PSYCH 243 MIDTERM #1

What is development?

Development is age-related change ( we dont stay the same our entire lives)

It begins at conception and continues throughout the lifespan\

Orderly (development tends to follow patterns) ,

cumulative (earlier development builds on one another) ,

directional (development tends to move in particular direction) ,

What is the field of lifespan development?

It describes and explains:

• Intraindividual change → how ONE person changes over time

• Interindividual differences in change → how people’s developmental patterns differ from one another

From conception through the entire lifespan.

Why do we study lifespan development?
A: To:

• understand typical vs. atypical development

• predict development

• create interventions

• conduct basic and applied research

What are the main characteristics of lifespan development?

• Lifelong → occurs from conception to death

• Multidimensional → biological, cognitive, social and emotional dimensions

• Multidirectional → some abilities increase while others decrease

• Plastic → capacity for change

• Multidisciplinary → studied by many fields

• Contextual → influenced by the environment and circumstances

• Involves growth, maintenance and loss

• Co-constructed → biology, culture and the individual interact

What is a normative age-graded influence?

Biological or environmental influences that are similar for people of a particular age group.

Examples: puberty, starting school, retirement.

What is a normative history-graded influence?

A historical event that affects many people of a particular generation/cohort.

Example: growing up in COVID-19 pandemic.

Definition

What is a nonnormative influence?

 An unusual or unexpected event that affects an individual’s development.

Example: serious accident, winning the lottery, losing a parent unusually young.

What is Bronfenbrenner’s main idea?

 Development is influenced by multiple layers of the environment, from immediate relationships to broader culture and historical change.

These different contexts influence development and interact with one another.

What is the microsystem?

Environments the person directly interacts with.

Examples: family, friends, school.

Memory: MICRO = closest to me

What is the mesosystem?

The connections and interactions between two or more microsystems.

Example: The relationship between your parents and teachers connects your family microsystem with your school microsystem.

Memory: MESO = systems meet

What is the exosystem?

 Settings you aren’t directly involved in but that still affect you.

Example: parent’s workplace affects their stress → affects home life.

What is the macrosystem?

The broader culture, values, laws, beliefs and social conditions surrounding development.

Memory: MACRO = big picture

What is the chronosystem?

The influence of time and historical change on development.

Example: growing up before vs. after social media.

Memory: CHRONO = time

What are the 3 domains of development?

1. Physical/biological → body and brain

2. Cognitive → thinking, memory, language

3. Social/emotional → emotions and relationships

Memory: Body – Mind – Relationships

What are the 4 conceptions of age?

• Chronological age → number of years since birth

  Biological age → physical condition/health of the body compared with others of the same age

  Psychological age → ability to learn, adapt and cope compared with others of the same age

  Social age → social roles and expectations associated with age

What is quantitative change?

A change in the amount or degree of something.

Example: A child knowing more vocabulary words as they get older.

Usually associated with more gradual/continuous change.

Memory: QUANTITY = how much

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What is qualitative change?

A change in the kind or type of behaviour/ability.

Example: developing a new way of thinking.

Memory: Quality = different kind

How are developmental stages related to qualitative change?

stage theories propose that development involves distinct qualitative shifts from one way of functioning to another.

Entering a new stage means functioning in a different way, rather than simply having more of the same ability.

What is continuous development?

Development occurs gradually and smoothly with abilities changing progressively over time.

Continuous = ramp 🛝

What is discontinuous development?

Development occurs through distinct stages, with individuals shifting from one qualitatively different way of functioning to another..

Discontinuous = stairs 🪜

What is the nature–nurture controversy?

 Nature → genes, biology and maturation

vs.

Nurture → environment, learning and experience

Modern developmental approaches generally examine how nature and nurture interact, rather than assuming development comes entirely from one or the other.

What is plasticity?

The capacity for development to change in response to experience or environmental conditions.

Plasticity means development is not necessarily completely fixed.

What is a critical period?

 A specific developmental time window when a particular experience must occur for typical development.

If the necessary experience does not occur during that window, normal development may not occur.

What is a sensitive period?

The experience has its strongest effect during this period, but development can still occur later.

Memory: Sensitive = BEST time, not only time

Critical vs. sensitive period?

Critical period → experience is necessary during that specific window.

Sensitive period → experience has its strongest effect during that window, but development remains possible afterward.

What two questions are important when studying individual differences?

1. How stable are individual differences over time?

2. What factors cause these differences?

What is preformatism?

The old belief that children are essentially miniature adults whose characteristics are already formed.

Why was preformatism abandoned?

Evidence showed that children undergo real developmental changes in their thinking, behaviour and abilities rather than simply becoming larger versions of adults.

In other words, development can involve qualitative change.

What was John Locke’s view of development?

Locke believed children begin as a tabula rasa (“blank slate”) and are shaped primarily by experience and environment.

His view therefore emphasizes:

• Nurture

• Learning

• Experience/environment

What was Rousseau’s view of development?

Rousseau believed children have an innate developmental plan that naturally unfolds as they mature.

His view emphasizes:

• Nature

• Innate characteristics

• Natural maturation

• Children are fundamentally different from adults, rather than simply smaller adults

What does it mean that development is multidimensional?

Development involves several interacting dimensions:

Biological/physical → body and brain
Cognitive → thinking, memory, language
Social/emotional → relationships, emotions, personality

A change in one dimension can affect the others.

What does it mean that development is multidirectional?

Development involves both gains and losses.

Different abilities can develop in different directions at the same time — one ability may improve while another declines.

Example: Knowledge may increase across adulthood while some aspects of processing speed decrease.

What is the main difference between Locke and Rousseau’s views of development?

Locke → child begins as a blank slate and is shaped by experience → NURTURE

Rousseau → child has an innate developmental plan that naturally unfolds → NATURE

Memory: Locke = NURTURE | Rousseau = Nature

what does How stable are individual differences over time?” mean?

It asks whether differences between people remain consistent as they develop.

Example: If one child is more outgoing than another at age 5, will that difference still exist when they are 15?

What does “What factors cause individual differences?” mean?

It asks why people develop differently from one another, including the influence of genetic and environmental factors.

Example: Why does one child develop stronger language skills than another?