devpsy p1

• Human Development


  The process of growth and change that takes place between birth and maturity (until death).
• Human Development


  the scientific study of age-related changes throughout the human life span.
• Human Developmental

  • Examines how and why people change over time
  • Examines how and why people are both unique and similar to each other
  • Multidisciplinary science based on theories and researches
• Developmental psychology

  Recognizes humans of all societies and cultures as beings who are "in process," or constantly growing and changing
• Developmental psychology

  Identifies the biological, psychological, and social aspects that interact to influence the growing human life-span process
• Developmental Norm


  A standard based upon the average abilities or performances of children of a specified age
• Norms


  Averages of growth, development, work-rate or various other abilities observed across populations
• Assumptions within developmental psychology

  • Development is lifelong
  • Development is multidimensional
  • Development is multidirectional
  • Development is fluid
  • Development is embedded in history
  • Development is multidisciplinary
  • Development is contextual
• Ancient times to Middle Ages


  children were seen as inherently evil and discipline was harsh
• 1800's (industrial revolution)


  different stages of development according to age (infancy, childhood, adulthood, old age)
• (1950's) Stanley Hall said that there is between a childhood and adulthood, the stage is called ADOLESCENCE
• development is LIFELONG


  development occurs across the full lifespan of the individual, including both growth and ageing, gains, losses, all of which interact in dynamic ways
• development is MULTIDIMENSIONAL


  biological, socio-emotional and cognitive aspects overlap within development
• development is MULTIDIRECTIONAL

  some dimensions of development may increase or grow while others decrease
• development is FLUID


  depending on an individual's life conditions, development may take many paths and there is often potential for change.

  ex. the reasoning abilities of older adults may be improved through training
• development is EMBEDDED IN HISTORY

  historical conditions are very important.
• development is MULTIDISCIPLINARY


  sociologists, psychologists, linguists, anthropologist, medical researchers and neuroscientists all study human development from different perspective.
• development is CONTEXTUAL


  individuals continually respond to and act on various contexts that in turn influence them
• developmental psychology studies changes in behaviour across the lifespan
• The Life-Span Perspective

  an approach to human development which examines changes at all ages
• The Life-Span Perspective


  one of the basic approaches of current developmental psychology
• Stability versus change


  earlier psychological theory supposed that personality was fundamentally shaped during the early childhood years and remained, in relative terms, the same thereafter
• Stability versus change


  first five years of childhood influence people permanently
• Stability versus change 


  children are no longer seen as passive recipients of environmental influences, but as active protagonists in influencing and moderating these environmental factors
• Nature vs Nurture

  • Heredity
  • Nativism
  • Environmental Determinism
• Heredity (nature)


  Those inborn characteristics which we inherit through our genes from our parents
• Nature refers to how genetics influence an individual's personality.
• nurture refers to how their environment (including relationships and experiences) impacts their development.
• Nativism


  the viewpoint that our characteristics and abilities are chiefly determined by our inborn characteristics (often also referred to as genetic determinism) this represents the nature side
• Environmental determinism


  the view that environmental factors exert the greatest influence on human development. This represents the nurture side of the nature-nurture debate
• Continuity vs Discontinuity


  does developmental growth follow a gradual and cumulative pattern (ex. a huge tree develops from a tiny seedling), or

  does growth rather take place in clearly differentiated stages (as larva transforms into a moth.)
• Nature of Developmental changes

  • Quantitative changes
  • Qualitative changes
• Quantitative changes

  changes in degree or amount; changes in height or weight
• Qualitative changes

  changes in kind, structure or organization, which make a fundamental difference to the individual.

  ex. the preverbal infant is qualitatively different to the toddler who can speak
• Phylogeny


  application of developmental psychology to the understanding of the development of a wider group of people or 'species'
• Ontogeny


  application of developmental psychology to the understanding of the individual development of the specific child or person.
• Critical period


  a specific time during development when a given event has its greatest effect.
• Readiness


  the point at which an individual can be said to have matured sufficiently to benefit from particular learning experience.
• Normative


  an event i normative when it occurs in a similar manner for most people in a given group; physical changes such as puberty or menopause
• NOn-normative


  these are unusual events that have a significant impact on an individual's life