Chapter 1 Life Span Development Psychology

Nature vs. Nurture

Influence of heredity vs. environment

Continuity vs. discontinuity

Does development smoothly progress or shift abruptly

Universal vs. context-specific development

Is there just one or multiple ways in which development occurs

Biological forces

Genetic, health related

Psychological forces

Cognitive/perceptual, emotional, and personality

Sociocultural forces

Societal, cultural, ethnic, and interpersonal

Life-cycle forces

• Identical events and different age groups

Life-cycle forces

• Identical events and different age groups

Neuroscience

the study of the brain and the nervous system, especially in terms of brain– behavior

relationships

Theory

an organized set of ideas that is designed to explain development

Psychodynamic Theory

that development is largely determined by how well people resolve conflicts they face at different ages

??? proposed the first comprehensive life-span view of psychosocial development in his ??? theory of personality

Erik Erikson, psychosocial

Basic trust vs. mistrust Age:

Birth to 1 year

Basic trust vs. mistrust Challenge:

To develop a sense that the world is safe, a "good place"

Autonomy vs. shame Age

1 to 3 years

Autonomy vs. shame Challenge

To realize that one is an independent person who can make decisions and doubt

Initiative vs. guilt Age

3 to 6 years

Initiative vs. guilt Challenge

To develop the ability to try new things and to handle failure

Industry vs. inferiority Age

6 years to adolescence

Industry vs. inferiority Challenge

To learn basic skills and to work with others

Identity vs. identity confusion Age

Adolescence

Identity vs. identity confusion Challenge

To develop a lasting, integrated sense of self

Intimacy vs. isolation Age

Young Adulthood

Intimacy vs. isolation Challenge

To commit to another in a loving relationship

Generativity vs. stagnation Age

Middle Adulthood

Generativity vs. stagnation Challenge

To contribute to younger people through childrearing, child care, mentoring, or other intergenerational work

Integrity vs. despair Age

Late Adulthood

Integrity vs. despair Challenge

To view one's life as satisfactory and having been worth living

Operant conditioning

The consequences of a behavior determine whether it will be repeated

A positive or negative ??? increases the chance that a behavior will be repeated.

reinforcement

A ??? decreases the chance that a behavior will be repeated.

punishment

Observational learning

People learn by watching others

Imitation

when the subject of an observation is seen as smart, popular, or talented or is rewarded for the behavior

Self-efficacy

people’s beliefs about their own abilities and talents

Piaget's approach to stress says ….

that we develop in four discrete stages

Information-processing theory says that ….

like computers, we become more efficient at processing information as we mature

Vygotsky's theory states that ….

sociocultural expectations we learn at different ages, and our “apprenticeship” with skilled others, shape development