Chapter 9: Lifespan Development

Physical development

growth and changes in the body and brain, the senses, motor skills , and health and wellness

Cognitive Development

learning attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity

Psychosocial Development

emotions, personality, and social relationships

Developmental milestones

 approximate ages at which children reach specific normative events

Assimilation

take in information that is comparable to what they already know

Accommodation

change their schemata based on new information

Object Permanence

developed typically before the age of one; the understanding that even if something is out of sight, it still exists 

Newborn Reflexes 

what all healthy newborn babies are born with; inborn automatic responses to particular forms of stimulation; usually vanishes after 5 months 

Ex: placing your finger on the baby’s cheek activates the sucking reflex; touching a baby’s hand activates the grasping reflex 

Gross Motor Skills

large muscle groups controlling our arms and legs in larger movements 

Ex: balancing, running, and jumping 

Fine Motor Skills

muscles in our fingers, toes, and eyes enabling coordination of small actions 

Ex: grasping a toy, writing with a pen, using a spoon

Young Adulthood

(early 20s-early 40s) - physical maturation (puberty) has ended, peak of physical abilities, cognitive development continues, crystilized intelligenze tends to hold steady or improve with age 

Middle Adulthood

(early 40s-early 60s) - energy decreases slowly, skin loses elasticity and becomes slightly wrinkled, vision decreases slowly over time, weight gain, hair begins to turn gray, cognitive development continues, crystilized intelligence still may improve 

Late Adulthood

(60+) - skin continues to lose elasticity, reaction time slows further, muscle strength diminished, smell, taste, hearing, and vision decline significantly, decrease in fluid intelligence but it is preventable if continuously challenged intellectually

Biological milestones

(ex: puberty) usually experienced around the same time for children across cultures

• Cultural aspects influence a child’s social milestone experience

  Effect of culture on developmental milestones:

  • Ex: age of attending school, age eligible for a driving license