JANET BELSKYS EXPERIENCING THE LIFESPAN, 2E Chapter 1: The
People and The Field Slide 2 What We Are Studying? Developmental
Psychology Also known as lifespan development,
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______________________________________________ Includes physical,
cognitive, socio-emotional changes during the life span This field
includes the study of: Infant and Child Development Adult
Development Gerontology Exploration of predictable milestones in
development Individual Differences Life Transitions and Practices
Slide 3 Questions to Ask Yourselves What are some of the changes
that occur over our lives?? How have you changed? Has your thinking
changed? Are your relationships different? Do you feel different?
Slide 4 Life Changes Slide 5 Periods of Development Prenatal Period
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_________________________________________________ Infancy Includes
the developmental period from birth to about age 2 Childhood Early-
preschool years ages 3 through 5 Middle- __________________________
Adolescence Early- ages 12 through14 Middle- ages 15 through 19
Slide 6 Periods of Development Adulthood Early- 20s and 30s Issues
include achieving intimacy, career choices, marriage, and potential
parenthood. Middle-40s and 50s Issues include launching children,
changing physical performance, increased freedom, and increased
career success Late-60s and Over
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______________________________________________ Slide 7 Changing
Perceptions of Childhood Historical Background Mortality rates
high; poverty Childhood not perceived as a special life stage
Abusive treatment common Children assume _____________________
_____________________ Norms: child labor; child abandonment among
poor Slide 8 Changing Perceptions of Childhood Modern view, late 19
th Century: kinder, gentler view of children Childhood protected,
dependent life stage Universal education: primary school mandatory
Adolescence: identified by G. Stanley Hall in early 20 th Century
Stage of _____________ between childhood and adulthood In 1930s,
High school attendance became mandatory (Great Depression and
President Franklin Roosevelt) Emerging Adulthood: Age 18 to late
20s Time for personal exploration Slide 9 Changing Perceptions of
Later Life: Adulthood and Old Age Life Expectancy Before 20 th
century medical advances, average life expectancy was low Today,
twentieth-century life expectancy revolution! Infectious diseases
wiped out Chronic diseases (heart disease, cancer, etc.) today New
Stages Young-old (60s, 70s) ____________ (80s and beyond) Slide 10
Slide 11 Slide 12 Theories of Development _______________ Any
perspective which attempts to explain individual behavior Allows us
to predict behavior Presents ideas for interventions to improve
behavior Nature/Nurture Are we shaped by biological/genetic forces
or is the environment more influential? Slide 13 Theories of
Development Psychoanalytic Theory Freud Erickson Bolby Learning
Theory (Behaviorism) Skinner Watson Bandura Humanistic Theory
Maslow Rogers Cognitive Theory Piaget Slide 14 Do we need to know
names? And theories? And Faces? And thats it! Freud Watson Bandura
Maslow Erickson Skinner Piaget Rogers Slide 15 Evolutionary
Psychology: Nature Evolutionary psychologists focus on
________________________ Inborn, species-specific behaviors
influence human development Speculate about the genetic roots of
human behaviors Survival of the fittest! Slide 16 Behavioral
Genetics: Nature Field devoted to scientifically determining the
role that hereditary forces play in individual differences in
behavior Twin Studies (identical and fraternal) Adoption Studies
Twin/Adoption Studies Heritability- 1 (totally genetic) to 0 (no
genetic contribution) Statistic to summarize the extent to which a
given behavior is shaped by genetics Slide 17 Nature and Nurture
Combined Consider both nature and nurture when studying human
development! _____________ Forces Inborn talents and temperamental
tendencies naturally evoke certain responses from others.
Bidirectional forces in relationships Active Forces We actively
select our environments based on our genetic tendencies.
Person-Environment Fit crucial to flourishing in life! Slide 18
Person-Environment Fit Basic goal of developmental science is to
foster the correct person-environment fit The real impact of the
nature revolution is to allow us to intervene to change the
environment in order to enhance ones quality of life. Slide 19
Age-Linked Theories: Piaget Cognitive-Developmental Theory
Qualitatively different stages exist in the way thinking develops
(different age groups conceptualize the world in completely
different ways). Schemas (cognitive structures) Assimilation,
Accommodation Studies focused on children Slide 20 Cognitive
Development: Piaget Tried to understand the unique qualities of
childhood cognition by entering childrens mental framework, setting
up tests, watching childrens actions, and listening to them speak.
Believed that we grow mentally through assimilation, fitting
information from the outside world into our schemas (or current
mental capacities), and accommodation, enlarging our capacities to
fit in this data from the world. Slide 21 A Preview of Piagets
Stages Slide 22 Personality Development
______________________________ Stage Focus Oral Pleasure centers on
the mouth (0-18 months) sucking, biting, chewing Anal Pleasure
focuses on bowel and bladder (18-36 months) elimination; coping
with demands for control Phallic Pleasure zone is the genitals;
coping with (3-6 years) incestuous sexual feelings Latency Dormant
sexual feelings (6 to puberty) Genital Maturation of sexual
interests (puberty on) Slide 23 Psychosocial Development: Erikson
Considered ___________________________ Believed we continue to
develop throughout life Exception to Freuds idea that development
ends in adolescence Identified core developmental tasks, or
psychosocial tasks, for each of eight stages from infancy to old
age Believed that we need to master the task of each previous stage
in order to progress to the next. Slide 24 A Preview of Eriksons
Stages Slide 25 Research Methods Two standard research strategies:
Correlations Relate two or more variables as they naturally occur
Correlation does not mean causation! _____________________ Randomly
assign individuals to groups Give each group a different treatment
Determine if intervention produced a predicted effect Experiments
can determine cause! Slide 26 Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal
Studies: How do we change with age? Cross-Sectional Testing and
comparing different age groups Gives differences between age groups
Does not tell us the changes that occur with age ______________
Test at intervals one group over many years Note: Its all
statistics. These methods are valuable, not because they apply to
everyonebut because they allow us to make educated guesses about
human life! Slide 27 Quantitative and Qualitative Research
Quantitative The typical research mode in developmental science
using groups and statistical analyses to make general predictions
about behavior _______________ Scientist not interested in
numerical comparisons Studying through observation and interviews
the life of a single person, or observing a single individual in
depth Slide 28
