Summary of Lifespan Psychology and Developmental Theories

Lifespan Psychology and Developmental Theories

  • Definition of Lifespan Development

    • Study of human growth, change, and stability from conception to death.
    • Multidisciplinary approach.

  • Main Goals

    • Translate research into practical solutions to improve human life.
    • Example: Increased driving regulations based on teen risk-taking behavior research.

  • Areas of Development

    • Biological, cognitive, social, emotional, and personality development.
    • Interactive influence among these domains.

  • Development Patterns

    • Continuous vs. discontinuous development.
    • Nature vs. nurture as sources of development.
    • Timing of development opportunities is critical.

  • Key Theoretical Perspectives

    • Erikson's Psychosocial Theory:
    • Eight stages focusing on psychosocial crises (e.g., trust vs. mistrust in infancy).
    • Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory:
    • Stages of mental process development through interaction with the environment (e.g., object permanence).

  • Research Methods in Developmental Psychology

    • Use of imaging tools in cognitive neuroscience.
    • Behavioral genetics exploring nature-nurture interactions via kinship studies.

  • Behaviorist Perspective

    • Focus on environmental influences on behavior.
    • Concepts: Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning (e.g., Bobo doll study).

  • Contextual Influences on Development

    • Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model: Individual experiences to broader cultural influences.
    • Concepts of cohort effects (shared experiences among age groups).

  • Identity and Sexual Orientation

    • Distinctions between biological sex assigned at birth, gender roles, identity, and sexuality.

  • Scientific Method in Research

    • Use of inductive (observations to ideas) and deductive reasoning (testing ideas).
    • Importance of theories, hypotheses, reliability, and validity in research.

  • Correlation in Research

    • Measure of relationship between variables: can be positive, negative, or nonexistent.

  • Research Designs

    • Longitudinal, cross-sectional, and cross-sequential designs for studying developmental changes over time.

  • Ethics in Research

    • Importance of informed consent, equity, integrity, and review by IRBs or IACUCs for human and animal research.
    • Addressing potential harm in research settings.