Patterns of continuities and change (includes growth and decline)
3 ways we develop:
Partly like most individuals (biologically)
Partly like others (small group experience)
Ex: death of a parent
Partly like no others
Ex: certain childhood experience
BROAD DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT:
Physical
Cognitive (glass of water)
Psychosocial (how we deal with emotions)
Definitions of development:
Growth: physical changes from birth to maturity (biological changes)
Aging: (+) and (-) changes in the mature organism
Maturation: biological unfolding of individual genetic plan
Learning: relatively permanent changes due to environmental experiences.
Age grades: socially defined age groups
Ex: children, infants, elderly etc..
Each comes with its own privilege/responsibility
Very gradual process
Age norms: behavioral expectations of age groups
Ex: expect children to attend school
Social clock: when things SHOULD be done
Ex: having children by a certain age.
“Off-time” experiences are more difficult not expecting (parent death, teen pregnancy)
Traditional approach: extensive change from birth to adolescence, little to no change in adulthood.
Decline in old age.
Modern life-span approach: developmental change in childhood as well as adulthood.
Gerontology: study of old age and aging.
HISTORY:
Before 1600: children viewed as mini adults
Modern view: innocent/need protection
Average life expectancy 1900’s: 47 years
Average life expectancy 2000: 77.5 years
Greater in whites by about 5 years
Don’t really know why the mind changes: BOTH!!!
Nature vs. nurture debate
Nature: heredity maturation and genes (biology)
Nurture: learning, experience, cultural influence and environment (world experiences)
GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENT INTERACT:
Tyron (1942)
Experiment on maze running in rats
Selectively bred 2 lines of rats
1. Dull – on how well they could run the maze
2. Bright
kept
References: page: APA format Include paper you are reviewing as well as any other papers you cite.