1) Development across the lifespan involves biological, cognitive, and social changes from conception through old age. 2) Prenatal development proceeds through germinal, embryonic, and fetal stages, with the placenta providing nutrients and filtering substances and certain drugs/illnesses posing risks. 3) Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development outlined four stages from sensorimotor to formal operations, with knowledge acquired through schemas and accommodation/assimilation.

1. Development Across the Lifespan
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2. DEVELOPMENT: the pattern of movement or change that
occurs across the lifespan

3. NATURE VS. NURTURE DEBATE

4. Lecture Outline
•Biological Development
•Cognitive Development
•Social Development
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5. Biological Development
• PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT:
Conception to birth
• ZYGOTE: combination of a
sperm and an egg
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6. Stages of Prenatal Development:
1. GERMINAL STAGE: conception – 2 weeks
2. EMBRYONIC STAGE: 3rd
– 8th
weeks
3. FETAL STAGE: 9th
week – birth
AGE OF VIABILITY: around 22-23 weeks
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7. Prenatal Supports & Risks
• PLACENTA: organ that…
– Provides nutrients & removes waste
– Filters out harmful substances
• TERATOGENS: any agent that can
cause harm prenatally
• CRITICAL PERIODS: time when
growth must occur for
development to proceed normally
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8. 8

9. Teratogens
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LEGAL DRUGS
• OTC & PRESCRIPTION MEDS
• CAFFEINE
• ALCOHOL
• SMOKING
ILLEGAL DRUGS
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS
MATERNAL DISEASE

14. Lecture Outline
•Biological Development
•Cognitive Development
•Social Development
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15. Theory of Cognitive Development
• Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980)
• Children:
– Are active and inventive
– Acquire knowledge through experience
– Develop in a series of stages

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• SCHEMAS: mental representations that organize knowledge
• ASSIMILATION: new info is understood through existing
schemes
• ACCOMMODATION: schemes are adjusted to fit new info
• OBJECT PERMANENCE: understanding that objects continue to
exist, even when they can’t be observed
1. Sensorimotor Stage
(birth – 2 years)

17. 2. Preoperational Stage
(2-7 years)
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• SYMBOLIC THINKING: representing the world with words and
images
• EGOCENTRISM: difficulty taking another person’s point of view
• ANIMISM: the belief that inanimate objects have lifelike
qualities
• CONSERVATION: understanding that properties such as mass,
volume, and number stay the same despite changes in shapes
Kids in the Preoperational Stage fail to understand conservation.

18. Piaget’s Conservation Task:
Preoperational kids fail the conservation task!
Conservation of Volume

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20. 3. Concrete Operations
(7-11 years)
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•Kids can now pass the conservation task! Why?
1. REVERSIBILITY: the ability to think through a series of steps and
mentally “un-do” them
2. DECENTRATION: focusing on several aspects of a problem and
relating them, rather than focusing on just one
•Can reason logically about concrete events
•Can categorize objects and events into multiple sets

21. 4. Formal Operations
(11 years – adulthood)
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• Thought becomes:
– Abstract
– Systematic
– Logical
– Reflective
Research suggests that 50% of
adults never get to this stage!

22. Lecture Outline
•Biological Development
•Cognitive Development
•Social Development
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23. Social Development
• ATTACHMENT: active,
affectionate, reciprocal
relationship between two
people
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24. Harry Harlow (1959)
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25. 25

26. Attachment
• STRANGE SITUATION TASK: attachment status is
determined by reactions to a series of stressful events
• Secure (60%)
• Insecure
– Avoidant (15%)
– Anxious (10%)
– Disorganized (15%)
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27. 27

28. Temperament
• Easy babies (40%)
• Difficult babies (10%)
• Slow to Warm Up (15%)
• Ambiguous (35%)
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29. Parenting Styles
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DIMENSIONS OF PARENTING STYLE:
•Control
•Responsiveness

30. Parenting Styles
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Authoritative Authoritarian
Permissive Uninvolved
High
Control
Low
Control
High
Responsiveness
Low
Responsiveness

31. Social Development
Across the Lifespan
• Erik Erikson (1902 – 1994)
– Eight Stages of Psychosocial
Development
– Psychosocial Crises
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32. Psychosocial Stages
5. IDENTITY VS. ROLE CONFUSION:
– Teens work develop a sense of self by testing roles &
blending them to form a single identity. OR
– They become confused about who they are.
• TWO DIMENSIONS OF IDENTITY:
– CRISIS: period of considering alternatives
– COMMITMENT: adherence to a path of action
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33. Psychosocial Stages
5. IDENTITY VS. ROLE CONFUSION
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DIFFUSION:
Failure to develop an
identity because of a
lack of goals
MORATORIUM:
Trying on several
identities to without
intending to settle
FORECLOSURE:
Uncritical acceptance of
parental values &
desires
ACHIEVEMENT:
Adoption of well-chosen
values & goals
Present
Present
Absent
Absent
Crisis
Commitment

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Fig. 11-24, p. 447

35. Psychosocial Stages
6. INTIMACY VS. ISOLATION –
– Young adults struggle to form close relationships and
to gain the capacity for intimate love. OR
– They feel socially isolated.
7. GENERATIVITY VS. STAGNATION
– Middle-aged adults discover a sense of contributing to the world
through family & work. OR
– They feel a lack of purpose.
8. EGO-INTEGRITY VS. DESPAIR
– Older adults reflect on life and feel a sense of satisfaction. OR
– They feel a sense of failure.
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