The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence by Kathleen Stassen Berger Seventh Edition Chapter 1 Introduction Slides prepared by Kate Byerwalter, Ph.D., Grand Rapids Community College

Science of Human Development The study of human development: Seeks to understand how and why people change and remain the same over time. Is a science Studies all kinds of people Studies change over time

Continuity and Discontinuity Continuity refers to characteristics that are stable over time (e.g., biological sex). Discontinuity refers to characteristics unlike those than came before (e.g., speaking a new language, quitting a drug).

The Complex Patterns of Developmental Growth

Five Characteristics of Development Multidirectional Multicontextual Multicultural Multidisciplinary Plasticity PHOTODISC

More About Change Over Time Butterfly effect Sometimes a small event may culminate in a major event (e.g., one alcoholic drink at the wrong time during pregnancy). No effect Sometimes what seems to be a large event has little long-term impact (e.g., children in war-torn Bosnia).

Contexts of Development HISTORICAL In what ways do you differ from your grandparents? Great grandparents? Cohort: group of people of the same age Social constructions create “shoulds” (e.g., ages one “should” marry)

Contexts of Development SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS (SES) A combination of income and other factors (parental education, occupation, etc.). The impact of SES depends on many factors.

Contexts of Development CULTURE Includes values, technologies, customs of a group of people. In what ways does culture influence development? PHOTODISC

An Example of Culture and Development Co-sleeping: children sleep with parents Research in this area has found varying results e.g.: Children who co-sleep do develop independence, but are less likely to sleep through the night.

Three Domains of Development Biosocial = brain and body Cognitive = thought processes, perceptual abilities, language Psychosocial = emotions, personality, interpersonal relationships

Interaction of Developmental Domains Research continues to highlight that development is complex–the 3 domains interact. Research examples: amygdala activity, depression, violence, social skills, etc.

What is “plasticity”? Plasticity refers to the fact that human traits can be molded into different forms, and yet people maintain a durability of identity. It means that some aspects of development have the capacity for change, others may not….

Resilience─An Example of the Complexity of Development Resilience: the ability to overcome severe threats to development e.g.: The impact of poverty is lessened by supportive schools, families, neighborhoods, a stable residence, and by the child’s personality.

Collective Efficacy This neighborhood in Washington, D.C. shows no signs of collective efficacy–neighbors showing concern for others and their environment. SHEPARD SHERBELL/CORBIS SABA

Developmental Study as a Science Scientific method: a general way to seek evidence to answer a question Formulate a research question Develop a hypothesis Test the hypothesis Draw conclusions Make findings available

Observational Research Observation: systematically observe and record behavior Can be laboratory or naturalistic Example: A study on childhood obesity found that only 5% of kids walked or rode a bike to school.

The Experiment Research method to establish cause Independent variable = imposed treatment or special condition Dependent variable = specific behavior being studied

The Experiment Experimental group: is given a particular treatment Control group: does not get the treatment Read example in text about experiment on activity and obesity (p. 19).

The Experiment (cont.)

Other Methods Survey = information collected from personal interviews, questionnaires, etc. Problems include representativeness of group, and phrasing of questions Case study = intensive study of one individual or situation

Studying Changes Over Time Design a study to answer the question: “How much does reading comprehension improve between 4 and 6 years of age?” PHOTODISC

Studying Changes Over Time Cross-sectional research: groups differ in age but share other important characteristics (ethnicity, SES). Longitudinal research studies individuals over a long period of time. Advantage is studying the same people Problems include; people drop out, participants learn goals of study, is costly

Studying Changes Over Time Cross-sequential research studies several groups of people of different ages, then follows those groups longitudinally.

Ecological-Systems Approach Developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner, this approach suggests that a person should be considered in all the contexts and interactions in his/her life.

Correlations A correlation indicates the degree of relationship between two variables. Positive correlation: the variables increase or decrease together. Example: The more hours you work, the more money you will be paid.

Correlations (cont.) Negative correlation: as one variable increases, the other decreases. Example: The more clothes you buy, the less money you will have in your checking account. Correlations range from 0 to +/- 1.00 CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION

Quantity and Quality Quantitative research: provides data that can be expressed with numbers (e.g., ranks, scales). Qualitative research contains descriptions of conditions, and participants’ ideas. Both types are valuable.

Ethics and Science General principles Do no harm Secure informed consent Keep information of participants confidential Report research findings honestly and carefully Base generalizations on more than one study

What Should We Study? Are scientists studying issues that are crucial to human development? Part of ethics is making sure we choose topics of importance to children and to all people.