Adolescence 7. The notion of plasticity emphasizes that there are many possible developmental outcomes and that the nature of human development is much more open and pluralistic than originally implied by traditional views; there is no single pathway that must be taken in an individuals development across the lifespan. The main goals of those involved in studying human development are to describe and explain changes. Psychologists Betty Hart and Todd Risley (2006) spent their careers looking at early language ability and progression of children in various income levels. For example, self-regulation is one domain of puberty which undergoes profound multidirectional changes during the adolescent period. The acquisition of effective self-regulation in adolescents illustrates this gain/loss concept. Cognitive development involves learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity. The study of development traditionally focused almost exclusively on the changes occurring from conception to adolescence and the gradual decline in old age; it was believed that the five or six decades after adolescence yielded little to no developmental change at all. Particularly oft-disputed is the role of early experiences on later development in opposition to current behavior reflecting present experiencesnamely the passive versus active issue. This requires the sacrificing of other functions, a process known as selective optimization with compensation. Moral reasoning develops further, as does practical intelligencewisdom may develop with experience over time. Youths in this program improved in school attendance, parental relations, academic performance, and peer emotional support[2]Substance use and problem behaviors were also reported as either prevented or reduced. This belief that our own culture is superior is calledethnocentrismand is a normal by-product of growing up in a culture. This understanding is somewhat new and still being explored. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: MEANING, CONCEPTS AND APPROACHES ACTIVITY. The key here is to understand that behaviors, motivations, emotions, and choices are all part of a biggerpicture. Did you have an idea for improving this content? The five major principles of human development from a life-span perspective are: (1) lifelong, (2) multidimensional, (3) plastic, (4) constextual, and (5) involves growth, maintenance, and regulation. This enables developmental theorists and researchers to analyze the problem in greater depth. Development is Sequential 4. Many disciplines are able to contribute important concepts that integrate knowledge, which may ultimately result in the formation of a new and enriched understanding of development across the lifespan. He marries soon after completing high school, has four children, works hard to support his family and is able to do so during the prosperous postwar economics of the 1950s in America. We may find individual and group differences in patterns of development, so examining the influences of gender, cohort/generation, race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, education level, and time in history is also important. Development does not stop at a certain age; development is a lifelong process. Many academic disciplines contribute to the study of development and this type is offered in some schools as psychology (particularly as developmental psychology); in other schools, it is taught under sociology, human development, or family studies. So much of what developmental theorists have described in the past has been culturally bound and difficult to apply to various cultural contexts. Baltes theory also states that the historical socio-cultural setting had an effect on the development of an individuals intelligence. Give at least one application of each principle in the teaching- learning process. Can you identify it? Does it have a name and if so, what does the name imply? How much is due to genetics and how much is due to environmental influences and experiences (both within our personal control and beyond)? Psychosocial development involves emotions, personality, and social relationships. Baltes theory also states that the historical socio-cultural setting had an effect on the development of an individuals intelligence. Further, the role of heredity and the environment in shaping human development is a much-contested topic of discussion also referred to as the nature/nurture debate. Both congenitally blind adults and sighted adults could locate a sound presented in front of them with precision but people who are blind were clearly superior in locating sounds presented laterally. 4. Normative age-graded influences are those biological and environmental factors that have a strong correlation with chronological age, such as puberty or menopause, or age-based social practices such as beginning school or entering retirement. Another name you are probably familiar with who was influential in the study of human development is Sigmund Freud. Positive Youth Development holds the belief that all youths have the potential to become productive, contributing members of society. 5.Development involves growth, maintenance and regulation. Both congenitally blind adults and sighted adults could locate a sound presented in front of them with precision but people who are blind were clearly superior in locating sounds presented laterally. If you have ever wondered about what motivates human thought and behavior, understanding these theories can provide useful insight into individuals and society. Throughout this course, we will describe observations during development, then examine how theories provide explanations for why these changes occur. The children are teenagers in a very different social climate: one of social unrest, liberation, and challenging the status quo. Then as we compare young children to those in middle childhood, there appear to be huge differences in their ability to think logically about the concrete world around them. An attempt by researchers has been made to examine whether research on the nature of development suggests a specific metatheoretical worldview. The principles are: 1. Some developmental theories focus on the formation of a particular quality, such as Piagets theory of cognitive development. Psychosocial development continues across adulthood with similar (and some different) developmental issues of family, friends, parenting, romance, divorce, remarriage, blended families, caregiving for elders, becoming grandparents and great grandparents, retirement, new careers, coping with losses, and death and dying. The areas of influence that Baltes thought most important to the development of intelligence were health, education, and work. Questions Category: Childhood and Growing Up What are the 5 major principles of human development from a life span perspective? This requires the sacrificing of other functions, a process known as selective optimization with compensation. His marriage of 25 years ends in divorce. Before entering kindergarten, high-income children score 60% higher on achievement tests than their low-income peers (Lee & Burkam, 2002). Psychosocial development involves emotions, personality, self-esteem, and relationships. No single age period is more crucial, characterizes, or dominates human development. This relation between developmental gains and losses occurs in a direction to selectively optimize particular capacities. Adolescents develop the ability to think logically about the abstract world (and may like to debate matters with adults as they exercise their new cognitive skills!). This understanding is somewhat new and still being explored. Principles of human development state that; Human development is plastic. Paul Baltes identified several underlying principles of the lifespan perspective (Baltes, 1987; Baltes, Lindenberger, & Staudinger, 2006). In contrast, theorists who view development as discontinuous believe that development takes place in unique stages and that it occurs at specific times or ages. Development is Continuous 2. Adolescents may also be forced to sacrifice their fast reaction times toward processing stimuli in favor of being able to fully consider the consequences of their actions. What other methods or interventions could be used to decrease the achievement gap? A significant aspect of the aging process is cognitive decline. For example, the religious teachings and traditions of a family may create a climate that makes the family feel stigmatized and this indirectly impacts the childs view of themselves and others. Two key conceptsin the scientific approach are theoryand hypothesis. For example,Eriksonstheory that teenagers struggle with identity assumes that all teenagers live in a society in which they have many options and must make an individual choiceabout their future. But you may have also experienced changes in the way you think and solve problems. As you can see, our development is influenced by multiple contexts, so the timing of basic motor functions may vary across cultures. Normative history-graded influences are associated with a specific time period that defines the broader environmental and cultural context in which an individual develops. In one longitudinal study, they found that although all the parents in the study engaged and interacted with their children, middle- and high-income parents interacted with their children differently than low-income parents. Agency: Individuals construct their own lives through the choices and actions they take within the opportunities and constraints of history and social circumstance. Glen Elder theorized the life course as based on five key principles: life-span development, human agency, historical time and geographic place, timing of decisions, and linked lives. No single age period is more crucial, characterizes, or dominates human development. Psychosocial development involves emotions, personality, and social relationships. This video gives a summary ofPiagets theory and his four stages of cognitive development. Sternberg describes contextual intelligence as the ability to understand what is called for in a situation (Sternberg, 1996). He believed that all behaviors are learned, or conditioned, as evidenced by his famous Little Albert study, in which he conditioned an infant to fear a white rat. As workers age, some dimensions of functioning decline, while others improve. The principles are: 1. To what extent does your cohort shape your values, thoughts, and aspirations? Even the most biological events can be viewed in cultural contexts that are extremely varied. How might cultural differences influence interactions between teachers and students, nurses and patients, or other relationships? How many periods or stages are on your list? All of this occurs within the relevant historical context and timeframe, or chronosystem. A theory about how people come to gradually acquire, construct, and use knowledge and information. Theories that emphasizes an individuals inherent drive towards self-actualization and contend that people have a natural capacity to make decisions about their lives and control their own behavior. This belief clearly emphasizes that all stages of the lifespan contribute to the regulation of the nature of human development. Think of other ways culture may have affected your development. As we have learned, human development refers to the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes and constancies in humans over time. As the social world expands and the child grows psychologically, different types of play, and interactions with other children and teachers become important. The fact that the term puberty encompasses such a broad range of domains illustrates the multidimensionality component of development (thinkback to the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains of human development we discussed earlier in this module). In Baltes theory, the paradigm of contextualism refers to the idea that three systems of biological and environmental influences work together to influence development. In the book, he warned against the inevitable dangers of a mother providing too much love and affection. Any single disciplines account of development across the lifespan would not be able to express all aspects of this theoretical framework. A communitys values, history, and economy can impact the organizational structures it houses. In essence, lifespan theories explain observable events in a meaningful way. Behavior is motivated by inner forces, memories, and conflicts that are generally beyond peoples awareness and control. Infancy (i.e., the first 2 years of life) 5. For example, self-regulation is one domain of puberty that undergoes profound multidirectional changes during the adolescent period. Rate of Development Varies Person to Person 5. Currently, brain-imaging studies have revealed that the sensory cortices in the brain are reorganized after visual deprivation. But we may not realize that physical development also involves brain development, which not only enables childhood motor coordination but also greater coordination between emotions and planning in adulthood, as our brains are not done developing in infancy or childhood. In this research, low-income children made significant gains in their language development, likely as a result of attending the specialized preschool (Schechter & Byeb, 2007). Another is acquiring knowledge, insight and culture. Although the details of Freuds developmental theory have been widely criticized, his emphasis on the importance of early childhood experiences, prior to five years of age, has had a lasting impact. The framework of Human Performance is captured in five guiding principles: People are fallible, and even the best make mistakes. With the lifespan developmental perspective, we will gain a more comprehensive view of the individual within the context of their own developmental journey and within social, cultural, and historical contexts. 5. describe the fundamental ethical concerns and principles that guide research on human development. Our actions, beliefs, and values are a response to the circumstances surrounding us. Culture is an extremely important context for human development and understanding development requires being able to identify which features of development are culturally based. 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. After analyzing 1,300 hours of parent-child interactions, the researchers found that middle- and high-income parents talk to their children significantly more, starting when the children are infants. However, childcare practices vary by culture, and different practices have been found to accelerate or inhibit the achievement of developmental milestones such as sitting, crawling, and walking (Karasik, Adolph, Tamis-LeMonda, & Bornstein, 2010). For example, several contemporary studies support a model of development that is more continuous than Piaget's discrete stages (Courage & Howe, 2002; Siegler, 2005, 2006).