Introduction to Human Development
The Major Concerns of Science
• Human Development
– Opposing processes of being becoming
someone different
– While remaining in some respects that same
person over an extended period of time
continue
• Continuity and Change in Development
– Nature has no fixed entities, only transitions
and transformations
– Change – biological, psychological, and
emotional-social
– Life-span and human development
• Long-term sequence and patterns of change
– Life is also continuity
• Same gender, biological, gender-roles, thought
process gives us identity and stability
The Study of Human Development
• Development
– Orderly and sequential change that occur
with the passage of time as an organism
moves from conception to death
• Human development
– Becoming something different while
remaining the same
• Developmental Psychology
– Individual change with time while remaining
in some respects the same
The Goal of Developmental Psychologist
1. To describe changes that typically occur
across the lifespan
2. To explain these changes, to specify the
determinants of developmental change
3. To predict developmental changes
4. To be able to use their knowledge to
intervene in the course of events in order
to control them
Framework for Studying Development
• Divided into categories by clustering
components
1. The Major Domain of development
2. The Process of Development
3. The Context of Development
4. The Timing of Development
The Major Domains of Development
• Cognitive
• Physical
Development Development
– change in
– changes in
the body
mental activity
Emotional-Social
Development –
changes in
individual's
personality,
emotions, and
relationships
The Process of Development
Growth
• Metabolic process with in
us – increase in size,
increase in cells
Maturation
• Permanent
modification in
behavior that results
from the individual’s
experience in the
environment
Learning
• Preprogramming of
pattern of behaviors
The Context of Development
• Ecological approach (definition)
• 4 levels
– Microsystem – network of social relationships and
physical setting
– Mesosystem – interrelationship among the various
settings in which the developing person lives
– Exosystem – external environment
– Macrosystem – cultural patterns of a society that are
expressed in family, education, economic, political,
and religious system
– Look at samples
The Timing of Developmental Events
1. Normative – age graded influences
2. Normative history – graded influences
historical factors that occurred
3. Nonnormative life events – turning
points at which people change some
direction in their lives
Generational activity
Partitioning the Life Span: Cultural and
Historical Perspectives
• Divided into age strata
– Reflect social definition
– Vary by culture
– Historical period
• Age is master status
– Changes in roles accompanied by age
– Social responsibility
• Behavioral expectations from society for
age strata are social norms
United States Life-Span Development
•
•
•
•
•
Prenatal development
Infancy
Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
– Emerging adult (new one just being added)
– Early Adult
– Middle Adult
– Late Adult
• Old age
– Young-old age (newly divided)
– Old-old age
Theories of Development
• Psychoanalytic Theories • Humanistic Theory
– Sigmund Freud
• Psychosexual Theory
• Structure of Personality
– Erik Erikson
• Psychosocial Theory
• Behavioral Theories
– Ivan Pavlov
• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
– B.F. Skinner
• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
– Abraham Maslow
• Hierarchy of Needs
– Lawrence Kohlberg
• Stages of Moral Reasoning
• Cognitive Theories
– Jean Piaget
• Cognitive stages
– Albert Bandura
• Cognitive Learning
• Sociocultural Theory
– Lev Vygotsky
• Sociocultural theory
Assignment
• Choose 1 theorists to research and
present
– Prepare a presentation about the theorist
and theory
– Prepare a graphic organizer or outline
describing the theory
– Include vocabulary (see me for words
associated with theorist)
– Be ready to present on time.
– If you have questions, ask. Don’t wait.