NOTES ON LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY (HUMAN DEVELOPMENT)

Developmental psychologists study the physical, mental, emotional and social changes that occur throughout our lifetime. They not only look at changes within the individual but also the effects of the environment on how we grow and develop. The 5 key questions for the Lifespan psychology option are: 1. Nature versus nurture: a. What is human nature? b. Is it in our genes, or is it the result of the way we are brought up? c. Is the way we develop already predetermined at birth, or is it the result of our environment, or both? 2. Stability versus change: a. Do our early personality traits persist throughout life or do our traits change as we age? b. Think in terms of temperament and other personality traits 3. Continuity versus discontinuity: a. Is development a gradual, continuous process, or do we move through distinctly different stages? b. Does continuous development happen even within what may seem to be distinct stages? 4. Universal versus context-specific development: a. Is there just one developmental path in the journey of life or several? b. Do all infants and children develop in the same manner, or does development vary form context to context or culture to culture? c. If its the same for everyone no matter where theyre brought up, development is universal. If not, development may be context-specific. d. Or is it some of both, some commonalities and some culture-specific differences? 5. The timing of critical events: a. Does it matter what age we are when things happen in our life? b. In other words, do we react the same way to stresses at different ages? c. Does culture play a role in determining when different types of events take on significance?

Biological Factors: Heredity

Heredity refers to the genetic transmission of physical and psychological characteristics from parents to their children. The nucleus of every human cell contains 46 chromosomes, except the sperm and the ovum which each contain only 23 chromosomes. The genes are small, specific areas on the DNA strands that carry hereditary information. There are about 40,000 genes in our cells Each one affects a particular process or personal feature Characteristics are determined by a number of genes working together Heredity influences the overall pattern of human development: eye color skin color susceptibility to certain diseases To some degree intelligence Height Body size and shape Personality traits and other aspects of development Other biological factors may have an effect on prenatal development, such as acute hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and infection are thought to have serious effects on brain development. Environmental Factors: In many ways nurture-Environment, begins in the womb Prenatal nutrition - low birth weight has been shown to put baby at greater risk of behavioral problems and poor academic achievement. Teratogens harmful substances that get through the placenta blood barrier and impact the babys prenatal development. Drugs such as heroin, crack, and other drugs are in this category. If mother is heavy smoker, her baby may receive fewer nutrients and be underweight at birth. These children also risk developing conduct disorder which is characterized by discipline problems at home and school, and even potentially criminal behavior in later life. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome when mother has excessive alcohol consumption. It is marked by a small disproportionate head and lifelong brain abnormalities. The fact remains that biological and environmental influences on the growing fetus can have major implications for the babys development throughout their lifespan.

Biological Development and its ongoing effects: The brain consists of two kinds of material: Grey matter- made of nerve cells called neurons White matter made up of the connections between cells that are covered in a sheath of a whitish substance called myelin Many of the connections between the nerve cells have not yet been made and the connections are essential for the development of cognition, that is, thinking and memory. This is why children need many years to fully develop their cognitive abilities. Myelination (covering the nerves with the myelin sheath) is incomplete at birth and takes some years to be completed. Myelination starts at the head and moves downwards and outwards. During the first 3 years of life, millions of new connections between nerve cells are formed every day, and unused connections disappear (pruning). Consequently early learning environments are crucial in shaping the developing brain. Enriched environments are deliberately made more complex, intellectually stimulating, and emotionally supportive. Deprived environments lack normal nutrition, stimulation, comfort or love. Failure to Thrive. By the age of 5, children who grow up in poor homes tend to have lower IQs. They may also be more fearful, unhappy and prone to hostile behavior. Conversely, Children with enriched environments can improve their abilities and enhance development, by providing rich sensory experiences for the growing child and allowing them to freely explore the world around them. One of the basic principles in psychology is that everyone is different. This is called VARIABILITY. All children develop differently, depending on what happens to them and also on their own unique innate qualities. From birth each baby has its own particular temperament, its way of bein in the world and responding to its environment. All babies have areas of strength and weakness. Temperament can be thought of as the childs personal style and includes traits such as: Level of activity Physical sensitivity Emotional intensity Sociability

Persistence The ways in which he or she adapts to change

Temperament can also affect the attitude of adults and other children toward the baby , which then influences how they treat the baby. Some psychologists believe that temperament and personality remain, on the whole, stable throughout life, while others think that our tendencies and behaviors can change. As with the nature-nurture debate, most psychologists think that there is a mixture of stability and change, or rather that change occurs within a general context of stability, throughout life.