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MODULE 2 - Two Approaches To Human Development

This document outlines two approaches to human development - the traditional approach and the lifespan approach. The lifespan approach, as described by expert Paul Baltes, views development as lifelong, plastic, multidimensional, relatively orderly, gradual, and contextual. It involves growth, maintenance, and regulation goals that vary across stages of development from childhood through late adulthood. Biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes are interconnected and influence development throughout the entire lifespan.

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Raffy Liwan Kalinga Chapter
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5K views

MODULE 2 - Two Approaches To Human Development

This document outlines two approaches to human development - the traditional approach and the lifespan approach. The lifespan approach, as described by expert Paul Baltes, views development as lifelong, plastic, multidimensional, relatively orderly, gradual, and contextual. It involves growth, maintenance, and regulation goals that vary across stages of development from childhood through late adulthood. Biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes are interconnected and influence development throughout the entire lifespan.

Uploaded by

Raffy Liwan Kalinga Chapter
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Two Approaches To Human Development

If you believe that Nikki and Kenn will show extensive change from birth to
adolescence, little or no change in adulthood and decline in late old age, your
approach to development is traditional. In contrast, if you believe that even in
adulthood developmental change takes place as it does during childhood, your
approach is termed life-span approach.

What are the characteristics of human development from a lifespan perspective? Paul
Baltes (Santrock, 2002), an expert in life-span development, gives the following
characteristics:

1.      Development is lifelong. It does not end in adulthood. Ken and Naschielle will
continue developing even in adulthood.

2.      Development is plastic. Plasticity refers to the potential for change.


Development is possible throughout the life-span. No one is too old to learn. There
is no such thing as "I am too old for that..." Neither Kenn nor Naschielle will be too
old to learn something.

Aging is associated with declines in certain intellectual abilities. These declines can be
prevented or reduced. In one research study, the reasoning abilities of older adults
Were improved through retraining (Willies & Schose, 1994 cited by Santrock J. 2005)

3.      Development is multidimensional. Development consists of biological,


cognitive, and socio emotional dimensions. Development as a process is complex
because it is the product of biological, cognitive and socioemotional processes
(Santrock, 2002).

Biological processes involve changes in the individual's physical nature. The brains of
Naschielle and Kenn develop. They will gain height and weight. They will experience
hormonal changes when they reach the period of puberty, and cardiovascular decline
as they approach late adulthood. All these show the common biological processes in
development.

Development is relatively orderly. (http://www.cdipage.com/ development.htm)


Naschielle and Kenn will learn to sit, crawl then walk before they can run. The
muscular control of the trunk and the arms comes earlier as compared to the hands
and fingers. This is the proximodistal pattern. During infancy, the greatest growth
always occurs at the top — the head — with physical growth in size, weight and
future differentiation gradually working its way down from top to bottom (for
example, neck, shoulders, middle trunk and so on). This is the cephalo-caudal
pattern. These development patterns are common to Naschielle and Kenn.

Development takes place


gradually. (http://www.cdipage.com/ development.htm) Naschielle and Kenn
won't develop into pimply teenagers overnight. rt takes years before they become
one. In fact, that's the way of nature. The bud does not blossom suddenly. The seed
does not germinate overnight. While some changes occur in a flash of insight, more
often it takes weeks, months, or years for a person to undergo changes that result in
the display of developmental characteristics.

Cognitive processes involve changes in the individual's thought, intelligence, and


language. Naschielle and Kenn develop from mere sounds to a word becoming two
words, the two words becoming a sentence. They would move on to memorizing
their first prayer, singing Bayang Magiliw in every flag ceremony to imagining what it
would be like to be a teacher or a pilot, playing chess and solving  a complex math
problem. All these reflect the role of cognitive processes in development.

Socioemotional processes include changes in the individual's relationships with other


people, changes in emotions, and changes in personality. As babies, Naschielle and
Kenn responded with a sweet smile when affectionately touched and frowned when
displeased and even showed temper tantrum when they could not get or do what
they wanted. From aggressive children, they may develop into a fine lady and a
gentleman or otherwise, depending on a myriad of factors. They may fall in love and
get inspired for life or may end up betrayed, deserted and desperate afterwards. All
these reflect the role of socioemotional processes in development.

These biological, cognitive and socioemotional processes are inextricably intertwined.


While these processes are studied separately, the effect of one process or factor on a
person's development is not isolated from the other processes. If Kenn and
Naschielle were undernourished and troubled by the thought of father and mother
about to separate, they could not concentrate on their studies and consequently
would fail and repeat. As a consequence, they may lose face and drop out of school,
revert to illiteracy, become unskilled, unemployed and so on and so forth. See how a
biological process, affects the cognitive process which in turn, affects the
socioemotional process.

4.      Development is contextual. Individuals are changing beings in a changing


world. Individuals respond to and act on contexts. These contexts include the
individual's biological make up, physical environment, cognitive processes, historical,
social and cultural contexts. (Santrock, 2002) Naschielle's and Kenn's biological make
up, social and cultural contexts may vary and therefore make them develop
differently from each other.
5.        Development involves growth, maintenance and regulation. Growth,
maintenance and regulation are three (3) goals of human development. The goals of
individuals vary among developmental stages. For instance, as individuals reach
middle and late adulthood, concern with growth gets into the back stage while
maintenance and regulation take the center stage.

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