This document provides an overview of human development and lifespan development. It discusses the goals of studying development as describing, explaining, predicting, and modifying development over time. Key topics covered include the major domains of development (physical, cognitive, psychosocial), influences on development like heredity and environment, approaches like Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, research methods used, and ethical considerations in developmental research.

1. Understanding Life Span
Human Development
An Introduction

2. Learning Objectives
Overview of Chapter
How should we think about development?
What is the science of lifespan
Development?
What are influences on development?
How is development Studied?
What special challenges do developmental
scientists face?

3. Goals for the study of human
development
Seeks to:
Describe
Explain
Predict
Modify development
• Scientists observe behavior and record
characteristics – Descriptive research
• Understanding the cause of behavior –
Experimental research
• Make predictions about when and how
behavior will occur – Correlational research
• Study negative behaviors and help
individuals change those behaviors and
help people make that their lives better

4. Historical Perspectives
The scientific study of human
development began with studies of
childhood during the nineteenth
century. Adolescence was not
considered a separate phase of
development until the twentieth
century, when scientific interest in
aging also began.
As researchers became interested
in following development through
adulthood, life-span development
became a field of study.

5. Defining Human Development

6. Human Development
Development is always evolving
Developmental scientists study
developmental change, both quantitative
and qualitative, as well as with stability of
personality and behavior.

7. Three Major Domains of Development
Physical development -
growth of body,
physiological change
Cognitive development –
Changes in perception,
language, learning, and
memory
Psychosocial development –
Changes in personality,
emotions
Developmental Scientists
also study:
Moral Development
Social Development
Each of these aspects
affects the other

8. Human Development
There are individual differences in
development.
Things that can influence development:
Heredity
Environment
This involves the Nurture-Nature Debate
Many typical changes during childhood are
related to maturation. Individual differences
increase with age.

9. Eight Periods of Development
The Prenatal Period – conception to birth
Infancy and Toddlerhood –birth-3 years
Early childhood 3-6 years
Middle childhood 6-12 years
Adolescence 12-20
Young adulthood – 30-40
Middle adulthood
Late adulthood- 65 and up
In each period, people have characteristic developmental
needs and tasks

10. Influences on Development
Ethnicity
Heredity
Environment
Culture
Historical context
Influences may be normative (age-graded
or history-graded) or non-normative

11. Basltes’s Life-Span Developmental Approach
Six Principles Include:
Development involves
both gains and loss
Development is lifelong
Development is multiply-
influenced
Development is multi-
dimensional
Development is plastic
Development is
multicultural

12. Ecological Theory of Human Development
• Uri Bronfenbrenner
(1979)
• One of the founders of
“Head start”
• Developed the Family
System, which includes:
• -Microsystem
• Mesosystem
• Exosystem
• Macrosystem

13. How Development is Studied
•Scientists use various methods in studying
development:
• Qualitative or Quantitative Research
•Scientists use Random selection to ensure
generalizability
• Three forms of data collection:
• Self-Reports (Interviews, questionnaires, diaries)
• Behavioral and performance measures
• Observation

14. Research Designs
Research designs used in studying
development include:
Case Studies and ethnographic
study (Qualitative design)
designs used to study age-related
development are:
 longitudinal – describe
continuity or change in the same
participants
There are advantages and
disadvantages to each design
Correlational Studies and
Experiments (Quantitative
design)
cross-sectional –compare age
groups
Only the experiment can
establish a causal relationship
Sequential – intended to
overcome the weaknesses of
the other two designs

15. Ethical Issues in Research
• Ethical Issues in research
include:
•Informed Consent
•Avoidance of deception
•Protection from harm
•Debriefing after
completion of study
•Confidentiality