Figures from Chapter 1

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Chapter 1Understanding Life-Span Human
Development
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What is Development?

• The pattern of change that begins at conception
  and continues through the life cycle.
• Womb to Tomb
• Systematic changes and continuities
• In the individual
• Between conception and death
• Three broad domains
• Physical, Cognitive, Psychosocial
• Biopsychosocial model of development

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Why Study Life-Span Development?

• You can gain insight into your own life.
• You will learn about life through the adulthood.
• You may be a parent or a teacher some day.
• Life-span development is linked with many
  different areas of psychology.

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Developmental Definitions

• Growth Physical changes that occur from birth to
  maturity
• Aging Positive and negative changes in the
  mature organism
• Maturation The biological unfolding of the
  individual genetic plan (nature)
• Learning Relatively permanent changes due to
  environmental experiences (nurture)

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Age Grades, Age Norms, and the Social Clock

• Age Grade Socially defined age groups
• Statuses, roles, privileges, responsibilities
• Adults can vote, children cant
• Age Norms Behavioral expectations by age
• Children attend school
• Social Clock When things should be done
• Early adulthood time for 1st marriages
• On time vs Off time
• Off time experiences are more psychologically
  difficult

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Life-Span Phases in Historical Context

• Only two phases Childhood Adulthood
• 1600 Children viewed as miniature adults
• Modern view innocence, need protection
• Average life expectancy in 1900 49 yrs.
• 2004 All races and genders 78 yrs.
• Females 80.4
• Males 75.2
• Caucasian 78.3
• African-American 73.3

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Framing the Nature/Nurture Issue

• Nature heredity
• Maturational processes guided by genes
• Biologically based predispositions
• Biological unfolding of genes
• Nurture environment
• Learning experiences cause changes is thoughts,
  feelings, and behaviors
• Interactionist view nature nurture interact

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Methods of Studying Life-Span Development

• Key Assumptions of Modern Life-Span Perspectives
• Development is lifelong
• Development is multidimensional
• Development is multidirectional
• Development is plastic throughout life one
  experiences gains and losses
• Development is multidisciplinary
• Development is contextual

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Goals of Studying Life-Span Development

• Description
• Normal development, individual differences
• Explanation
• Typical and individually different development
• Optimization
• Positive development, enhancing human capacities
• Prevention and overcoming difficulties

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Conducting Developmental Research

• Self-reports interview, questionnaires, tests
• Baby Biographies Charles Darwin
• Questionnaires G. Stanley Hall
• Behavioral Observations
• Naturalistic
• Structured (Lab)

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Description

• Naturalistic Observation
• observing and recording behavior in naturally
  occurring situations

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Description

• Case Study - An in-depth study of one or several
  individuals through observation, interview, and
  sometimes psychological testing. It is
  particularly appropriate for studying people with
  rare psychological or physiological disorders.

Is language uniquely human?
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Description

• Survey Investigators use interviews and/or
  questionnaires to gather information about the
  attitudes, beliefs, experiences, or behaviors of
  a group of people. To be useful, surveys must
  involve a sample that is representative of the
  population to which the results will be applied.
• Who is your favorite Wiggle? 1) Anthony 2) Jeff
  3) Greg 4) Murray
• What is your favorite Wiggles song?
• 1) Wake up Jeff
• 2) Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car
• 3) Move Your Arms Like Henry
• 4) Play Your Guitar with Murray
• 5) Fruit Salad

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Scientific Method

• Theory a set of concepts and propositions
  intended to describe and explain some aspect of
  experience.
• Hypothesis specific prediction or an educated
  guess used for prediction.
• Conceptualize the problem
• Gather data
• Create theory to explain phenomenon
• Test theory
• Accept theory or reject it to be revised based on
  the data
• Theories generate hypotheses tested through
  observation of behavior, and new observations
  indicate which theories are worth keeping or need
  to be revised.

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The Need for Psychological Science
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• Figure 1.2

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The Experimental Method

• Used to establish causation
• Three Critical Features
• 1. Manipulation of independent variable (that
  which is manipulated by experimenter)
• 2. Random assignment of individuals to
  treatment conditions
• 3. Experimental group vs. control group

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• Figure 2.12 Once researchers decide on the
  hypothesis they want to test, they must design
  the experiment. These procedures test the effects
  of watching televised violence. An appropriate,
  accurate method of measurement is essential.

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The Correlational Method

• Determine if 2 or more variables are related
• Correlation A measure of the relationship
• Can range from 1.0 to 1.0
• Positive variables move in same direction
• Negative variables move in opposite dir.
• No relationship if correlation is 0
• Cannot establish a causal relationship

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Correlation Coefficient Interpretation
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Correlation

• Three Possible Cause-Effect Relationships

could cause
(1) Low self-esteem
Depression
or
(2) Depression
Low self-esteem
could cause
or
Low self-esteem
(3) Distressing events or biological predispositio
n
could cause
and
Depression
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• Figure 2.9 A strong correlation between
  depression and impaired sleep does not tell us
  whether depression interferes with sleep, poor
  sleep leads to depression, or whether another
  problem leads to both depression and sleep
  problems.

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Developmental Research Designs

• Cross-Sectional Designs
• 1 cohorts (same generation) or age-groups
  studied
• 1 time of testing
• Studying age differences at any one time
• Longitudinal Designs
• 1 cohort (same generation)
• 1 time of testing
• Study changes across time in one cohort

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• Figure 1.4

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Age, Cohort, and Time of Measurement Effects

• Age effects Changes which occur due to age
• Cohort Effects Born in one historical context
• Changes due to differences in society
• Disadvantage of cross-sectional design
• Time of measurement effects Historical
• Take place at time of data collection
• Disadvantage of longitudinal design

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Sequential Designs

• A combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal
  designs
• Advantages of both designs
• Gives information about
• Which age-related trends are age effects?
• Which age-related trends are truly cohort
  effects?
• Which age-related trends are a result of
  historical events?

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• Figure 1.6

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Sequential Designs

• A combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal
  designs
• Advantages of both designs
• Gives information about
• Which age-related trends are age effects?
• Which age-related trends are truly cohort
  effects?
• Which age-related trends are a result of
  historical events?