Lifespan Human Development PSY 223

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Lifespan Human Development PSY 223

• MTWR 1015-1220
• SB 106

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Syllabus Course Materials

• available online at
• http//people.uncw.edu/alean/PSY223.htm

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Lifespan human development

• A field of study that aims to understand
  constancy change in physical, cognitive,
  social, emotional factors throughout the
  lifespan.

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What do you think?

• Development is continuous, gradual progression,
  with new abilities, skills, knowledge gradually
  added at a relatively uniform pace.
• OR
• Development occurs at different rates,
  alternating between periods of little change and
  periods of abrupt, rapid change.

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Basic issues

1. Continuous or discontinuous development?

Qualitative new skills emerge at particular
periods
Quantitative - adding on more or more complex
skills
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What do you think?

• Humans everywhere follow the same general
  sequence of development.
• OR
• Each human passes through a unique course of
  development.

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Basic issues

1. One course of development or many?

• Universal basic process for everyone
  differences are simply variations in basic
  process
• Context-specific - unique process for everyone
  differences result from different environments

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What do you think?

• Human intelligence is determined almost
  exclusively by genetic factors.
• OR
• Human intelligence is largely the result of
  experiential factors.

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Basic issues

1. Nature or Nurture?

• Nature human development is biologically
  (genetically) determined
• Nurture - the physical and social environment
  influence human development
• Contemporary developmental psychologists say
  both

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When do humans stop developing?

• Traditional population pyramid more children
  young

• Projected population pyramid equal young old

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Lifespan Perspective Paul Baltes (1987)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development http//
www.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/
Table 1.5 Major Theories of Human Development
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Development as lifelong (Table 1.1)
Period Approximate age range







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What abilities increase with age?
What abilities decline with age?
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Multidirectional multidimensional

• Multidirectionality decline growth at all
  points in lifespan
• development doesnt occur in one direction
• ratio shifts with age

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ratio between gains losses shifts across
lifespan
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Multidirectional multidimensional

• Multidirectionality decline growth at all
  points in lifespan
• development doesnt occur in one direction
• ratio shifts with age
• Multidimensionality pattern of decline growth
  varies across within domains

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gains losses depend on domain
Emotional understanding
Vocabulary
Memory
Ability to learn foreign language
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Plasticity

• Humans have a range of functioning

• Natural occurring plasticity through compensation
• Plasticity through training
• Less plasticity with increasing age

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Embedded in multiple contexts

• Age-graded influences
• related to chronological age
• History-graded influences
• related to generational (cohort) events
• Nonnormative influences
• related to unique experiences

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Research Methods
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Developmental psychology in the news
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Playing violent video games, like Grand Theft
Auto, leads to increased aggression in
adolescents.
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General Research Designs

1. Correlational design see how two (or more)
   pre-existing variables are related

variables move in same direction -
variables move in opposite direction
.46
-.09
Ranges 0 to 1 Closer to 1 stronger the relation
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What conclusions can we make?

• Cannot make cause effect conclusion

directionality problem do not know the direction
of relation
third variable problem other variable might
account for relation
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Playing violent video games, like Grand Theft
Auto, leads to (i.e., causes) increased
aggression in adolescents.
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General Research Designs

1. Experimental design manipulate variable to test
   the effects on outcome variable

Variables
(Aggressive behavior)
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General Research Designs

1. Experimental design manipulate variable to test
   the effects on outcome variable

Variables
Group 1 nonviolent game Group 2 violent
game
(Aggressive behavior)
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How do I know if experiment worked?
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What conclusions can we make?

• Because have random assignment to IV
• rules out confounds other explanations
• without it, do not have a true experiment

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Playing violent video games, like Grand Theft
Auto, leads to increased aggression in
adolescents.
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Developmental Research Designs
Building blocks of ALL developmental research
Variables Measure Effects from



Changes in a person
experiences unique to a generation
circumstances during data collection
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Developmental Research Designs

• Cross-sectional age cohort vary, time constant

Time
Cohort 2005
1995 10
1990 15
1985 20
Can only conclude age differences
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Developmental Research Designs

• Longitudinal age time vary, cohort constant

Time Time Time
Cohort 1995 2000 2005
1985 10 15 20
Can conclude age change
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Advantages Disadvantages
Practical quick
Age differences Cohort effect
Time effects Practice effects Nonrandom drop-out
Lack of generalizability
Measures age change
With all the problems, what should researchers
do?
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Developmental Research Designs

• Sequential combine cross-sectional
  longitudinal designs

Time Time
Cohort 2005 2010
1995 10 15
1990 15 20
1985 20 25
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• Considered the best developmental research
  designbut hardly ever done?

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In-class Assignment 1

• The purpose of this assignment is to give you an
  opportunity to apply and practice
• what you have learned about general and
  developmental research designs.