Human Development Notes

Introduction to Human Development

What is Human Development?

  • The study of HOW people develop across the lifespan.
  • Lifespan perspective: 8 broad stages, all influenced by both nature & nurture (genetics and environment).
    • Pre-natal (conception-birth)
    • Infancy/toddlerhood (0-2)
    • Early childhood (2-6)
    • Middle childhood (6-11)
    • Adolescence (11-18)
    • Early adulthood (18-40)
    • Middle adulthood (40-65)
    • Late adulthood (65+)

Aspects of Human Development

  • Human development includes multiple aspects:
    • Social
    • Biological
    • Emotional
    • Physical

Three Big Issues in Human Development

  1. Nature/Nurture?
  2. Stages/Continuous?
  3. Critical/sensitive periods & importance of early experiences?

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

  • Jean Piaget (1896-1980): Pioneering developmental psychologist.
  • Stage 1 (0-2): Sensorimotor
    • Infants explore the world with their senses and behaviours; child is in the centre (egocentric).
  • Stage 2 (2-7): Preoperational
    • Use of symbols (like language); object permanence; can consider different perspectives.
  • Stage 3 (7-11): Concrete operational
    • The child can apply some logic, understand conservation and perform reversible mental operations.
  • Stage 4 (12+): Formal operational
    • Adolescent/adult can apply logic abstractly & think hypothetically.

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

  • Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) proposed the zone of proximal development (ZPD).
  • We learn best just beyond the zone of our current capabilities with the help of a capable other.
  • Learning is more a continuum than stages.
  • Learning is social.

Stages and Continuous Development

  • Some theorists integrate an understanding of the broad stages of Piaget's theory with an information-processing approach.

Critical and Sensitive Periods

  • Critical period: window when development MUST happen.
  • Sensitive period: optimal window for development.
  • The brain/nervous system can be particularly sensitive to certain environmental inputs at certain times.
    • Pre-natal brain & alcohol (teratogens).
    • Early childhood speech?

Research Designs in Human Development

  • Three main types of research design:
    • Cross-sectional studies
    • Longitudinal studies
    • Sequential studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Snapshot of single time-point.
  • Compare between different age groups.
  • Relatively simple and fast.
  • Cannot determine causality.
  • Example: “What’s the difference between 100-year-olds and 60-year-olds?”
Longitudinal Studies
  • Same individuals over time.
  • Useful for assessing age-related changes in behaviour.
  • Take a long time.
  • High cost.
  • Risk of attrition (participants dropping out).
  • Susceptible to cohort effects.
  • Example: The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (1972 – ongoing).
    • 1037 newborn babies were assessed, then again at various ages up to 45 years and ongoing.
    • Hundreds of journal articles published from this single longitudinal study; for example, looking at stress & biological aging, social isolation & brain age, oral health & quality of life.
Sequential Studies
  • Minimise cohort effects by studying multiple cohorts longitudinally.
  • Combine the strengths of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs.
  • Allow researchers to distinguish between age effects, cohort effects, and time of measurement effects.

What is Age?

  • Chronological age
  • Biological age
  • Psychological age
  • Social age
  • Functional age

Ageing as a Mindset

  • Ellen Langer’s counterclockwise study: Can your beliefs/environment make you biologically younger?

Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

  • Carol Dweck: A Growth Mindset Drives Motivation and Achievement.
  • Growth Mindset:
    • I can get smarter.
    • Learning is my goal.
    • Effort makes me stronger.
    • I'd spend more time and work harder.
    • Higher Achievement.
  • Reference: Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck (2007) Child Development

The Brain

  • The brain isn't born, it's built.
  • Billions of neurons & ongoing neuroplasticity.

Why the Study of Human Development Matters

  • Reveals how experiences, biology and environment shape us across life.
  • Helps us understand ourselves and others (why people do what they do).
  • Can save and improve lives.
  • Better parents, teachers, educators, practitioners, carers, friends etc.
  • Can guide policy and practices, shaping environments where people can thrive.
  • Reminds us that change is always possible.

Human Development Recap

  • 3 main types of study.
  • Stages & continuous development.
  • Nature & nurture interact.
  • Entire lifespan from pre-natal to end of life.
  • Some critical or at least sensitive stages.
  • Next three lectures will cover in more depth physical, cognitive & social development.

Social Development

  • Secure attachment leads to stronger relationships & resilience.
  • How a baby responds to being left alone predicts how they’ll handle stress years later.
  • Next lecture (from me) will cover this topic.