stages of lifespan

• Lifespan psychology

  Study of the continuity and change throughout lifespan. We study lifespan, to understand the difference between 'normal and abnormal' at particular ages.
• Factors influencing development

  • Some process is biological (nature)
  • Some are influenced by the environment and people (nurture)
  • Some processes are the same
  • Some are unique individuals
• Development stages across the lifespan

  • Physical (gross + fine motor skills)
  • Cognitive (language)
  • Social & emotional
• Prenatal (conception-birth)


  1. Gross: 14 weeks fetus able to curl their toes, suck their thumb & move their arms and legs.

  2. Fine: small muscle in the face used to smile & grimace (twisted facial expressions)

  3. Unborn babies of 30 weeks – listen to their mother's talk + learn speech sounds

  4. Some research suggested that the fetus can sense + react to their mothers' emotion.
• Infancy (birth - 1)


  1. Gross: babies hold their heads up, roll over, crawl, sit without support.

  2. Fine: small muscle in the face creates facial expressions.

  3. Fine: baby grasp reflexively, anything that touches their palm of their hand.

  4. Show desire to communicate with others

  5. Can read + react to facial expression from caregivers.

  6. 1 year

  Use partial words + vocabulary rapid grows around 50 words (e.g. 'da' instead of 'dad')

  7. 2months

  Infants start smiling at people

  8. 4months

  Like to play with others

  9. 6months

  Start responding to emotions of others

  10. 9 months

  Clingy with primary caregivers

  11. 1 years

  Play games, imitates facial expressions of others, form attachment
• Childhood (1-12)


  1. 1 year of age

  Gross: walk up steps, run, kick or throw a ball, climb on furniture.

  Fine: using a spoon, scribbling with pen, unzipping zippers.

  2. 5 years of age

  Gross: hop, swing, catch a bounced ball, ride a tricycle, run easily + walk up & down stairs.

  Fine: turn book pages, use scissors, write some letters and numbers, turn door handles + use a fork & spoon.

  3. 3 years

  Vocab around 200 words, sentences of 3 or more 4 words used.

  4. 5 years

  Children speaks clearly, tell simple stories, understand basic grammar rules.

  5. 11 years

  Vocabs around 19000

  6. 15months-2yrs

  Displaying self-awareness by recognizing in mirror

  7. 2 years

  Show affection to those familiar, engage pretend play, temper tantrums

  8. 5 years

  Children cooperate with others, show range of emotions, show their interest

  9. 6-12 years

  Form relationships

  10. 12 years

  Self-esteem develops
• Adolescence (12-20)


  1. Period of human development starts from puberty and ends with physiological + neurobiological maturity.

  Gross: developed enough paly adult sports.

  Fine: sew, write, draw + play an instrument

  2. Improvement in language comprehension.

  Comprehend abstract language. E.g. similes + idioms

  Vocabs continues to increase

  3. 12 years

  Better at regulating remotion (brain plasticity- development amygdala, more active)

  Increased understanding of their self-concept.

  More time spent with friends. Increase social connections away from family.
• Early adulthood (20-40)


  1. Motor skills operate at their best.

  Gross: physical development is at their prime during this age.

  Fine: good control

  2. Improvement knowledge of words + their meaning.

  Verbal fluency start to decline after 35

  3. Intimate relationships tend to form in the mid to late 20s

  (close friendships + romantic relos)

  Dependence on family decreases
• Middle age (40-65)


  1. Older adults find it more difficult to learn + maintain a new motor skill than younger adults.

  2. Tip of the tongue phenomenon increases with age

  Verbal fluency continues to decline

  3. Decrease in negative emotion, increase in positive emotions.

  May experience 'mid-life crisis' desire to feel youthful.

  51 average women experience menopause.
• Older age (65+)


  1. Complex motor requires more brain activity than they used to. Start a notice a decline in reactivity.

  Gross: performs slower

  Fine: the control declines

  2. Tip of the tongue phenomenon increases

  Speed of language process declines

  Difficulties language production may occur – slower speech, increase numbers of fillers, pauses in speech.

  Verbal fluency continues to decline

  3. Common to have smaller + tighter social networks.

  Life experience gave allowed greater emotional regulation emotion.

  Become more dependent, shame + guilt to dependency.

  Increase feelings of self-worth + self-esteem.
• Changes across development stages


  • Physical (Gross motor skills, Fine motor skills)
  • Cognitive (language)
  • Social and emotional
• Gross motor skills


  Skills involved large muscle movements e.g. walking which uses large muscle in the leg (running)
• Fine motor skills


  Skill involving small muscle movement of the body such as hand/wrist/face e.g. writing with a pen
• Cognitive development


  Refers to the change in the ability to think and reason, including changes in language.
• Social development


  Changes that occur in your relationship with others