KEY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

Development

• A progressive series of changes that occurs in an orderly and predictable pattern.

• Results from maturation and experience.

• A continuous process from conception to death.

Prenatal

• Conception to birth

• Important brain development

• Prenatal learning

Infancy

• Birth to 18 months

• Trust/mistrust

• Needs care and nourishment

Early Childhood

• 18 months to 3 years

• Develops physical skills

• Learns right and wrong

• Develops conscience

Middle Childhood

• 3 to 5 years

• Willingness to try new things

• Understands past and future

Late Childhood

• 5 to 12 years

• Greater attention span

• Develops physical skills

• Builds relationships with age-mates

Adolescence

• 12 to 20 years

• Puberty

• Physical, social, emotional, and vocational changes

• Often described as storm and stress

Early Adulthood

• 20 to 30 years

• Job/career

• Community contribution

• Family

• Leadership

Mature Adulthood

• 30 to 65 years

• Also called middle age

• Adjusts to physical changes

• Helps children become responsible adults

Old Age

• 65 to death

• Goals and abilities may become more limited

• Decrease in strength

Adolescence

A period when a person develops from childhood toward adulthood.

Puberty

A period of rapid:

• Physical growth

• Sexual maturation

Early Adolescence

Focus:

• Independence

• Abstract thinking

• Body image

• Same-sex peer groups

Middle Adolescence

Focus:

• Peer groups

• Morality

• Opposite-sex peers

• Sexual drives

• Sexual identity

Late Adolescence

Focus:

• Vocational/career plans

• Intimacy

Growth

Quantitative change

Something that can be measured.

Development

Qualitative change

A change in ability, behavior, or maturity

Heredity

Your physical makeup is influenced by your parents' DNA.

Maturation

A biological process that is programmed to happen sequentially

Hormones

Natural substances produced by the body that influence growth and development.

Contribute to mood changes, sexual urges, and physical development.

Spermarche

first ejaculation

Menarche

first menstruation

ERIK ERIKSON

8 psychosocial stages

Trust vs. Mistrust

Stage: Infancy
Influential: Parents

Positive:

• Learns to trust others when caregivers provide love, care, and attention.

Negative/fixation:

• Mistrust

• Withdrawal

• Estrangement

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Stage: Early Childhood
Influential: Parents

Positive:

• Self-control

• Independence

• Ability to cooperate

• Ability to express oneself

Negative:

• Shame

• Doubt

• Excessive self-restraint

• Defiance

Initiative vs. Guilt

Stage: Late Childhood / Preschool
Influential: Parents and teachers

Positive:

• Develops purpose

• Becomes assertive

• Learns that actions can influence the environment

Negative:

• Guilt

• Low self-confidence

• Fear of being judged

Industry vs. Inferiority

Stage: School Age
Influential: Parents and teachers

Positive:

• Learns to cope with school

• Develops skills

• Develops competence

• Perseverance

Negative:

• Inferiority

• Feeling mediocre

• Withdrawal from school/peers

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Stage: Adolescence
Influential: Teachers and significant others

Positive:

• Develops sense of identity

• Plans to develop abilities

• Stays true to oneself

Negative:

• Confusion

• Indecisiveness

• Weak sense of self

• Antisocial behavior

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Stage: Young Adulthood
Influential: Friends

Positive:

• Forms intimate relationships

• Develops strong relationships

• Learns commitment

Negative:

• Weak relationships

• Avoids commitment

• Isolation

• Loneliness

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Stage: Adulthood
Influential: Community

Positive:

• Creates/nurtures things that benefit others

• Productivity

• Creativity

• Sense of accomplishment

• Concern for others

Negative:

• Self-indulgence

• Lack of commitment

• Shallow involvement

Integrity vs. Despair

Stage: Maturity
Influential: Community

Positive:

• Sense of fulfillment

• Wisdom

• Accepts one's life

• Accepts the inevitability of death

Negative:

• Regret

• Bitterness

• Despair

• Sense of loss

JEAN PIAGET

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Piaget's Stages

Sensorimotor → Preoperational → Concrete → Formal

Sensorimotor

0–2

Learns through senses and movement

Preoperational

2–7

Uses symbols to understand the environment

Concrete Operational

7–11

Logical thinking about concrete objects

Formal Operational

12+

Abstract and logical thinking

ALBERT BANDURA

Known for Social Learning Theory / Social Cognitive Theory.

Main idea:

People can learn behaviors by observing and imitating others

LAWRENCE KOHLBERG

MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Level I — Pre-Conventional

Moral decisions are based mainly on:

• Rules

• Consequences

• Punishment/reward

Level II — Conventional

Moral standards are based on:

• Adults

• Social rules

• Expectations

• Valued role models

Level III — Post-Conventional

Moral decisions are based on:

• Self-chosen principles

• Individual rights

• Justice