Post on 03-Jul-2015
Psy250 LifeSpan Development
Session 2Introduction Continued
Dr. Susan M. Hansen
Life-span perspective is an approach that studies human
development…
A. Through childhood
B. Through adulthoof
C. Through all phases of life
What causes people to change or remain the
same over time?
science of human development: Seeks
to understand how and why people of
all ages and circumstances change or
remain the same over time.
Science
Defining Development
Is the question of
nature or nurture
more about how much
rather than which
factor?
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nature: Traits, capacities,
limitations each individual
inherits genetically from parents
(at conception).
nurture: All environmental
influences that affect
development (after conception).
Influences
Defining Development
dynamic-systems theory: A view
of human development as an
ongoing, ever-changing interaction
between the physical and emotional
being and between the person and
every aspect of his or her
environment, including the family
and society.
How do people interact
with other people, and
do so continuously over
time, each interaction
affecting the other?
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Dynamic Systems TheoryDefining Development
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life-span perspective: Study
of human development that
takes into account all phases
of life.
How do human
characteristics change
in every direction to
reflect development as
multidirectional?
MultidirectionalDefining Development
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Date of Birth
Milestones – Critical Moments in
Time
Events, Goals, Expected
Roles
Expected Date of Death
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The enduring behaviors,
ideas, attitudes, and
traditions shared by a
large group of people and
transmitted from one
generation to the next.
culture
People whose
ancestors were born in
the same region and
who often share a
language, culture, and
religion.
ethnic groupA group of people who
are regarded by
themselves or by others
as distinct from other
groups on the basis of
physical appearance.
(Social scientists think
race is a misleading
concept.)
Multicontextual
Four Characteristics of Development
When monkey sees, why does monkey do?
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mirror neurons:Cells in an
observer’s brain that respond to
an action performed by
someone else in the same
way they would if the observer
had actually performed that
action.
Multidisciplinary
Four Characteristics of Development
Brain damage/
injury
The brain
is plastic,
able to
reassign
neurons
Change may occur, some functions may be
restored.
plasticity: Human traits can be molded (as plastic can be), yet people maintain a certain durability of identity (as plastic does).
How plastic (moldable) are the brain and personality?
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Plasticity
Four Characteristics of Development
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ecological-systems
approach: The view
that in the study of
human development,
the person should be
considered in all the
contexts and
interactions that
constitute a life.
How does the ecological-
systems approach work?
Multicontextual
Four Characteristics of Development
behavioral (learning theory)
cognitive
John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner, Albert Bandura
Jean Piaget
Study of observable behavior; describes the laws and processes by which behavior is learned.
Focus on changes in how people think over time; also thoughts shape our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
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psychoanalytic Freud, EriksonIrrational, unconscious drives and motives, often originating in childhood, underlie human behavior.
Founders Description
Freud’s Personality/Mind Iceberg
Personality develops from the efforts of our ego, our rational self, to resolve tension between our id,based in biological drives,and the superego, society’s rules and constraints.
The Unconscious, in Freud’s view: A reservoir of thoughts, wishes, feelings, memories, that are hidden from awareness because they feel unacceptable.
The Mind is mostly below the surface of conscious awareness
In Maslow’s view, people are motivated to keep moving up a hierarchy of needs, growing beyond getting basic needs met.
At the top of this hierarchy are self-actualization, fulfilling one’s potential, and self-transcendence.
Maslow: The Self-Actualizing Person
In this ideal state, a personality includes being self-aware, self-accepting, open, ethical, spontaneous, loving caring, focusing on a greater mission than social acceptance.
Stages and Continuity Three different types of development-cognitive, moral, and
psychosocial--have been running in parallel.
Differences in Theory - Are they really separate stages, or a continuous process of development?
What kind of
framework
do theories provide
for the study of
human
development?
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developmental theories: A framework for explaining patterns and problems of development.
Produce hypotheses Generate
discoveries
Offer practical guidance
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What do theories about human development really do?
How do adults interact with children to teach them social norms?
What do
you say?Please?
Okay
Thank you
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sociocultural theory: Development results from the
dynamic interaction of each person with the
surrounding social and cultural forces.
Sociocultural Theory
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Evolutionary Theory
selective adaptation: Process by which genes that enhance survival and reproductive ability are selected and, over generations, become more frequent.
Scared of death by car?
In 2010,10 U.S. death in 100,000
Scared of death by snake?
12 deaths in 2010 (out of 314 million people)
What are you more scared of?
Which fear would have helped our ancestors survive?
What do theories contribute to our understanding of nature and nurture?
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The Nature – Nurture Controversy