Chap 1 [Human Development: Principles, Domains, and Influences]

Development is Lifelong.

Development starts from conception to death; each period has its own unique characteristics.

Development is Multidimensional.

Occurs along multiple interacting dimensions.

Development is Multidirectional.

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

Relative Influences of Biology and Culture Shift Over Lifespan.

Influenced by both biology and culture; balance between the two changes over time.

Development Involves Changing Resource Allocations.

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

Development Shows Plasticity.

Many abilities can be improved significantly with training and practice, even late in life.

Development is Contextual.

Development occurs within various contexts that influence growth and change.

Human Development.

Scientific study of patterns of change and stability throughout the human lifespan.

Goals of Developmental Psychology.

Describe behavior and how it changes, explain processes/causes of change, predict future behavior, intervene to enhance/modify behavior.

Domains of Development.

Different areas in which development occurs, such as physical, cognitive, and social.

8 Periods of Human Development.

Distinct stages in the human lifespan, each characterized by unique challenges and milestones.

Conceptions of Age.

Different ways to understand age, including chronological, biological, and social age.

Nature vs. Nurture.

Debate regarding the relative contributions of genetic inheritance and environmental factors to human development.

Contexts of Development.

Various settings and circumstances that influence an individual's development.

Normative vs. Nonnormative Influences.

Normative influences are typical events that occur in a similar way for most people, while nonnormative influences are unique events that impact individuals differently.

Timing of Influences.

The impact of life events can vary depending on when they occur in a person's life.

Research Findings.

Often applied to child rearing, education, health, and social policy.

Investment of Resources.

Allocating resources for growth, maintenance, recovery, or dealing with loss.

Contexts

Circumstances or conditions defined in part by maturation and in part by time and place.

Growth

Physical and physiological changes (structure and form); quantitative.

Development

Relatively predictable pattern of changes (organization and function); qualitative.

Maturation

Unfolding of traits resulting from the interaction of heredity and environment; broad term.

Risk Factor

Increase likelihood of negative developmental outcomes.

Protective Factor

Reduce likelihood of negative developmental outcomes.

Causal Factor

Leads to the negative developmental outcome.

Cognitive Development

Learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity; capacity to learn/make use of mental processes.

Psychosocial Development

Emotions, personality, and changes in relationships; involves social environment.

Life-Span Development

Concept of human development as a lifelong process, which can be studied scientifically; from 'womb to tomb'; can either be positive or negative.

Biological Clock

Timelines set by the body.

Social Clock

Timelines set by society.

Psychological Development

Individual's adaptive capacities compared with those of other individuals of the same chronological age.

Prenatal Period

Conception to birth; rapid formation of basic body structures and organs; fetus begins to learn how to respond to mother's voice and other sensory stimuli.

Infancy and Toddlerhood

Birth to 3 years; more physical growth, especially cognitive and motor skills; centers around attachment to parents.

Early Childhood

3 to 6 years; preschool years: acquisition of school readiness skills.

Nature vs. Nurture

Nature - development is influenced by heredity; Nativists adopt an extreme hereditary position.

Egocentrism

Inability to differentiate between own perspective with others.

Heredity

Genetic roll of the dice / inherited from biological parents.

Epigenetics

Study of how the environment and other factors can influence gene expression.

Nurture

Development is influenced by the environment (aka empiricist approach).

Empiricists

Extreme nurture position; basic assumption is that at birth, the human mind is a tabula rasa.

Identity and independence

Key aspects of adolescence marked by exploration and experimentation.

Environment

Totality of non-hereditary or experiential influence.

Young-Old

Age range 65 - 74.

Old-Old

Age range 75 - 84.

Oldest-Old

Age range 85 - 99.

Centenarians

Individuals aged 100 years or older.

Chronological Age

Number of years that have elapsed since birth.

Biological Age

Age in terms of individual's biological health.

Twin Studies

Studies showing that identical twins reared apart tend to have more similar personalities, indicating a genetic component to personality.

Variance attributed to genetics

Around 40-60% variance can be attributed to genetics.

Nonshared environmental influences

Major influence on personality; the other 50-60% of individual differences are the result of environmental differences.

Normative Influences

Significant events that affect the majority of society.

Normative History-Graded Influences

Events that a historical generation experiences at a formative time in their lives.

Cohort

A group of people born at about the same time.

Normative Age-Graded Influences

Similar influences experienced by individuals in a particular age group, such as the age of retirement.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Combination of social and economic factors describing an individual or family.

Nonnormative Influences

Unusual events that disturb the expected sequence of the life cycle.

Culture

Behavior patterns, beliefs, and all other products of a particular group of people that are passed on from generation to generation.

Ethnicity

Rooted in cultural heritage, nationality, race, religion, and language.

Critical Period

Time when it is essential for a person to be exposed to a specific stimulus to develop, characterized by a well-defined beginning and end, and irreversible effects.

Sensitive Period

Less sensitive than critical period, with no exact time frame and results that are not necessarily as dramatic or irreversible.

Ethnic Group

People united by distinctive culture, ancestry, religion, language, or national origin.

Ethnic Gloss

Overgeneralization that obscures or blurs variation among ethnic groups.

Race

Identifiable biological category that is impossible to measure reliably.

Gender

Socially constructed roles and behaviors typically associated with being male or female.

Negative effects of poverty

Can include frequent illnesses, lack of access to healthcare, emotional behavioral problems, and cognitive potential and school performance suffering.

Imprinting

An example of a critical period where effects are irreversible.

Language development

An example of a sensitive period occurring during toddlerhood and early childhood.

Poverty

A condition that is stressful and can damage children's physical, cognitive, and psychosocial well-being.

Cultural influences

Patterns that affect development by influencing household composition, economic and social resources, and interpersonal interactions.

Timing of influences

Refers to how typical events can happen at atypical times or atypical events can happen at typical times.