Life span & development

Developmental Psychology

The study of how and why people change, or remain the same, as they grow.

Three Domains of Development

Biological, psychosocial, and cognitive.

Biological Development

Physical growth.

Psychosocial Development

A person's experience of themselves and their interactions with others.

Cognitive Development

Mental processes.

Socially Constructed Life-span Periods

The categories and boundaries used to divide the life span are created by society.

Prenatal Period

Conception to birth.

Infancy and Toddlerhood

Ages 0–3.

Early Childhood

Ages 3–6.

Middle Childhood

Ages 6–11.

Adolescence

Approximately ages 11–20.

Emerging Adulthood

Approximately ages 18–25.

Young Adulthood

Approximately ages 20–40.

Middle Adulthood

Approximately ages 40–65.

Late Adulthood

Age 65 and older.

Normative Development

Developmental changes or milestones that are typical for people of a particular age.

Developmental Milestones

They help determine whether someone may have a developmental delay.

Individual Differences

Changes or characteristics that are unique to the individual.

Factors Influencing Individual Development

Geography, heredity, culture/race/ethnicity, family and peers, socioeconomic factors, education, and historical context.

Nature vs. Nurture Debate

The debate over the relative influence of genetics versus environment on development.

Continuous Development

Development that occurs gradually through small increases or changes in amount; it is quantitative.

Discontinuous Development

Development involving uneven or abrupt changes and distinct stages; it is qualitative.

Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

A theory emphasizing unconscious emotions and drives.

Three Components of Personality (Freud)

Id, ego, and superego.

Id

The pleasure-seeking part of personality that exists from birth.

Ego

The reality-oriented part of personality that develops during toddlerhood.

Superego

The morality-oriented part of personality that develops during school age.

Freud's Five Psychosexual Stages

Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.

Erikson's Psychosocial Theory Focus

Social crises or developmental challenges, their resolution, and development across the life span.

First Erikson Stage

Trust vs. Mistrust, ages 0–1.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Ages 1–3; children become increasingly independent.

Competence vs. Inferiority

Ages 6–11; children develop a sense of capability and mastery through accomplishment and trial and error.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Adolescence; individuals question beliefs, values, attitudes, and goals while exploring different identities.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Young adulthood; developing love, long-term relationships, and potentially starting a family.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Middle adulthood; contributing to society or younger generations through mentoring.

Integrity vs. Despair

Reflecting on one's life achievements and regrets.

Classical Conditioning

Learning that occurs when a neutral stimulus is paired with a meaningful stimulus, eventually causing the neutral stimulus to produce a similar response.

Operant Conditioning

Learning in which behavior is associated with a consequence.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding a pleasant consequence to increase a behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing an unpleasant consequence to increase a behavior.

Positive Punishment

Adding an unpleasant consequence to decrease a behavior.

Negative Punishment

Removing a pleasant consequence to decrease a behavior.

Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Theory

The theory that individual factors and the individual's environment affect development.

Heredity

The genetic transmission of traits.

Genotype

An individual's genetic code.

Phenotype

Physical traits and characteristics that result from genes interacting with one another and the environment.

Teratogen

A condition or substance that increases the risk of abnormalities during prenatal development.

Low Birth Weight

Less than 5 pounds, associated with various complications.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

An unclear cause of death that typically occurs during the first year of life while the child is sleeping.

Cephalocaudal Principle

Development occurs from the head toward the feet.

Proximodistal Principle

Development occurs from the center of the body outward.

Reflexes in Infants

Automatic responses that are present at birth and can be adaptive.

Piaget's Four Stages of Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.

Pruning

The brain's removal of unnecessary neurons when they do not receive environmental stimulation.

Myelination

Coating axons with myelin, a fatty substance, which speeds neural signal transmission.