Introduction BioPsychoSocial Notes

Introduction

  • Human development is the multidisciplinary study of how people change or stay the same over time.

  • Example: Jeanne Calment lived for 122 years, witnessing significant societal changes.

Lifespan

  • Life Span: The oldest age documented is currently 122 years.

  • Life Expectancy: The average number of years a person can expect to live is currently 78 years.

Recurring Issues in Human Development

  • Development is shaped by a complex set of factors.

  • Fundamental Characteristics of Human Development:

    • Nature and nurture

    • Continuity and discontinuity

    • Universal and context-specific development

Nature-Nurture Issue

  • Questions whether personal characteristics are inherited (nature) or shaped by the environment (nurture).

  • Example: Consider how nature and nurture influence career choices, such as becoming a professional baseball player.

Continuity-Discontinuity Issue

  • Do personal characteristics remain stable (continuity) or change abruptly (discontinuity)?

  • Universal vs. Context-Specific Development: Is there one developmental path or multiple?

Developmental Issues

  • Nature and Nurture: Influence of genetics versus environment.

  • Stability and Change: Persistence of early traits versus change over time.

  • Continuity and Discontinuity: Gradual change versus distinct stages of development.

Basic Forces in Human Development

  • Four Interactive Forces:

    • Biological forces

    • Psychological forces

    • Sociocultural forces

    • Life-cycle forces

  • Interaction of these forces is termed the biopsychosocial framework.

Biopsychosocial Framework

Biological Development

  • Includes brain, height, weight, muscle, motor skills, and hormones.

Psychological Development

  • Pertains to changes in thought, intelligence, language, emotions, memory, and cognitions.

Social Development

  • Involves relationships, culture, and interpersonal reactions.

Getting to Know Your Culture

  • Reflection questions:

    • Where are you from? City, suburb, rural?

    • How many siblings do you have?

    • Who did you grow up with?

    • Significant life experiences, e.g., first date, job, driving, family backgrounds.

Conceptions of Age

  • Chronological Age: Years since birth.

  • Biological Age: Health-related age.

  • Psychological Age: Adaptive capacities.

  • Social Age: Social roles and expectations.

Neuroscience and Human Development

  • Neuroscience examines brain and nervous system, focusing on brain-behavior relationships.

  • Application to memory, reasoning, and emotion, using molecular analyses and brain imaging techniques.

Psychodynamic Theory

  • Development determined by conflict resolution at different life stages.

  • Key Theorists: Erik Erikson and Sigmund Freud.

  • Erikson’s theory is based on psychosocial stages.

Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development

Stage

Age Range

Challenge

Basic Trust vs. Mistrust

Birth to 1 year

Develop a sense of safety and trust.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

1 to 3 years

Realize independence and decision-making.

Initiative vs. Guilt

3 to 6 years

Develop ability to try new things and handle failure.

Industry vs. Inferiority

6 years to adolescence

Learn skills and work with others.

Identity vs. Identity Confusion

Adolescence

Develop a lasting sense of self.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Young adulthood

Commit to loving relationships.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Middle adulthood

Contribute to next generation through work.

Integrity vs. Despair

Late life

View life as satisfactory.

Learning Theory

  • Examines how learning influences behavior.

  • Key Theories:

    • Behaviorism (B.F. Skinner): Consequences determine behavior repetition.

    • Social Learning Theory (Albert Bandura): Learning through imitation and observational learning.

Cognitive-Developmental Theory

  • Explores how thinking changes over time.

  • Key Theorists:

    • Jean Piaget: Children create and test their theories about the world.

    • Information-Processing Theory: Focus on cognitive structures and processes.

    • Vygotsky's Theory: Impact of culture on child development.

Piaget's Four Stages of Cognitive Development

Stage

Age Range

Characteristics

Sensorimotor

Birth to 2 years

Knowledge based on senses/motor skills; use mental representation.

Preoperational

2 to 6 years

Use symbols to represent the world; egocentric view.

Concrete Operational

7 years to early adolescence

Apply logical operations to experiences; focus on here and now.

Formal Operational

Adolescence

Think abstractly, deal with hypothetical situations.

Ecological & Systems Perspective

  • Development cannot be separated from the environment.

  • Bronfenbrenner’s Theory: Interaction across four environmental levels.

  • Competence-Environmental Press Theory: Balance between ability and environmental demands is optimal for development.

Lifelong Development Perspective

  • Understanding individuals requires knowledge of their life experiences.

  • Four Features of Lifespan Development:

    • Multidirectionality

    • Plasticity

    • Historical context

    • Multiple causation.

Life-Course Perspective

  • Examines how generations experience developmental forces.

  • Considers individual and societal interplay, e.g., marriage age trends.

The Big Picture of Theoretical Perspectives on Human Development

Force

Emphases

Main Idea

Psychodynamic

Personality develops through sequences of stages

Nature-nurture interaction; less context-specific.

Learning

Behavior influenced by consequences and observational learning

Strong emphasis on nurture.

Cognitive

Thinking develops in stages

Nature-nurture interaction; less emphasis on life cycle.

Ecological & Systems

Individuals embedded in interacting systems

Nature-nurture interaction and emphasis on context.

Lifespan

Development as influenced by multiple interacting forces

Strong emphasis on interactions of all forces; context specific.

Measurement in Human Development Research

  • Approaches:

    • Systematic Observation

    • Sampling Behavior with Tasks

    • Self-Reports

    • Physiological Measures

Systematic Observations

  • Naturalistic Observations: In natural settings.

  • Structured Observations: Controlled environments; potential for artificial behavior.

Self-Reports

  • Responses to survey questions or interviews; reliability dependent on memory and honesty.

Physiological Measures

  • Brain imaging and other physiological metrics provide direct measurements but are specific in focus.

Validity and Reliability in Research

  • Reliability: Consistency of measure.

  • Validity: Accuracy in assessing the intended constructs.

  • Samples must represent the population of interest.

  • Question: Can a measure be reliable but not valid?

General Designs for Research

  • Correlational Studies: Examine natural variable relationships.

  • Experimental Studies: Manipulate variables to identify causal relationships.

Correlation and Causation

  • Correlation does not imply causation; an example: the relationship between a snowstorm and a baby boom.

General Designs for Research Cont’d

  • Qualitative Research: In-depth understanding of behavior, may use small samples.

True Experiments

  • Regulated procedures manipulating factors while holding others constant; can establish cause and effect.

Designing Studies on Development

Longitudinal Studies

  • Test the same individuals throughout their lives, offering insight into changes over time.

Cross-Sectional Studies

  • Test people of different ages at the same time, noting cohort effects.

Sequential Studies

  • Combine cross-sectional and longitudinal methods for a comprehensive approach.

Conducting Research Ethically

  • Participants' rights must be respected; informed consent is mandatory before participation.

Communicating Research Results

  • Researchers aim for publication in scientific journals, providing a basis for further knowledge in the field.