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Introduction To Lifespan Development

This document provides an introduction to lifespan development by discussing several key topics: - It defines human development as the scientific study of how people change and stay the same over time, with two types of changes being quantitative and qualitative. - It outlines five aspects of development: physical, intellectual/cognitive, personality, social, and moral development and describes major development in eight periods of the lifespan. - It discusses issues like averages, individual differences, and influences on development like heredity and environment.

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Richard Kariuki
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219 views

Introduction To Lifespan Development

This document provides an introduction to lifespan development by discussing several key topics: - It defines human development as the scientific study of how people change and stay the same over time, with two types of changes being quantitative and qualitative. - It outlines five aspects of development: physical, intellectual/cognitive, personality, social, and moral development and describes major development in eight periods of the lifespan. - It discusses issues like averages, individual differences, and influences on development like heredity and environment.

Uploaded by

Richard Kariuki
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to

Lifespan Development
Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D.

1
Human Development
• Definition: The scientific study of how
people change and stay the same over time.
• Two types of changes:
– Quantitative – weight & height, # words
spoken.
– Qualitative – moving from a beginning reader to
an emergent reader to a full reader.

2
Human Development
• Some things are consistent; some
things are not.
• Some aspects of human development
are more predictive than others.

3
Human Development
• Goal:
– To describe human development
– To explain
– To predict
– To possibly modify

4
Human Development
• Five aspects of development
– Physical Development
– Intellectual or Cognitive Development
– Personality Development
– Social Development
– Moral Development

5
Human Development
• Major Development in Eight Periods of the
Lifespan
– Prenatal
– Infancy and Toddlerhood (B-3)
– Early Childhood (3-6)
– Middle childhood (6-12)
– Adolescence (12-20)
– Young Adulthood (20-40)
– Middle Age (40-65)
– Late Adulthood (65 and up)

6
Human Development
• Issue of average
• Issue of individual differences
• Things that can influence
development
– Heredity
– environment

7
Human Development
• Normative age-graded influences
• Normative history-graded influences
• Normative history-graded influences
• Nonnormative life events

8
Ecological Theory
• Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979)
• One of the founders of “Head Start”
– Microsystem
– Mesosystem
– Exosystem
– Macrosystem

9
Ethological theory
• Behavior is strongly influenced by
biology.
• Behavior is tied to evolution.
• Behavior is characterized by critical
or sensitive periods.

10
Ethological theory
• Karl Lorenz
(1903-1989)

11
Lorenz & ethological
theory
• Imprinting: rapid, innate learning
within a critical period of time that
involves attachment to the first
moving object seen (Lorenz’s geese
became attached to him).

12
Lorenz & ethological
theory
• Critical period: a fixed time period
early in development during which
certain behaviors optimally emerge.

13

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