1. Psychology in Action (8e) by Karen Huffman
Chapter 9: Life Span Development I
Presented by:
Mani Rafiee

2. Lecture Overview Studying Development Physical Development
Cognitive Development
Social-Emotional Development

3. Developmental Psychology (studies age-related changes in behavior and mental processes from conception to death)

5. Studying Development– Key Theoretical Debates
Nature vs. Nurture-
heredity vs. environment.
Continuity vs. Stages-
continuous and gradual
vs. periods of abrupt
change and then periods of little change.
Stability vs. Change- characteristics maintained vs. characteristics different.

6. Studying Development (Continued)
Biological
What position on these debates is correct? The interactionist perspective, which recently evolved into the biopsychosocial model.
Psychological
Social

7. Studying Development— Research Methods

8. Studying Development— Research Methods

9. Studying Development— Cultural Guidelines for Developmental Research
Culture may be the most important determinant.
Development cannot be studied outside its sociocultural context.
Culture is largely invisible to participants.

10. Physical Development— Three Stages of Prenatal Development
Germinal Period (conception to implantation in the uterus)
Embryonic Period (uterine implantation through the eighth week)
Fetal Period (eighth week until birth)

11. Physical Development— Hazards to Prenatal Development
Teratogens (environmental agents that cause damage during prenatal development by crossing the placenta barrier)
Categories of teratogens include:
Legal and illegal drugs
Diseases and malnutrition
Exposure to X-rays and stress exposure

12. Physical Development— Hazards to Prenatal Development

13. Physical Development— Early Childhood
Three key areas of change in early childhood:
Brain
Motor
Sensory/perceptual
development

14. Physical Development— Brain Development
As child grows, neurons grow in size and the number of dendrites and axons increase.

15. Physical Development- Lifespan Changes in Body Proportions

16. Physical Development—Early Childhood
Milestones in motor development

17. Physical Development— Sensory and Perceptual Development
Senses of smell, taste, touch and hearing are quite developed at birth.
Sense of vision is poorly developed at birth.

18. Physical Development- Adulthood
Adolescence and Puberty
Middle Age:
For women menopause is an important life milestone.
For men male climacteric occurs.
Late Adulthood:
Primary aging— gradual, inevitable changes versus changes due to disease, disuse, or neglect.

19. Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget believed infants begin at a cognitively “primitive” level and progress in distinct stages.
Piaget’s schemas are the most basic unit of intellect, which act as patterns that organize interactions with the environment.

20. Cognitive Development (Continued)
Schemas grow and change due to:
Assimilation (absorbing new information into existing schemas)
Accommodation (adjusting old schemas or developing new ones to better fit with new information)

21. Cognitive Development— Piaget’s Four Stages
Sensorimotor: birth to 2 years
Preoperational: 2 to 7 years
Concrete Operational: 7 to 11 years
Formal Operational: 11 years and up

24. Social-Emotional Development
Social Development
Attachment (strong affectional bond with special others that endures over time)
Attachment and Harlow’s work with monkeys--feeding or contact comfort?

25. Social-Emotional Development—Three Levels of Attachment
Ainsworth’s strange situation procedure identified three types of attachment in children:
1. Securely attached: child stays close to mother, shows moderate distress when separated, and is happy when mother returns.

26. Social-Emotional Development—Three Levels of Attachment (Continued)
2. Avoidant: child treats mother and stranger the same and rarely cries when mother leaves.
Anxious/Ambivalent: child is upset as mother leaves. When mother returns, child seeks closeness, but also squirms away.

27. Social-Emotional Development—Romantic Love and Infant Attachment
Research suggests that early infant to caregiver attachment patterns may carry over into adult romantic relationships.

28. Social-Emotional Development—Baumrind’s Three Parenting Styles
1. Permissive
Permissive indifferent parents set few limits and give little attention or support.
Permissive indulgent parents are highly involved but set few demands or controls.

29. Social-Emotional Development—Baumrind’s Three Parenting Styles
2. Authoritarian parents are rigid and punitive.
3. Authoritative parents are tender and caring.

30. Psychology in Action (8e) by Karen Huffman
End of Chapter 9:
Life Span Development I
Presented by:
Mani Rafiee