Life-Span Human Development

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Baltes states that the development of a particular domain does not occur in a strictly linear fashion but that the development of certain traits can be characterized as having the capacity for both an increase and decrease in efficacy over the course of an individual’s life. It becomes a roadblock, however, when it inhibits understanding of cultural practices from other societies. e., there is one course of development) or does development follow a different course for each child, depending on the child’s specific genetics and environment (i. The way the authors presented developmental psychology, I also think it brings up some important challenges to the conventional abnormal psychology approach, and abnormal psychology would do well to be more informed by developmental psychology (e. There are so many different observations about childhood, adulthood, and development in general that we use theories to help organize all of the different observable events or variables.

Inversely, the ability for adolescents to engage in spontaneous activity and creativity, both domains commonly associated with impulse behavior, decrease over the adolescent period in response to changes in cognition. Think of ways your own development fits in with each of these concepts as you read about the terms in more detail. But isn’t it possible that development during one period affects development in other periods and that humans can grow and change across adulthood too? He saw the newborn’s mind as a tabula rasa (“blank slate”) on which knowledge is written through experience and learning.Late adulthood covers a wide age range with a lot of variation, so it is helpful to divide it into categories such as the “young old” (65-74 years old), “old old” (75-84 years old), and “oldest old” (85+ years old).

Human development refers to the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of humans throughout the lifespan. They went into things that matter to me a lot, such as feminist views, postmodern views, and cross-cultural views (though I would have liked to see a bit more of the cross-cultural views of development). Physical development also includes puberty, sexual health, fertility, menopause, changes in our senses, and primary versus secondary aging.Contrast this with some developing countries where menstruation is not publicly addressed, or where girls on their period are forced to miss school due to limited access to feminine products or unjust attitudes about menstruation.

Our concerns are such because of who we are socially, where we live, and when we live; they are part of a social climate and set of realities that surround us. The term “ecological” refers to a natural environment; human development is understood through this model as a long-lasting transformation in the way one perceives and deals with the environment.The list of the periods of development reflects unique aspects of the various stages of childhood and adulthood that will be explored in this book, including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes. Normative history-graded influences are associated with a specific time period that defines the broader environmental and cultural context in which an individual develops. Think about the lifespan and make a list of what you would consider the basic periods of development.

We may also be aware of changes in children’s fine and gross motor skills, as well as their increasing coordination, particularly in terms of playing sports. For example, the developmental timing of events can affect individuals in different ways because of their current level of maturity and understanding. For example, Erikson’s theory that teenagers struggle with identity assumes that all teenagers live in a society in which they have many options and must make an individual choice about their future. Another name you are probably familiar with who was influential in the study of human development is Sigmund Freud.The scientific study of children began in the late nineteenth century and blossomed in the early twentieth century as pioneering psychologists sought to uncover the secrets of human behavior by studying its development.