Introduction to lifespan extra reading

Question 1

Bronfenbrenner 1979 strengths

Answer 1

• Jack, 2000: highly applicable in fields such as social work, used to design child welfare interventions by recognising influence of family, community and policy
• Bronfenbrenner & Morris: addition of chronosystem later highlights importance of time in both of life trnsitions of historical changes making the theory more dynamic

Question 2

Bronfenbrenner 1979 limitations

Answer 2

-Lerner, 2005; Hayes et al., 2017: lacks detail on the mechanisms through which these systems influence behaviour, too descriptive which makes it hard to test empirically
- Tudge et al., 2006: developed in a Western context and some assumptions may not translate cross culturally e.g. emphasis on individual autonomy

Question 3

Baltes 1987 strengths

Answer 3

• Freund & Baltes, 2002: support by empirical studies on ageing, older adults who use SOC strategies report higher life satisfaction and functioning
• Jopp & Smith, 2006: allows for personalised coping strategies, making it applicable across age groups and cultures

Question 4

Baltes 1987 limitations

Answer 4

• Martinson & Berridge, 2015: successful ageing models like SOC may promote a moral obligation to age well, potentially stigmatising those who cannot
• Suanet et al., 2012: collectivist norms shape the way older adults in japan and china adapt, differing signifcantly from western SOC strategies

Question 5

Sameroff 2010 strengths

Answer 5

• Shonkoff et al., 2012: models that emphasise the interplay between biology and environment offer more comprehensive frameworks for intervention especially in early childhood
• Sameroff & Mackenzie: transactional perspective is innovative where both child and environment influence each other continuously, counters linear or deterministic models

Question 6

Sameroff 2010 limitations

Answer 6

• Masten, 2007: lack of specificity and testability, require longitudinal multimethod designs which are costly and complex
  -Luthar, 2003: insufficient attention to macrolevel factors despite relevance in shaping developmental trajectories