The Life-Span Perspective - Nipissing University · PDF fileThe Life-Span Perspective ©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. The Life-Span Perspective

The Life-Span Perspective

©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.


The Life-Span Perspective

What is Life-Span Development?

Historical Perspectives on Life-Span Development

Characteristics of the Life-Span Perspective

Some Contemporary Concerns

Developmental Psychology


What is Life‐Span Development?

The pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through the life cycle.


What is LifeWhat is Life--Span Development?Span Development?

Lifespan DevelopmentThroughout our lives, we develop in many different ways.

What kinds of changes have you experienced in the past 15 years?What kinds of changes do you expect to experience in the next 15 years?



Why Study Development?To better understand:

the lives of those around you.your own life as a child, adolescent, & young adult.the development you will experience in your future.The impact of illness/disability on the lives of your patients and families



Historical Perspectives on Life‐Span Development


Child DevelopmentOriginal Sin – children are perceived as being basically bad, born into the world asevil beings.


Historical Perspectives on LifeHistorical Perspectives on Life--Span DevelopmentSpan Development

Child Development (cont’d)Tabula Rasa – children are like a “blank tablet,” and acquire their characteristics through experience.



Child Development (cont’d)Innate Goodness – children are inherently good.



Traditional and Life‐Span Approaches

TraditionalMajor changes from birth to adolescenceLittle or no change in adulthoodDecline in late adulthood

Life‐spanInterest in adult development began seriously in the latter half of the 20th centuryDevelopment at every stage of life



Life Expectancythe average age a child born in a given year can expect to live.

Average life expectancy in Canada:

1900 – 56 years1950 – 69 years2001 – 79 years!2004 – 80.2 (80)men 82.6 (83) for women



Life ExpectancyWhy has life expectancy improved so much over the past century?Improvements in:

SanitationNutritionMedical knowledge



Characteristics of the Life‐Span Perspective

LifelongLifelong

PlasticPlastic

MultidimensionalMultidimensional BalancedBalanced

MultidisciplinaryMultidisciplinary

ContextualContextual

MultidirectionalMultidirectional

Development


Development is Lifelong We develop at each stage of our lives.


Characteristics of the LifeCharacteristics of the Life--Span PerspectiveSpan Perspective

Development is Multidimensional Dimensions of Development:

BiologicalCognitiveSocio‐emotional

Look at the layout of your textbook chapters.



Development is Multidirectional As some dimensions increase, others may decrease.

e.g., In older adults, while experience increases, speed of processing decreases.



Development is Plastic Plasticity is the ability to change & mold your brain.

Generally, as we age plasticity decreases & our characteristics become more stable.



Development is Multidisciplinary Research on human development impacts:PsychologySociologyAnthropologyNeuroscienceMedicine



Development is Contextual Normative age‐graded influences

What we normally experience at any given age

BiologicalPubertyMenopause

EnvironmentalEntering schoolGraduationRetirement



Development is Contextual (cont’d)Normative history‐graded influencesInfluence of being from a particular generation (depression, hippies, 9/11)

Context: a setting in which development occurs. Influences course of development.



Development is Contextual (cont’d)Non‐normative, unusual lifeevents that affect us:

PositiveWinning a lotteryUnexpected job success

NegativeNatural disasterUntimely death of a family member



Development Involves Growth, Maintenance, and Regulation We must find a balance between growth & maintaining a stable, regular life.



Some Contemporary Concerns The study of developmental psychology helps us address many current issues.


Some Contemporary ConcernsSome Contemporary Concerns

Research on Premature Infants Research focuses on how massage therapy can facilitate weight gain in premature infants.



Health and Well‐Being Physical & psychological health are a major component of developmental psychology research.



Issues that Affect Parenting DaycareWorking parents & latchkey childrenEffects of divorce on childrenBlended familiesThe best way to parent

Child maltreatmentSupport systems for familiesMarital relationshipsIntergenerational relationsAging parents



Socio‐cultural Contexts



Context Development is influenced by the context or setting in which it occurs (home, school, church, etc.)



CultureThe behaviour patterns, beliefs, & all other products of a particular group of people that are passed on from generation to generation.



Ethnicity Cultural heritage, nationality, race, religion, & language.



Cross‐Cultural StudiesCross‐cultural studies are performed to determine whether development occurs differently between different cultures or ethnicities.



Gender The socio‐cultural dimension of being male or female.



Social Policy Developmental psychology research has a great impact on social policy. Particularly regarding education & health care.



Generational Inequity An aging society’s unfairness to its younger members due to older adults’piling up advantages by receiving inequitably large allocations of resources.



Documents

The Life-Span Perspective - Nipissing University · PDF fileThe Life-Span Perspective ©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. ©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd. The Life-Span Perspective