Chapter 1 - The Study of Human Development

Human Development

The scientific study of the systematic processes of change and stability in people

True

True or False

Development is patterned and orderly and follows a blueprint laid out by our evolutionary history.

description, explanation, prediction, intervention

What are the goals of human development?

Life-span development

concept of human development as a lifelong process, which can be studied scientifically; states that development is from “womb to tomb”

true

TRUE OR FALSE

development can either be positive or negative

physical, cognitive, psychosocial development

What are the 3 major domains of the development, which are distinct but intricately interrelated?

Physical development

Domain of development that involves growth of the body and brain, sensory capacities, motor skills, and health

Cognitive development

Domain of development that involves pattern of change in mental abilities, learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, creativity

Psychosocial development

Domain of development that involves emotions, personality, social relationships

Social construction

A concept or practice that may appear natural and obvious to those who accept it, but that in reality is an invention of a particular culture or society, so it’s not really true to all times or varies across cultures (e.g., division of the life span in periods)

emerging adulthood

transitional time between the end of adolescence and before individuals acquire all the benchmarks of adulthood

met, mastered

developmentalists suggest that certain basic needs must be ___ and certain tasks ____ for typical development to occur

ages

Life-span developmentalists who focus on adult development and aging increasingly describe lifespan in terms of 4 _____

childhood and adolescence

Life-span developmentalists who focus on adult development and aging increasingly describe lifespan in terms of 4 “ages”

1.       First age –

prime adulthood (30s to 50s)

Life-span developmentalists who focus on adult development and aging increasingly describe lifespan in terms of 4 “ages”

2.       Second age –

Third

Life-span developmentalists who focus on adult development and aging increasingly describe lifespan in terms of 4 “ages”

______ age – approx. 60 to 79 y/o

approx. 80+ y/o

Life-span developmentalists who focus on adult development and aging increasingly describe lifespan in terms of 4 “ages”

4.       Fourth age –

1920s

when did the concept of adolescence start being recognized?

Individual differences

Aside from identifying the universal influences, developmentalists are also interested in ____, which explains the differences in characteristics, influences, or development outcomes.

Heredity

inborn traits/characteristics inherited from biological parents; genetic roll of the dice (nature)

Environment

totality of nonhereditary or experiential influences on development; from conception throughout life (nurture)

Environment

The world outside the self, beginning in the womb, and the learning that comes from experience

False - Contemporary theorists find ways to explain how nature and nurture work together instead of arguing about which is more important.

True or False: Contemporary theorists are more interested in finding out which between nature and nurture is more important than explaining how they work together

Maturation

Many typical changes of infancy and early childhood (such as walking and talking) are tied to ___________ of body and brain

Maturation

The unfolding of a natural sequence of physical and behavioral changes as individual or organism develops and becomes; they unfold over time according to a genetically determined timetable

True

True or False: Maturation continues to influence certain biological processes, such as brain development, even as individual grow older.

False - rates and timing of development vary.

True or False. Even in processes that people undergo, rates and timing of development are the same.

stability

Many developmentalists who emphasizes this argue that our traits are stagnant over time because it is a result of heredity and possibly early experiences in life

change

Developmentalists who emphasize change (vs stability) take the more optimistic view that later experiences can produce _____.

TRUE - some argue early caregiving is crucial for lifelong development, while others believe later experiences can also have a significant impact

True or False. Early experiences advocates argue that unless infants experience warm, nurturant caregiving in the first year of life or so, their development will never be optimal.

malleable

Later experience advocates see children as ______ throughout development and later sensitive caregiving is equally important to earlier ones.

continuity

development happens slowly and steadily over time

discontinuity

development happens in clear stages, with big shifts

Nuclear family

Two-generational kinship, economic, and household unit consisting of one or two parents and their children—could be biological, adopted children, or stepchildren; mostly seen in the US and other Western societies

Extended family

A family that extends beyond the nuclear family, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives, who all live nearby or in one household; mostly seen in societies in Asia, Africa, Latin America (multigenerational)

Socioeconomic status

Combination of economic and social factors describing an individual or family, including income, education, and occupation

True

True or False. Poverty can damage physical, cognitive, and psychosocial well-being

Risk factors

Conditions that increase the likelihood of a negative developmental outcome

True

True or False

Affluence doesn't necessarily protect children from risk

are not, can

Negative effects of poverty (are/are not) inevitable; positive development (can/cannot) occur despite serious risk factors

Culture

Society's total way of life, including customs, traditions, beliefs, values, language, and physical products—all learned behavior, passed on from parents to children

individualistic cultures

groups that place priority on personal goals and people to view themselves as distinct individuals than a group

collectivistic cultures

cultures that are more concerned with collective goals and group dynamics

Ethnic group

A group united by ancestry, race, religion, language, or national origins, which contribute to a sense of shared identity

ethnic minorities

ethnic groups with national/cultural traditions different from majority of the population → often affected by prejudice & discrimination

True

True or False: Categories of culture, race, and ethnicity are fluid and continuously redefined by social and political forces

False - NOT a biological construct, viewed by most as a social construct; second paragraph is correct

Race is an identifiable biological category. It is grouping distinguished by outward physical characteristics or social qualities from other groups.

​

Ethnic gloss

Overgeneralization about an ethnic or cultural group that obscures differences within the group e.g., the term Hispanics

→ because it includes people from many different countries and cultures, such as Mexico, Spain, Cuba, and Puerto Rico; each of these groups has its own unique traditions, languages, and customs, but the term “Hispanics” might make it seem like they are all the same

Normative

Characteristic of biological/environmental events that occur or affect most people in society in similar ways

Normative age-graded influences

Highly similar for people in a particular age group; the timing of biological events is highly similar for people in a particular age

Normative history-graded influences

Refers to the significant events (such as the Great depression or World War 2) that shape the behavior and attitudes of a historical generation

Historical generation

A group of people strongly influenced by a major historical event during their formative period

Cohort

A group of people born at about the same time

The first statement is true. The second statement is false.

Cohorts are part of historical generation ONLY IF they experience major historical events at a formative point in their lives

True or False: A historical generation may contain more than one cohort; while cohorts are always a part of historical generation

Nonnormative

Characteristic of an unusual event that happens to a particular person or a typical event that happens at an unusual time of life; disturb the expected sequence of the life cycle

True

True or False

Widespread use of computers is an example of a normative history-graded influence on children's development

Konrad Lorenz

He is an Australian zoologist who showed that newly hatched ducklings will instinctively follow the first moving object they see, whether it is a member of their species or not

Imprinting

Instinctive form of learning in which, during a critical period in early development, a young animal forms an attachment to the first moving object it sees, usually the mother (automatic & irreversible)

Imprinting

The result of a predisposition toward learning: the readiness of an organism's nervous system to acquire certain information during a brief critical period in early life

Critical period

A specific time when a given event, or its absence, has a specific impact on development; if a necessary event does not occur during this time of maturation, normal development will not occur

Plasticity

Range of modifiability of performance

Sensitive periods

Times in development when a person is particularly open to certain kinds of experiences; more flexible time window, providing an optimal but not exclusive time for development

critical period

a fixed window of time when a skill must develop; missing this period may cause irreversible effects

rigid – once the period passes, the ability may never fully develop

e.g., language acquisition (if not exposed to any language in early childhood, speaking fluently later becomes nearly impossible, or the possibility to develop language or speech disorder)

sensitive period

a preferred time for learning when the brain is most receptive, can still be done later though; missing this period result to slower or more difficult learning

flexible – learning is easiest during this time but can still happen later

e.g., learning a second language (a child exposed to multiple languages before 7 will pick them up easily, but an adult can still learn—just with more effort)

Development is lifelong

Developmental change occurs throughout the life span

• each period of the life span is affected by what happened before and will affect what is to come

• each period has unique characteristics and value

• no period is more or less important than any other

Which principle from lifespan development approach by Baltes align with this?

Development is multidimensional

Development occurs along multiple interacting dimensions— biological, psychological, social— each of which may develop at varying rates

Which principle from lifespan development approach by Baltes align with this?

Development is multidirectional

As people gain in one area, they may lose in another, sometimes at the same time

e.g., adolescents gain physical abilities but facility in learning a language may decline

Which principle from lifespan development approach by Baltes align with this?

upwards

we grow up in one direction (which is _____) both in size & abilities

Relative influences of biology and culture shift over the life span

The process of development is influenced by both biology and culture, but the balance between these influences changes.

Which principle from lifespan development approach by Baltes align with this?

Relative influences of biology and culture shift over the life span

Biological abilities, such as sensory acuity and muscular strength and coordination, weaken with age, but cultural supports, such as education, relationships, and technologically age-friendly environments, may help compensate.

Which principle from lifespan development approach by Baltes align with this?

Development involves changing resource allocations

Individuals choose to invest their resources of time, energy, talent, money, and social support in varying ways.

resources may be used for

• growth

• maintenance or recovery

• dealing w loss (when maintenance or recovery are not possible)

Development shows plasticity

Many abilities, such as memory, strength, and endurance, can be improved significantly with training and practice, even late in life

Which principle from lifespan development approach by Baltes align with this?

False

Plasticity has limits that depend in part on the various influences on development, even in children. While children can recover from some injuries and learn new skills faster, there are boundaries to how much and how quickly they can adapt.)

Plasticity has limits that depend in part on the various influences on development, except in children. True or False?

Development is influenced by the historical and cultural context

Each person develops within multiple contexts—circumstances or conditions defined in part by maturation and in part by time and place

Which principle from lifespan development approach by Baltes align with this?

multidisciplinary

study of human development is _____ as it draws on disciplines such as psychology, psychiatry, sociology, anthro, bio, genetics, etc.

Stability

the result of heredity and early experiences in life

Critical period

• need to be exposed to a specific stimulus to develop normally

• short duration

• well-defined beginning and end points

• effects are irreversible

Sensitive period

• less sensitive than CP

• no exact time frame

• results are reversible and nondramatic

• responsive or open to experiences

7 weeks

Infants as young as _____ display ID Speech preferences

• they pay special attention to ID speech even in languages other than their own

• associated with numerous benefits: association of sounds of words with meanings, increase in long-term word recognition, and increased neural activity

infant-directed speech

other more technical term for “baby talk”, which includes simplified grammar, slower tempo, pitch variations, exaggerated sound intonation, and repetition of keywords and phrases

true

True or False. Whether ID speech is used or not, infants achieve language fluency along roughly the same timetable worldwide.

Life-span development approach

Approach that mentions seven (7) key principles as identified by Paul B. Baltes and his colleagues, stating that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, contextual, and multidisciplinary

Paul Baltes

Proponent of lifespan development perspective which views development as lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, contextual, and multidisciplinary

Maturation Theory

The rate at which children develop primarily depends on the growth of their NS.

Arnold Gesell

proponent of the Theory of Maturation

False. They will naturally develop it once their NS have matured adequately.

Gesell said that we should teach children things ahead of their developmental schedule. (T or F)

Chronological Age

Number of years a person has lived.

Biological Age

Age based on physical health and organ function.

Psychological Age

Adaptation level compared to peers of same age.

Social Age

Social roles and expectations linked to age.

U-Shaped Correlation

What type of relationship does age and happiness have if happiness level varies across one’s lifespan?

e.g., high in youth, drops in middle age then rises again in the later years

Maturation

Genetically activated process of development.

Nervous System Growth

Key factor in children's developmental rate according to Gesell.

Developmental Schedule

Natural timeline for learning and growth.

Life-Span Perspective

Comprehensive view of age profiles in development.

Functional Capacities

Vital organ abilities indicating biological health.

Social Roles

Behaviors expected from individuals at certain ages.

Arnold Gesell

He argues that the rate at which children develop primarily depends on the growth of their nervous system; as it grows, their minds develop, and their behaviors change accordingly.

fixed

Arnold Gesell observed that maturational development always unfolds in (varying/fixed) sequences

False

He opposed efforts to teach children things ahead of their development schedule, as they will naturally develop it once their NS has matured adequately.

True or False. Arnold Gesell encourages to teach children things ahead of their development schedule.