Introduction to Lifespan Development Carolyn R Fallahi Ph

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 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