FAD 3220- Exam #1

Lifespan Development

The field of study that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability in behavior that occur throughout the entire lifespan.

What are the major topical areas of lifespan development?

• - physical development

• - cognitive development

• - personality development

• - social development

Physical development

Involves the bodies physical makeup. Brain, Nervous system, muscle, senses.

Cognitive development

Involves intellectual capacities that influence a person’s behavior

Personality development

Involves the ways that enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another

Social development

involves the way in which individuals’ interactions with others grow, change, and remain stable

cohort

age ranges

sociocultural-graded influences

the social and cultural factors present at particular time for a particular individual depending on such variables as ethnicity, social class, and subcultural membership.

examples of sociocultural-graded influences

age graded-influences

biological and influences that are similar for individuals in a particular

example of age graded-influences

puberty or menopause

non-normative life events

atypical events that occur in a particular person’s life at a time when such events do not happen to most people

example of a non-normative event

a child loses their parents in an automobile crash at age 6

continuous change

gradual development in which achievements at one level build on those of previous levels

discontinuous change

development that occurs in distinct steps or stages, with each stage bringing about behavior that is assumed to be qualitatively different from behavior at previous stages

critical period

Specific time during development when a particular event has its greatest consequences and the presence of certain kinds of environmental stimuli are necessary for development to proceed normally

sensitive period

Point in development when organisms are particularly susceptible to certain kinds of stimuli in their environments, but the absence of those stimuli does not always produce irreversible results

psychodynamic theories include

• psychoanalytic theory

• psychosocial theory

psychoanalytic theory

unconscious forces act to determine personality and behavior

Freud is the theorist of the

psychoanalytic theory

According to Freud, personality has 3 aspects

• id

• ego

• superego

id

the raw, unorganized, inborn part of personality present at birth

ego

part of the personality that is rational and reasonable

superego

represents a person’s conscience, incorporates distinction between right or wrong

psychosexual development

a series of stages that children pass through in which pleasure, or gratification, is focused on a particular biological function and body part

psychosexual development stages include

• oral

• anal

• phallic

• latency

• genital

oral (12-18 months)

interest in oral gratification from sucking, eating, mouthing, biting

anal (12-18 months to 3 years)

gratification from expelling and withholding feces; coming to terms with society’s controls relating to toilet training

phallic (3 to 5-6 years)

interests in genitals; coming to terms with the Oedipal conflict, leading to identification with same sex parent

latency

Sexual concerns largely unimportant

genital

Reemergence of sexual interests and establishment of mature sexual relationships

psychosocial theory

Development occurs through changes in interactions with and understanding of others and in self knowledge and understanding of members of society

Erickson is the theorist of the

psychosocial theory

Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development include:

• trust vs. mistrust

• autonomy vs. shame & doubt

• initiative vs. guilt

• identity vs. role diffusion

• intimacy vs. isolation

• generativity vs. stagnation

• ego-integrity vs. despair

trust vs. mistrust

feelings of trust from environmental support vs. fear and concern regarding others

autonomy vs. shame

self-sufficiency if exploration is encouraged vs. doubts about self, lack of independence

initiative vs. guilt

discovery of ways to initiate actions vs. guilt from actions or thoughts

industry vs. inferiority

development of sense of competence vs. feelings of inferiority, no sense of mastery

identity vs. role diffusion

awareness of uniqueness of self, knowledge of role to be followed vs. inability to identify appropriate roles in life

intimacy vs. isolation

development of loving, sexual relationships and close friendships vs. fear of relationships with others

generativity vs. stagnation

sense of contribution to continuity of life vs. trivialization of one’s activities

ego-integrity vs. despair

sense of unity in life’s accomplishments vs. regret over lost opportunities of life

Behavioral perspective

the approach that suggests that the keys to understanding development are observable behavior and outside stimuli in the environment

John B. Watson’s Classical conditioning

a type of learning in which an organism responds in a particular way to a neutral stimulus that normally does not bring about that type of response

Operant conditioning

a form of learning in which a voluntary response is strengthened or weakened by its association with positive or negative consequences

behavior modification

a formal technique for promoting the frequency of desirable behaviors and decreasing the incidence of unwanted ones

reinforcement

the process by which a behavior is followed by a stimulus that increases the probability that the behavior will be repeated

punishment

the introduction of an unpleasant or painful stimulus or the removal of a desirable stimulus, will decrease the probability that a preceding behavior will occur in the future

extinguished behavior

behavior that receives no reinforcement or is punished

social-cognitive learning theory

learning by observing the behavior of another person, called a model

cognitive perspective

the approach that focuses on the processes that allow people to know, understand, and think about the world

Piaget’s Theory of _________

Cognitive Development

cognitive development

human thinking is arranged into schemes, organized mental patterns that represent behaviors and actions

information processing approaches

the model that seeks to identify the ways individuals take in, use, and store information

cognitive neuroscience approaches

approaches that examine cognitive development through the lens of brain processes

autism spectrum disorder

a major developmental disability that can produce profound language deficits and self-injurious behavior in young children

scientific method

the process of posing and answering questions using careful, controlled techniques that include systematic, orderly observation and the collection of data

hypothesis

a prediction stated in a way that permits it to be tested

correlational research

Seeks to identify whether an association or relationship between two factors exists; CANNOT be used to determine whether one factor causes changes in the other—only association or relationship

experimental research

Seeks to discover causal relationships between various factors; change introduced in a carefully structured situation to see consequences of that change

correlation coefficient

• Mathematical score that ranges from +1.0 to -1.0

• Strength and direction of relationship between two factors

• Does not prove causality

• Does provide important information

Types of correlational studies

• naturalistic observation

• ethnography

• case studies

• survey research

• psychophysiological methods

naturalistic observation

a type of correlational study in which some naturally occurring behavior is observed without intervention in the situation

ethnography

method that borrows from anthropology and is used to investigate cultural questions

case studies

studies that involve extensive, in-depth interviews with a particular individual or small group of individuals

survey research

a type of study where a group of people chosen to represent some larger population are asked questions about their attitudes, behavior, or thinking on a given topic

psychophysiological methods

research that focuses on the relationship between physiological processes and behavior

psychophysiological methods include:

• Electroencephalogram (EEG)

• Computed tomography (CT) scan

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan

experiement

a process in which an investigator, called an experimenter, devises two different experiences for participants and then studies and compares the outcomes

independent variable

Variable that researchers manipulate

dependent variable

the variable that researchers measure to see if it changes as a result of the experimental manipulation

sample

the group of participants chosen for the experiment

field study

a research investigation carried out in a naturally occurring setting

laboratory study

a research investigation conducted in a controlled setting explicitly designed to hold events constant

theoretical research

research designed specifically to test some developmental explanation and expand scientific knowledge

applied research

research meant to provide practical solutions to immediate problems

longitudinal research

research in which the behavior of one or more participants in a study is measured as they age

cross-sectional research

research in which people of different ages are compared at the same point in time

sequential studies

research in which researchers examine a number of different age groups over several points in time

zygote

the new cell formed by the process of fertilization

chromosomes

rod-shaped portions of DNA

blastocyst

fertilized egg

germinal stage

the first—and shortest—stage of the prenatal period, which takes place during the first 2 weeks following conception

placenta

a conduit between the mother and fetus, providing nourishment and oxygen via the umbilical cord

embryonic stage

he period from 2 to 8 weeks following fertilization during which significant growth occurs in the major organs and body systems

ectoderm

forms skin, hair, teeth, sense organs, and the brain and spinal cord

endoderm

inner layer, produces digestive system, liver, pancreas, and respiratory system

mesoderm

he muscles, bones, blood, and circulatory system are forged

fetal stage

the stage that begins at about 8 weeks after conception and continues until birth

2 months after conception the baby’s head is

half it’s size

The baby’s head after conception is

3/8 it’s size

A newborn baby’s head is

¼ it’s size

infertility

the inability to conceive after 12 to 18 months of trying to become pregnant

miscarriage

medically known as a spontaneous abortion—occurs when pregnancy ends before the developing child is able to survive outside the mother’s womb

abortion

a mother voluntarily chooses to terminate pregnancy

teratogen

a factor that produces a birth defect

neonates

the term used for newborns

episiotomy

an incision sometimes made to increase the size of the opening of the vagina to allow the baby to pass

apgar scale

an incision sometimes made to increase the size of the opening of the vagina to allow the baby to pass

braxton hicks contraction

“false labor"“