CHAPTER 4 – LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT

Lifespan development – age related changes that occur from birth throughout a person’s life, into and during old age

Stages of Lifespan development

Infancy (0 -2 years) – infants are dependent on adults, psychological characteristics rapidly developing (perceptual abilities, ways of thinking, use of language/social skills)

Childhood (2-10 years) – children become increasingly independent from parents in order to gain more self- control, much time is spent in play and social learning

Adolescence (10 – 20 years) – puberty associated with physical/psychological changes, seeking independence, developing one’s own identity, thought processes are more logical, complex and idealistic

Early Adulthood (20 – 40 years) – establishing personal and financial independence, establishing/consolidating a career, start a family

Middle age (40 – 65 years) – advancing a career and supporting offspring

Older age (65 + years) – Retirement from paid work, decreasing strength and stamina

Areas of Lifespan Development

Physical development – changes in the body and its various systems, such as development of the brain/nervous system, bones and muscles, motor skills

Social development – changes in an individual’s relationships with other people and their skills in interacting with others

Cognitive development – changes in an individual’s mental abilities, such as processing information through perception, learning, moral reasoning and problem solving

Emotional development – changes in how an individual experiences different feelings and how these feelings are expressed, interpreted and dealt with

NB : Physical and psychological development DO NOT occur independently of each other. How you think/feel can influence your physiological state in both subtle and more obvious ways

HEREDITY VS ENVIRONMENT

Heredity – the transmission of characteristics from biological parents to their offspring via genes at the time of conception

Environment – all the experiences, objects and events to which we are exposed throughout our entire lifetime

NATURE VS NUTURE

Nature = heredity

Nurture = environment

Both heredity and environmental factors interact to shape human development

ROLE OF MATURATION IN DEVELOPMENT

Maturation – orderly and sequential developmental changes which occur in the nervous system and other bodily structures controlled by our genes

Principle of readiness – unless the necessary bodily structures are sufficiently mature, then no amount of practise will produce the particular behaviour

Sensitive period – period of time when an individual is more responsive to certain influences from their environment

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

Biological perspective – focuses on the biological/physiological bases of development (heredity influences development of psychological characteristics)

Eg. Conduct research to find out the extent to which genes influence the development of intelligence, personality

Behavioural perspective – focuses on how behaviour is acquired/modified as a result of environmental influences

Eg. Consider the role of parenting styles on the psychological treatment of children and whether punishment/rewards influence child behaviour

Cognitive perspective – focuses on changes in how we acquire, process, remember and use information throughout the lifespan

Socio-cultural perspective – focuses on the roles of social and cultural influences on human behaviour and mental processes

Eg. Compare the effect of adolescence confidence of living in the city compared with living in isolated community

Biopsychosocial model – framework that takes into account all aspects of an individual to provide a holistic view of mental health