Chapter 1 power point adapted

Introduction to Child Development

Chapter 1

1 | 2Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

What is child development?

• Changes in physical, social, emotional and intellectual functioning over time, from conception through adolescence

• Changes include alterations in:– Size– Shape– Function


Areas of Development

• Physical development– Growth and change in a person’s body and bodily

functions

• Cognitive development– Mental processes used to process information,

become aware, solve problems, and gain knowledge

• Social-emotional development– Processes related to one’s interactions with others

Photo credit of Gabriela Martorell.


Critical Issues

• INFLUENCES ON CHILD DEVELOPMENT

• NATURE AND NURTURE

• CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITY

• CRITICAL/SENSITIVE PERIODS

• INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN DEVELOPMENT


Influences on Child Development

• Maturation– Involves a series of preprogrammed transformations

in the form, structure, or function of an individual

• Environmental factors– Influences behavior through learning, which occurs

as a result of observation, experience, instruction, or practice

– Socialization is when children learn social roles and become members of groups


Nature and Nurture• Nature

– Biological and genetic factors

• Nurture– Environmental factors


Continuity and Discontinuity

• Continuous – Development is smooth and gradual– Quantitative change

• Discontinuous– Development is abrupt and unstable– Qualitative change– Implicit in stage theories


Stage Theories and the Size of the Lens

• Organize information in a meaningful way but gloss over individual differences

• Changes may appear – Abrupt if viewed from

farther away– Gradual if viewed closely

• Change is best conceived of as both gradual and abrupt

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Critical and Sensitive Periods

• Critical period– a specific period

during which the environment has its greatest impact on development

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• Sensitive periods– times that are optimal, but not necessary, for the

development of certain behaviors or functions


Individual Differences in Development

• Universal characteristics develop in similar ways in all humans.

• But there are also vast individual differences between children.

• • These differences tend to be stable yet still can

show great flexibility (change over time and situations)


Historical Roots of Field

• CHILDREN OF ANTIQUITY

• MEDIEVAL CHILDREN

• EARLY PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS

• EVOLUTION AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

• APPLICATION OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD


Children of Antiquity:Ancient Greece and Rome

• Children viewed as – Helpless– Lacking in self-control– Easily susceptible to corruption

• Environment seen as critical – Discipline emphasize– Plato proposed children be separated from their

parents – Only individuals of the highest moral character be

allowed to rear and train children


Medieval Children

• Children viewed as miniature adults

• Life was harsh

• Child labor was a necessity

• High infant mortality


Early PhilosophicalRoots: John Locke

• Tabula rasa – “Blank slate”

• Environment is driving force in development

• Early experiences have a long-term impact


Early Philosophical Roots: Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Doctrine of innate morality

• Children are intrinsically good and moral

• Natural qualities of child dictate development

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Evolution and Child Development

• Challenged idea that human behavior and development are fixed.

• Also, argued that human behavior reflects adaptive pressures.

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Charles Darwin


Evolution and Child Development

• Concept of Natural Selection – Individuals who are

bested adapted to their surroundings survive and reproduce. These adaptive characteristics are passed on to the next generation

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Charles Darwin


Application of the Scientific Method

• G. Stanley Hall

• Pioneered the use of scientific procedures for the study of child development

• First to focus on adolescence and write a developmental textbook


Changes in Contemporary Life

• CHANGES IN FAMILY STRUCTURE

• CHILDREN OF SAME-SEX PARENTS

• ETHNIC AND RACIAL DIVERSITY

• POVERTY AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT


Changes in Family Structure

• Nuclear family– Biological father and mother and their children– Prevalence is declining

• Single-parent family– Primary cause is divorce– Usually headed by women– Prevalence is rising


Changes in Family Structure• Blended family

– formed when a widowed or divorced person remarries

• Stepfamily– formed when at least one partner in a blended family

has children

• Extended family– consists of one or more parents, one or more of the

parents’ children, and one or more relatives living together in one household


Changes in Family Structure

• Other trends– Parents, especially mothers, are working more

– More non-parental caregivers


Children of Same-Sex Parents

• Number of families including gay or lesbian parents is substantial and likely to rise

• Research suggests these children are no different than children raised in heterosexual families

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Ethnic and Racial Diversity

• The U.S. is becoming more diverse

• Both birthrates and immigration factor into this

• Researching diversity is complicated by within-group variation


Ethnic and Racial Diversity• Race

– refers to a group of people who share a genetic heritage.

• Ethnicity– refers to a group of people who share a common

cultural heritage and a sense of belonging.

• Multiracial– refers to people who are of two or more races.


Poverty and Child Development• In 2007, 13 million children in the U.S. lived under the poverty

line.

• The intellectual, social, and physical development of children living in low-income households lags behind that of their more affluent peers.

• Poverty is associated with a variety of risk factors that hinder

optimal brain development.

• Not all children are at equal risk.

• Problems with poverty are intergenerational, complex and enduring.


Transactional Model of Development

• Development results from the continuous and dynamic interplay between the diverse qualities that individuals bring to their environments and the diverse environments that individuals experience.

• The emphasis on understanding development in the context of human relationships reflects the belief that children learn about themselves through their relationship with others.

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Chapter 1 power point adapted