Experience Human Development
12th Edition
Diane E. Papalia
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
The Study of Human Development
Chapter 1
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Genie: Critical Period for
Language Acquisition?
Lennenberg’s theory (1967)
Genie “discovered” in 1970 at age 13
Raises questions about critical periods of language
development
Adult versus child’s ability to learn language
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Guideposts for Study
1. What is human development, and how has its study
evolved?
2. What do developmental scientists study?
3. What kinds of influences make one person different
from another?
4. What are seven principles of the life-span
developmental approach?
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Formal Study of
Human Development
The Scientific Study of How Humans Develop
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Development is systematic
Development is adaptive
Development is lifelong (i.e., life-span development)
Stanford Studies of Gifted Children
Berkeley Growth and Guidance Studies
Oakland Growth Study
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Four Goals of
Developmental Psychology
● Describe
Example: When do
children say their first
words?
● Explain
Example: How do children
learn to use language?
Predict
Example: Will delayed
language development
affect speech?
● Modify
Example: Can therapy
help speech delays?
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Domains of Development
Change & Stability
Physical Development
Body, brain, senses, motor skills, and health
Cognitive Development
Learning, memory, moral reasoning, language,
thinking, and creativity
Psychosocial Development
Personality, emotional life, and relationships
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Periods of the Life Span:
A Social Construction
•
Based on subjective perceptions or
assumptions
•
Varies among cultures
•
Changes over generations
Adolescence only recently introduced in
industrial societies
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Periods of the Life Span
Prenatal Period
Conception–Birth
Infancy and Toddlerhood
Birth–3 years
Early Childhood
3–6 years
Middle Childhood
6–11 years
Adolescence
11–20 years
Young Adulthood
20–40 years
Middle Adulthood
40–65 years
Late Adulthood
65 years and Over
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Influences on Development
Individuals vary in rate and timing of
development due to:
o
Heredity: Inherited traits from biological
parents
o
Environment: Physical and social influences
o
Maturation: Sequences of physical and
behavioral patterns
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Contexts of Development: Family
What is a family? … Depends!
Great changes
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Over time
Place to place
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Nuclear Family
Two generations: parents and children
Economic unit, history in farming
Dominant in Western societies
Increasing numbers of
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Working parents
Stepchildren
Gay/lesbian homes
Single parents
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Extended Family
A multigenerational kinship
Includes grandparents, cousins, aunts/uncles,
… and more!
Social roles are flexible
Historically, common in
Asian, African, and
Latin American cultures
Becoming less typical
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Contexts of Development:
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
Includes income, education, and occupation
Poor children are more likely to:
Have emotional and behavior problems
Not reach cognitive potential
Have poorer school performance
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Poverty Hurts Children
Outcome
Health
Death in Infancy
Premature Birth
Inadequate Prenatal Care
No Regular Health Care
Education
Repeat a Grade
Drop Out (16–24 years)
Risk Increase
1.6 times
1.8 times
2.8 times
2.7 times
2 times
3.5 times
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Low SES &
Related Risk Factors
Poverty-related risks that increase
chance of negative outcomes include:
Living in neighborhoods with high
unemployment
Lack of social support
Social support less likely in highunemployment neighborhoods
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Contexts of Development:
Culture
Culture – A way of life
Includes:
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Customs
Traditions
Artwork
Learned behavior, passed on to children
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Contexts of Development:
Race & Ethnicity
● Ethnic Group – A shared identity
United by ancestry, religion, or origin
Contributes to shared attitudes and beliefs
● Race – A socially constructed term
Scholars have no real consensus on definition
Categories “fluid” – shaped by society and politics
● Ethnic Gloss
Overgeneralization that obscures cultural
differences within a group
Examples: “Black” or “Hispanic”
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Contexts of Development:
Historical Context
Unique time in which people live and grow
up
Experiences tied to time and place:
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Great Depression
World War II
The ’60s
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Age-Graded
Normative Influences
Similar for an age group
Maturational: Fixed in time
Puberty or menopause
Social: Timing is flexible
Marriage or parenthood
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Normative
History-Graded Influences
Events that shape attitudes of a
historical generation
o
Historical Generation: A group that
experiences an event at a formative time
o
Ex: WWII children have strong social bond to each other
Cohort: Group born around the same time
A historical generation can have many cohorts
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Non-Normative Influences
Unusual events affecting individual lives
Typical events at atypical times
Puberty at age 20
Marriage in teens
Atypical events
Birth defect
Winning the lottery
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Timing of Influences
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Imprinting
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Instinctively following first moving
object seen after birth; usually mother
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Konrad Lorenz and his ducklings
Indicates predisposition or readiness
to learn
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Timing of Influences:
Critical & Sensitive Periods
Critical Period
Specific
time when an event (or its absence) has
specific impact on development
Sensitive Period
Developmental
timing when child is particularly
responsive to certain experiences
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Timing of Influences:
Plasticity of Development
Modifiability of performance
Plasticity
lasts through life span,
but has limits
–
Example: Limits and progress of
Genie
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Baltes’s Life Span Approach:
Six Key Principles
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Development is lifelong
Development is multidimensional
Development is multidirectional
Development involves changing resource
allocations
Development shows plasticity
Development is influenced by the historical and
cultural context
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
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