Deck_1_Foundations_of_Lifespan_Development_Descriptive Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is lifespan development?
Lifespan development is the scientific study of how people grow, change, and adapt throughout their lives—from conception to death. It includes physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development across all life stages.
What does it mean for development to be multidimensional?
Development is multidimensional because it includes changes and interactions across multiple domains—physical (biological changes), cognitive (thinking and problem-solving), emotional (feelings and regulation), and social (relationships and roles). These areas influence and shape one another throughout the lifespan.
What does multidirectional development mean?
Multidirectional development means that change does not occur in a straight line. Some aspects of development improve while others decline, depending on the domain, age, and individual experience. For example, cognitive speed may decline in late adulthood, while emotional regulation or vocabulary may improve.
Define normative age-graded influences.
These are biological and environmental events that are typical for a specific age group and happen to most people around the same time, such as starting school, reaching puberty, or retiring.
Define normative history-graded influences.
Normative history-graded influences refer to events that affect an entire generation or cohort due to a shared historical or cultural experience. These can shape beliefs, behaviors, and worldviews. Examples include the COVID-19 pandemic, 9/11, or the rise of social media. The impact may differ depending on a person’s age during the event.
Define nonnormative life events.
These are unusual or unexpected events that have a significant impact on an individual’s life but are not experienced by everyone. Examples include losing a parent in childhood, surviving a serious accident, or winning a major award. These events can alter developmental trajectories in unique ways.
What are Erikson’s psychosocial stages?
Erikson’s theory outlines eight stages of psychosocial development, each marked by a central conflict that must be resolved for healthy psychological growth. These stages span from trust vs. mistrust in infancy to integrity vs. despair in late adulthood, emphasizing the influence of social relationships on identity.
Summarize Freud’s psychosexual stages.
Freud proposed five stages of psychosexual development: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital. Each stage is associated with a particular erogenous zone and conflict. Successful resolution leads to healthy personality development, while fixation can cause issues in adulthood.
List Piaget’s stages of cognitive development.
Piaget identified four stages: sensorimotor (birth–2), preoperational (2–7), concrete operational (7–11), and formal operational (12+). Each stage reflects a different way of thinking and understanding the world, with development progressing through active exploration and learning.
Describe Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory.
Vygotsky emphasized the role of social interaction and culture in cognitive development. He believed that learning is mediated by language and occurs within the Zone of Proximal Development, where children learn best with guidance from more knowledgeable others.
What is the Zone of Proximal Development?
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the range between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with help. It represents the skills that are within reach and can be developed through guided support or scaffolding.
What is Information Processing Theory?
This theory compares human thinking to computer functioning, focusing on how we encode, store, and retrieve information. It examines attention, memory, problem-solving, and how these processes improve over time with development.
What is Bandura’s Social Learning Theory?
Bandura’s theory highlights learning through observation, imitation, and modeling. It involves four key processes: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Behavior is shaped by watching others and the outcomes of their actions.
What is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
Maslow’s model outlines five levels of human needs: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. People must meet lower-level needs before pursuing higher-level goals like personal growth and fulfillment.
Describe Rogers’ person-centered theory.
Rogers emphasized the importance of self-concept and unconditional positive regard. He believed that people have an innate drive toward growth and fulfillment (actualizing tendency), and that psychological well-being depends on congruence between self-perception and experiences.
What is Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model?
This model views development as occurring within a set of nested systems: microsystem (immediate environment), mesosystem (connections between systems), exosystem (indirect environment), macrosystem (culture/society), and chronosystem (time and life events). Each level influences development.
Key concepts of Family Systems Theory?
This theory sees the family as an emotional unit, where each member affects and is affected by others. Concepts include interdependence, roles, rules, boundaries, and homeostasis. Healthy functioning depends on clear communication and balanced relationships.
What are Baltes’ principles of lifespan development?
Baltes proposed that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic (open to change), historically embedded, and influenced by multiple interacting factors including biology, culture, and individual experiences.
