Developmental Psychology
Essay Preview: Developmental Psychology
Report this essay
Developmental Psychology
Chapter 1
Orientation to Lifespan Development
Life span development- Field of study that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability in behavior that occur throughout the entire lifespan. Scientific study of thinking, behavior, physical, cognitive, social, and personality development.
Life span goes from conception to death
Life span development focuses on human development and examines growth and change in people
Regardless of approach, the theorist takes all developmentalists new development as a continuing process throughout a life span
2. Characterizing Lifespan- The scope of the field or study
A. Physical development- Development involving ways that the enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another change over the life span
1. Physical development emphasizes how the brain, nervous system, muscles, sensory capabilities, need of food, drink, and sleep affect behavior.
2. Physical development declines during adulthood
B. Cognitive development- Development involving the ways that growth and change in intellectual capabilities influence a person’s behavior
1. Cognitive development emphasizes intellectual abilities, including learning, memory, problem solving, and intelligence
C. Personality development- Involves ways that the enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another change over lifespan
D. Social development- Way in which individuals interact with others and their social relationships grow, change, and remain stable over the course of life
1. Personality and social development emphasizes enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another and how interactions with others and social relationships grow and change over a lifetime
3. Age Ranges and Individual differences
A. Prenatal period- Conception to birth
B. Infancy and Toddler hood- Birth to 3 years
C. Preschool Period- 3 years to 6 years
D. Middle Childhood- 6-12 years
E. Adolescence- 12 years to 20 years
F. Young Adulthood- 20 years to 40 years
G. Middle Adulthood- 40 years to 60 years
H. Late Adulthood- 60 years to death
4. Context of Development
A. Ecological Theory- Suggest 4 levels of environment that simultaneously influence individuals
1. Theorist is Bronfenbrenner suggest we can’t fully understand development without considering how a person is influenced by these four levels
2. The 4 Levels
A. Mesosystem- Provides connections between the various aspects of the microsystem
B. Exosystem- Represents broader influences encompassing societal institutions such as local government and schools
C. Macrosystem- Represents larger culture influences on a person.
D. Chronosystem- Underlies each of the other systems
5. Developmental Diversity
A. Is about culture and cohort
1. Cohort- Means you were born in a certain time period like history, graded influences, age graded influences, socioculture, graded influences, or nonnormalitive life events.
6. Key Issues- Nature versus Nurture of a Lifespan
A. Nature is genetics, biological, and physical, or innate. Nature refers to traits, abilities, and capacities that are inherited from one’s parents.
B. Nurture is about environment or learning and how it influences that shape behavior. In nature and Nurture there is always continuous and discontinuous change. Continuous change is gradual development and discontinuous change occurs in steps
C. Maturation falls into Nature versus Nurture because it is biological Readiness. If your body is not ready to do something it will not happen.
7. Language- Speaking
Natisist versus Behaviorist, Skinner is a behaviorist, Chomsky is Natisits
Learning- Relatively permanent change in behavior
Temperament- Biological Disposition
Innate- Biological Genetics
Growth- Increase in size of organism, and of its parts
8. Theories
A. Theory- General statement that allows you to predict and understand data
1. Psychodynamic Theory or perspective- Psychic energy an d talking about the unconscious. It is motivated by inner forces, memories, and conflicts that are generally beyond one’s control or awareness
B. 2 Therapists under Psychodynamic Theory
1. Freud- Was a psychodynamic Therapist and state that you were motivated by sexual impulses. Freud used psychoanalytical which means someone on the couch could say whatever comes to mind. There were 5 stages to the psychosexual theory, Oral, Anal, Phallic, Labial, and Genital.
2. Eriksson- Studied under Freud and used the psychosexual theory. There were 8 crises. The Psychosocial development dealt with changes in our interactions with understanding of one another as members of a society.
C. Evolutionary Perspective- Seeks to identify behavior that results from genetic inheritance. This is ecological