Life Span Development

• Human development


  The study of how we change over time
• Characteristics of Human Development

  • Development is multidimensional
  • Development is lifelong, and change is apparent across the lifespan
  • Development is multidirectional
  • Development is multidisciplinary
  • Development is multicontextual
• Physical, Cognitive, Psychosocial


  The 3 general domains/dimensions of human development
• Psychosocial development


  Developmental changes in emotions & psychological concerns, & social relationships
• Discontinuous development


  • Stage theories
• Continuous development


  • Development is a more slow & gradual process, brain development and environmental experiences contribute to the acquisition of more advanced skills
• Multidirectional development


  • Humans change in many directions, we may show gains in some areas while showing losses in others, every change entails both growth and loss, there are variations in development
• We no longer assume that those who develop in predictable ways are normal and those who do not are abnormal
• Adulthood is also a dynamic period of life marked by continued cognitive, social, and psychological development
• Multidisciplinary development


  • Developmental psychology is related to other applied fields like educational psychology, psychopathology, and forensic developmental psychology, it complements fields like social psychology, cognitive psychology, gerontology, and child development, many academic disciplines contribute and collaborate to the study of life span
• Our journeys through life are more than biological; they are shaped by culture, history, economic, and political realities as much as they are influenced by physical change
• Multicontextual development


  • People are best understood in context, context refers to when and where we live, and our actions, beliefs, and values are a response to circumstances surrounding us, Triarchic theory of Intelligence describes "contextual" intelligence as the ability to understand what is called for in a situation
• Cohort effect


  A group of people who are born at roughly the same period in a particular society, they share histories and contexts for living, and experienced the same historical events and cultural climates which have an impact on their values, priorities, and goals
• Socioeconomic status


  A way to identify families and households based on their shared levels of education, income, and occupation, members of a social class tend to share similar lifestyles, patterns of consumption, parenting styles, stressors, religious preferences, etc., we are all born into or are socially located and may move up or down a class system depending on socially & individually created limits & opportunities
• Culture


  A blueprint or guideline shared by a group of people that specifies how to live, including ideas about what is right and wrong, what to strive for, what to eat, how to speak, what is valued, and what kinds of emotions are called for in certain situations, it is learned from parents, schools, churches, media, friends, and others throughout a lifetime, and it serves to help members function in their society
• Periods of Development


  • Prenatal
  • Infancy
  • Childhood
  • Juvenile Era
  • Pre-Adolescence
  • Early Adolescence
  • Late Adolescence
  • Adulthood
• Developmental psychology is the scientific study of changes that occur in human beings throughout their lives
• This field examines change and development across a broad range of topics and contexts including physical development, cognitive development, social and emotional development, and self-concept and identity formation
• Much of what is known concerning the lifespan has been information gathered through research
• Egocentrism is when children believe everyone thinks like they do
• Theory of Mind is the ability to understand that other people have their own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, desires, etc.
• Developmental Psychology is the scientific study of changes that occurs in humans and being throughout their lives.
• Cognitive development refers to how we think about ourselves and our world.
• Emotional development refers to how we feel about ourselves and those around us.
• Social development refers to how we interact with others and form relationships.
• Social development refers to how we interact with others and form relationships.
• Physical development refers to how our bodies grow and develop over time.