DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES

DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES

CONTINUITY VS. STAGES

  • Is development gradual and continuous (like riding an escalator)?

  • Or does it happen in distinct stages (like climbing a ladder)?

Key Ideas:

  • Experience & Learning: Development happens slowly and continuously as we gain experience.

  • Biological Maturation: Growth is also a gradual process shaped by genetics.

STABILITY VS. CHANGE

  • Do personality traits stay the same throughout life, or do they change as we age?

Key Takeaways:

  1. Early traits aren't a good predictor – The first two years of life don’t determine personality.

  2. Personality stabilizes over time – As we get older, we develop a more consistent personality.

  3. Some things always change – Physical appearance, skills, and some traits evolve with age.

Examples:

  • Stability: Traits that stay mostly the same (e.g., being introverted or extroverted).

  • Change: Traits that can shift over time (e.g., emotional responses).

NATURE VS. NURTURE

  • How do genes (nature) and environment (nurture) shape our development?

Nature & Nurture Work Together

  • Temperament (our natural emotional reactions) is influenced by both genes and life experiences.

  • Scientists study how much of who we are comes from biology (nature) and how much comes from our surroundings (nurture).

DEVELOPMENTAL LANDMARKS

Gross Motor Skills (Large Movements)

  • Skills that involve big muscle movements.

  • Examples: Crawling, walking, jumping, running, climbing, skipping, throwing/catching a ball.

Fine Motor Skills (Small Movements)

  • Skills that involve hand and finger coordination.

  • Examples: Reaching, grasping, manipulating objects, hand-eye coordination tasks.

Cross-sectional Study – A study comparing different age groups at one time.

Longitudinal Study – Study tracking the same individuals over time.