The document discusses key aspects of the scientific study of human development. It covers that development is studied across the lifespan using scientific theories and methodology. The nature vs nurture debate examines the influence of genes and environment on development. Development involves physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes and occurs through interactions across multiple contexts and cultures. Theories provide frameworks for understanding development, which consider different milestones and processes important. Research methods include observation, experiments, surveys and longitudinal studies to examine development over time.

4. The Science of Human Development
Part 1: The Beginning

5. Human Development
• Scientific study of changes that occur over the
human lifespan
• Seeks to understand how and why people
change over time

6. Depends on theories, data, analysis,
critical thinking, sound methodology
(like every other science)

7. Understanding How & Why
• The Scientific Method
– Progressing from personal opinions to proven
facts (wishes to evidence)
• The Nature-Nurture Controversy
• The Three Domains

11. How much of any characteristic, behavior, or
emotion is the result of genes, and how much
is the result of experience?

13. Domains of Human Development
• Psycho-social (Socio-emotional)
– Changes is relationships, feelings, self-esteem, and
coping
• Cognitive
– Changes in how people sense, organize,
memorize, problem solve, and imagine
• Biological
– Physical changes, such as bodily changes,
maturation and growth

14. Domains of Development
• Interaction between and among domains is
essential to understanding the whole
developing person
• Tapestry of many-colored threads and every
aspect of growth touches on all three domains

15. The Life-Span Perspective
• Takes into account all phases of life
– not just the first couple decades
• Development is…
– Multi-Directional
– Multi-Contextual
– Multi-Cultural
– Plastic

17. Continuity vs. Discontinuity
Gradual vs. Rapid & Dramatically

18. Critical vs. Sensitive Periods
• Critical Period
– MUST happen for normal development to occur
• Sensitive Period
– Most likely, although it may still happen later with
more difficulty

20. Multi-contextual
• Takes place within many contexts
– Physical surroundings – climate, noise, population
density
– Family configurations – married couple, single parent,
cohabitating couple, extended family
• External events in our environment can have a
significant impact on our development
• Ecological systems
– Socioeconomic context
– Historical context

25. Multi-cultural
• Various customs and
shared values strongly
influence who we are
• Social constructions: set of
ideas people share -
concepts constructed by
society
• Difference-equals-deficit
error
• Ethnic and racial groups

26. • Our brain and behavior can change
throughout our life, affected by our
circumstances and varied experiences
• Molded and durable (like plastic)
• Hope and realism
– Change is possible, development builds on what
has come before

27. Theories of Human Development
• Provides a framework or guide for
understanding our behavior

28. Developmental theories
are different from one
another… BUT…
they all share what?

29. What are some
of the
important
milestones in
your life or the
lives of others?

30. Which would
you say are
important steps
in development…
and which
aren’t?

31. Some are clearly important… others are not…
and yet others are controversial…

32. If you learn
something,
is that development?
Is any change
development?
Is it different for
different people?

34. Different theories
of development
consider different
milestones
important
Each theory
(theorist) has
different takes on
what counts as
development

35. What theory do you like best?

36. • A – Psychoanalytic
• B – Behaviorism
• C – Cognitive
• D – Sociocultural
• E – Evolutionary

38. Psychoanalytic Theory
• Human actions and thoughts are the result of
childhood conflicts
• Freud believed it is our sexual impulses that
have a lasting impact
• 5 stages
• Fixation could be a problem

40. Erik Erikson
• Another psychoanalytic theorist
• Psychosocial
• Personality develops over the entire lifespan (not
just childhood, like Freud)
• Believed it’s the resolution of childhood conflict
that determines the type of person we become
• Success or failure in each stage would determine
outcome
• 8 stages

41. Erikson’s Stages

42. Behaviorism
• Learning
theory
• Arose in
opposition to
psychoanalytic
emphasis on
unconscious,
hidden urges

45. Behaviorism
• Proposes that we develop throughout our lives
based on learning through reinforcement or
punishment
• Emphasizes nurture, the specific observable
responses from other people an the environment
to whatever a developing person does
• Watson: argued scientists should examine only
what they can observe & measure
– If the focus is on behavior, they will realize that
anything can be learned

46. Behaviorism is also called learning theory

48. Behaviorism & It’s Theorists

49. Social Learning Theory:
extension of Behaviorism

52. Cognitive Theory
• It is our thoughts and beliefs that affect our
attitudes, perceptions and behaviors
• Focus on changes in how people think over
time
• Piaget
– 4 stages

56. Humanism
• Focuses on human kinds unifying needs and
impulses (things often ignored by
Psychoanalytic & Behaviorism theories)
• Abraham Maslow
– All people, no matter what their culture, gender
or background – have the same basic needs and
drives
– Basic needs first

58. Evolutionary Theory
• Nature works to ensure that each species does
two things:
– Survive & reproduce
• Modern day humans inherited genetic
tendencies that gave their ancestors
mechanisms or advantages to survival
• Fears have not caught up to modern life
– Snakes vs. cars

59. Using the scientific method
• Research strategies
– Scientific observation
• Record behavior systematically &
objectively
– Experiment
• Used to determine cause &
sequence of behavior
– Independent variables
• What is manipulated
– Dependent variables
• Whatever they are studying (that
depends on the independent
variable)
– Survey
• Info collected from a large
number of people

60. Types of Research
• Cross-sectional research
– Compare people of different ages
• Longitudinal research
– Examine the same people over time
• Cross-Sequential research
– Combination
– Allows researchers to study several groups of people
of different ages and then follow those groups over
the years
– Most time consuming and expensive, but yields the
best research

61. Correlation vs. Causation
• When two things are connected or linked
• One thing directly acts on another
• Proven cause for a specific change

67. Let’s see what you remember…