LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT

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LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT

• DEFINITION

Lifespan or Developmental Psychology is concerned
with understanding and explaining changes that
occur between conception and death.
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TWO VIEWS OF LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT

• RESTRICTED/ TRADITIONAL VIEW
• All important developmental changes occur
  between conception and adolescence

• CONTEMPORARY LIFESPAN VIEW
• Important changes occur at all ages throughout
  the lifespan

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DIVISIONS OF THE LIFESPAN

• Birth and Infancy Birth-2years
• Early Childhood 2-6(7) years
• Middle Childhood 6(7)-11(12) years
• Adolescence 11(12)-19(20) years
• Early Adulthood 20-40(45) years
• Middle Adulthood 40(45)-65(70) years
• Late Adulthood 65(70) and up

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Gail Sheehy in her book New Passages says that
the age norms are shifting.
Children are leaving childhood sooner
Adolescents are taking longer to grow up
Adulthood is expanding (people are living longer)
Provisional Adulthood 18-30 1st
Adulthood 30-45 2nd Adulthood 45-85 Age of
Mastery 45-65 Age of Integrity 65-85
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CONTROVERSIES IN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGYHow
are we to view the newborn child?

• John Locke the child is a blank slate - Tabula
  Rasa (neither good nor bad until the rewards and
  punishments of experiences exert an influence on
  him/her.)

• Rousseau the child is innately good (a noble
  savage). If untainted by corruption and evil in
  the world, he/she would be undeniably good when
  grown.

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The predominate view today is to see the child as

• Active and exploring from birth
• While recognizing the importance of rewards and
  punishments on the child

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NATURE VS. NURTURE CONTROVERSY

• Is the environment (nurture) solely responsible
  for whatever we become?
• Does genetic background (nature) determine the
  outcome of development?

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IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS IN DEV. PSYCHOLOGY

• Growth usually refers to physical changes that
  are quantitative in nature
• Maturation naturally unfolding changes that are
  relatively independent of environment
• Learning relatively permanent change in behavior
  that results from practice or experience

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METHODS OF STUDYING

• Naturalistic Observation
• Subjects are observed in their natural settings
  and the observer is as detached as possible.
• Non-naturalistic Observations
• (Clinical Method)
• clinical interviews, surveys, questionnaires

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METHODS OF STUDYING

• Formal Experiment
• This method of study requires a deliberate
  systematic manipulation of some aspect of a
  situation to detect possible change.
• Requires two groups
• Experimental Group group on which the
  independent variable is manipulated
• Control Group group on which the independent
  variable is not manipulated

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METHODS OF STUDYING

• Dependent Variable - the variable you predict
  will change as a result of the manipulation of
  the independent variable.
• You start with a hypothesis. The purpose of the
  experiment is to test the hypothesis.
• Relevant (extraneous) Variables

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METHODS OF STUDYING

• Correlational Method
• This is where the relationship of two or more
  variables are examined
• A correlation exists when changes in one variable
  are accompanied by changes in the other variable
• Problem Cause and effect relationships cannot
  be determined based on the correlational method

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TWO APPROACHES TO STUDY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

• Longitudinal observes same subjects over a
  period of time
• Cross-sectional compares different subjects of
  different development levels at same time

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LONGITUDINAL STUDIES ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

• Disadvantages
• May be costly
• Time consuming
• Subjects die or move
• Experimenter dies
• Methods and instruments can become obsolete
• Advantage
• Sensitive to intraindividual changes- How an
  individual changes over time.

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CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES

• Advantages
• Less costly
• Can complete in less time
• Dont lose Subjects
• Methods and instruments dont become obsolete
• Disadvantages
• Looks at each individual only once
• Not sensitive to intra-individual changes