Sigelman/Rider, Life-Span Human Development, 5 th Ed. with InfoTrac ® College Edition Your Required Technology Materials Professor: Talley Course: Psych 110

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Chapter 1 Understanding Life-Span Human Development

What is Development? Systematic changes and continuities –In the individual –Between conception and death “Womb to Tomb” Three broad domains –Physical, Cognitive, Psychosocial

Other Developmental Definitions Growth: Physical changes that occur from birth to maturity Aging: Positive and negative changes in the mature organism Maturation: The biological unfolding of the individual genetic plan Learning: Relatively permanent changes due to environmental experiences

Age Grades, Age Norms, and the Social Clock Age Grade: Socially defined age groups –Statuses, roles, privileges, responsibilities –Adults can vote, children can’t Age Norms: Behavioral expectations by age –Children attend school Social Clock: When things should be done –Early adulthood – time for 1 st marriages “Off time” experiences are more difficult

Life-Span Phases in Historical Context Only two phases: Childhood & Adulthood 1600: Children viewed as miniature adults Modern view: innocence, need protection Average life expectancy in 1900: 49 yrs –Females} White:80 yrs, Black:75 yrs –Males} White:75 yrs, Black 68 yrs –Increasing population of age 65+

Framing the Nature/Nurture Issue Nature: heredity –Maturational processes guided by genes –Biologically based predispositions –Biological unfolding of genes Nurture: environment –Learning: experiences cause changes is thoughts, feelings, and behaviors Interactionist view: nature & nurture interact

Figure 1.1

Goals of Studying Life- Span Development Description –Normal development, individual differences Explanation –Typical and individually different development Optimization –Positive development, enhancing human capacities –Prevention and overcoming difficulties

Methods of Studying Life- Span Development Historical –Baby Biographies: Charles Darwin –Questionnaires: G. Stanley Hall Key Assumptions of Modern Life-Span Perspectives –Lifelong, multidirectional process –Gain and loss and lifelong plasticity –Historical/cultural contexts, multiple influences –Multi-disciplinary studies

Conducting Developmental Research Self-reports: interview, questionnaires, tests Behavioral Observations –Naturalistic Advantage: natural setting Disadvantage: conditions not controlled –Structured (Lab) Disadvantage: cannot generalize to natural settings Advantage: conditions controlled

Figure 1.2

The Experimental Method Three Critical Features –1. Manipulation of independent variable –2. Random assignment of individuals to treatment conditions –3. Experimental control Quasi-Experiment: No random assignment

The Correlational Method Determine if 2 or more variables are related Correlation: A measure of the relationship –Can range from +1.0 to –1.0 –Positive: variables move in same direction –Negative: variables move in opposite dir. No relationship if correlation is 0 Cannot establish a causal relationship

Figure 1.3

Developmental Research Designs Cross-Sectional Designs –+1 cohorts or age-groups studied –1 time of testing –Studying age differences at any one time Longitudinal Designs –1 cohort –+1 time of testing –Study changes across time in one cohort

Figure 1.4

Age, Cohort, and Time of Measurement Effects Age effects: Changes which occur due to age Cohort Effects: Born in one historical context –Changes due to differences in society –Disadvantage of cross-sectional design Time of measurement effects: Historical –Take place at time of data collection –Disadvantage of longitudinal design

Sequential Designs A combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs Advantages of both designs Gives information about –Which age-related trends are age effects? –Which age-related trends are truly cohort effects? –Which age-related trends are a result of historical events?

Figure 1.6

Protecting the Rights of Participants Risk to benefit balance of the research Researcher responsibilities –Informed consent –Debriefing –Protection from harm –Confidentiality

The Ecology of Human Development Bronfenbrenner: Bioecological Model –How nature and nurture interact to produce development The biological, psychological, person Four environmental systems –Microsystem: family –Mesosystem: school –Exosystem: society –Macrosystem: culture