chapter 1 Flashcards
Defining Development
The science of human development
…seeks to understand how and why people of all ages and circumstances change or remain the same over time.
goal: to be happy, productive, and meaningful life for everyone
basic steps of the scientific method
Five basic steps of the scientific method
Begin with curiosity.
Develop a hypothesis.
Test the hypothesis.
Draw conclusions.
Report the results; replication.
replication
repeating a study’s procedures and methods with diff. participants
The Nature–Nurture Debate: Basic Questions
How much of any characteristic, behavior, or emotion is the result of genes and chromosomes, set and conception?
How much is the result of experiences, including those that affect biology and those that affect attitudes?
The Nature–Nurture Concepts
Epigenetics
Differential susceptibility
Nature
Influence of genes we inherit
Nurture
Environmental influences that affect development
Epigenetics
How environmental factors affect genes and genetic expression
Differential susceptibility
How environmental experiences differ because of particular inherited genes
Ready to Learn (U.S. Department of Education)
-people vary in how sensitive they are
dandelions-hardy, grow in good or bad soil
orchids- quite wonderful but only in ideal conditions
Age Ranges for Different Periods of Development
Infancy 0 to 2 years
Early childhood 2 to 6 years
Middle childhood 6 to 11 years
Adolescence 11 to 18 years
Emerging adulthood 18 to 25 years
Adulthood 25 to 65 years
Late adulthood 65 years and older
“As you will learn, developmentalists are reluctant to specify chronological ages for any period of development, since time is only one of many variables that affect each person.
Approximate ages for each period are given here.” However, age is a crucial variable, and development can be segmented into periods of study.
Development is
multi-directional.
multi-contextual.
multi-cultural.
plastic.
Development is multi-directional.
Over time, human characteristics change in
-Pace of change also
-Over time, human characteristics change in every direction; development is not linear.
-Pace of change also varies: continuity and discontinuity.
-Gains and losses appear throughout life and are apparent historically and generationally.
Critical and Sensitive Periods
Critical period
Time when certain things must occur for normal development
-grow hands and feet 28-48 days after conception
Sensitive period
Time when a particular development occurs most easily
-learning language- can learn later but with difficulty
Development is multi-contextual.
Social context
Development is multi-contextual.
Social context
Everyone who influences each developing person, immediately and over time, directly and indirectly is included in social context.
-everyone is affected by their surroundings, social context of party, decides wether person will leave early or stay till 3 am
Ecological-systems approach (Bronfenbrenner)
-Ecological-systems approach (Bronfenbrenner)
Each person is affected by many social contexts and interpersonal interactions.
-Three nested levels surround individuals and affect them.
-This approach later named bioecological theory.
Development is multi-contextual.
Historical context
Development is multi-contextual.
Historical context
Cohort
All persons born within a few years of one another are said to be a cohort, a group defined by the shared age of its members.
Development is multi-contextual
Socioeconomic context
Development is multi-contextual
Socioeconomic context
-Socioeconomic status (SES): income, wealth, occupation, education, and neighborhood; underlies every other system
-Age and cohort are entangled with SES.
Development is multi-cultural.
Culture
Development is multi-cultural.
Culture-social construct, affects how people think and act. what they value, ignore and punish
-System of shared beliefs, norms, behaviors, and expectations that persist over time and prescribe social behavior and assumptions
-Social construction
Based on shared perceptions, not on objective reality
Development is multi-cultural.
Learning within a culture:
Development is multi-cultural.
Learning within a culture: Vygotsky
-People do not develop in isolation but rather in relationship to the culture of their community, transmitted by the words, objects, and actions of other people.