualize a problem to be studied • Collect research information/data • Analyze data • Draw conclusions

14. Theories of Development Theories of Development • Theory — interrelated set of ideas that helps to explain data, make predictions • Hypotheses — assertions or predictions, often derived from theories that can be tested

15. Theories of Development Psychoanalytic Theories • Development depends primarily on the unconscious mind • Heavily colored by emotion • Behavior is a surface characteristic • Important to analyze symbolic meanings of behavior • Early experiences important in development

16. Theories of Development Freud’s Psychosexual Theory • Id, ego, and superego create personality • Defense mechanisms and Repression • Anxiety and defense mechanisms • Five stages of psychosexual development

17. Theories of Development Freudian Stages Fig. 1.8

18. Theories of Development Erikson’sPsychosocial Theory • Eight stages of development • Unique development task confronts individuals with crisis that must be resolved • Each stage has both positive and negative poles • Positive resolution builds foundation for healthy development

19. Theories of Development Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages Fig. 1.9

20. Theories of Development Evaluating thePsychoanalytic Theories • Contributions include • Emphasis on early experiences, family relationships, and the unconscious mind • Criticisms include • Difficulty in testing, negativity, cultural and gender bias, sexual underpinnings

21. Theories of Development Cognitive Theories • Theories emphasize cognitive thoughts • Three important theories • Piaget’s cognitive development theory • Vygotsky’s sociocultural cognitive theory • Information-processing theory

22. Theories of Development Cognitive Theories • Children actively construct understanding • Piaget’s cognitive development theory • Four stages of development — age-related • Based on qualitative logic and thinking • Vygotsky’s sociocultural cognitive theory • Children actively construct their knowledge • Emphasizes culture and social interactions

23. Theories of Development Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development Fig. 1.10

24. Theories of Development Information-Processing Approach • Brain is compared to computer’s hardware • Cognition is viewed as computer software • Individuals acquire increasingly complex information • Thinking: perceive, encode, represent, store, and retrieve information

25. culture literature science INPUT OUTPUT religion history math Theories of Development Information-Processing Theory Fig. 1.11

26. Theories of Development Evaluating Cognitive Theories • Contributions include • Active construction of understanding, importance of developmental changes, detailed descriptions • Criticisms include • Lack of individual variation, information processing approach lacks clarity, and emphasis on unconscious processes

27. Theories of Development Behavioral Theories • Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning • Neutral stimulus paired with active stimulus to produce response • Watson’s Conditioning of ‘little Albert’ • Involuntary responses are learned • Skinner’s Operant Conditioning • Consequences, rewards and punishment, shape behavior

28. Theories of Development Social Cognitive Theories • Bandura • Emphasizes observational learning • Focus on reciprocal interactions among behavior, cognition, and environment (any one can influence the others) • Cognitive thought needed to imitate others

29. Theories of Development Bandura’s Social Cognitive Model Fig. 1.12

30. Theories of Development Evaluating the Behavioral and Social Cognitive Theories • Contributions include • Emphasis on scientific research, person and cognitive factors, environmental determinants, and observational learning • Criticisms include • Lack of focus on cognition, too little attention to developmental changes, and overemphasis on environmental determinants

31. Theories of Development Ecological Theory • Bronfenbrenner’s view that development influenced by five environmental systems • Microsystem • Mesosystem • Exosystem • Macrosystem • Chronosystem

32. Theories of Development Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory Fig. 1.13

33. Theories of Development Sociocultural Contexts • Key dimensions include • Cross-cultural studies — comparisons of one culture with one or more other cultures • Ethnicity — range of characteristics rooted in cultural heritage • Gender — psychological and sociocultural dimension of being female or male

34. Theories of Development Family Contexts • Children in non-poor environments were more likely than those in poor homes to • Get responses to their speech • Have toys or interesting activities • Have more books of their own • See their father daily

35. Theories of Development Evaluating Ecological Theory • Contributions include • Emphasis on macro and micro dimensions and socio-historical influences • Criticisms include • Lacks emphasis on biological foundations and inadequate attention to cognitive processes

36. Research in Life-Span Development Research in Life Span Development Methods for Collecting Data • Observation • Laboratory setting • Cultural concerns • Naturalistic observation • Survey and interview • Standardized tests • Case study • Life-history record • Physiological measures • MRI, blood test

37. Research in Life-Span Development Research Designs • Descriptive research • Correlational research • Correlation coefficient and range • Correlation does not equal causation • Experimental research • Independent and dependent variables • Experimental and control groups

38. Research in Life-Span Development Possible Explanations for Correlational Data Fig. 1.17

39. Research in Life-Span Development Principles of Experimental Research Fig. 1.18

40. Research in Life-Span Development Time Span of Research • Cross-Sectional Approach —individuals of different ages are compared at one time • Longitudinal Approach —same individuals studied over period of time • Sequential Approach —combined cross-sectional, longitudinal design • Cohort effects

41. Research in Life-Span Development Research Journals • Scholarly and academic information • Specific domain; academic discipline • Abstract • Method section • Results, discussion, and references

42. Research in Life-Span Development Research Ethics • Informed consent • Confidentiality • Debriefing • Deception • Gender bias • Cultural and ethnic bias • ‘Ethnic gloss’ and over-generalizing

43. 1 The End