This document provides an overview of a lifespan development psychology course. It introduces why development is studied, key theoretical issues in development, domains of development, research methods and ethics. Developmental science aims to describe, explain and predict behavior through theories tested by observable evidence. Research methods can be qualitative or quantitative, and include longitudinal, cross-sectional and microgenetic designs. Both qualitative and quantitative data are collected through various methods like interviews, tests and physiological measures. Research ethics aim to protect participants and ensure informed consent.

1. PSY 375
LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
DR. BRENNA HASSINGER-DAS
1
Course
Introduction

2. Provides practical guidance for typical growth
Enables society to support healthy growth
Contributes to self-understanding
WHY STUDY DEVELOPMENT?
2

3. Development
Learning and change
Science
Technique for investigating phenomena
Tests hypotheses
Based on observable and measurable evidence
DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE
3

4. An orderly, integrated set of statements that
Describes behavior
Explains behavior
Predicts behavior
Why are theories useful?
THEORY
4

5. 1) Continuous or discontinuous
1) One course of development or many possible
courses?
1) Relative influence of nature and nurture?
2) Stability or change
BASIC THEORETICAL ISSUES
5

6. CONTINUOUS VS DISCONTINUOUS
6

7. Contexts
Unique combinations of personal and environmental
circumstances that can result in different paths of
change
Personal factors
 Shy vs. Outgoing
 Biological makeup
Environmental factors
 Home
 School
 Neighborhood
ONE OR MANY COURSES?
7

8.  Nature
 Nurture
 Stability
 Individuals high or low in a
characteristic remain so at later ages
 Early experience may have a lifelong impact
 Plasticity
 Change is possible, based on experiences
 Broad implications for intervention research
NATURE VS NURTURE
8

9.  Critical period
 Specific time when certain processes must occur for
normal development
 Development of limbs in the womb
 Sensitive period
 Time when a particular development occurs most easily
 Acquisition of a second language from ages 1 to 3
COMMON CONCEPTS
9

10. PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT
10
Period Approx age range
Prenatal Conception to birth The one‐celled organism transforms into a human baby
with remarkable capacities to adjust to life outside the
womb.
Infancy Birth – 2 years Dramatic changes in the body and brain support the
emergence of a wide array of motor, perceptual, and
intellectual capacities and first intimate ties to others
Early Childhood 2- 6 years “play years,” motor skills are refined, thought and language
expand at an astounding pace, a sense of morality is
evident, and children establish ties with peers.
Middle Childhood 6 -12 years The school years are marked by improved athletic abilities;
more logical thought processes; mastery of basic literacy
skills; advances in self‐understanding, morality, and
friendship; and the beginnings of peer‐group membership.
Adolescence 12- 18 years Puberty leads to an adult‐sized body and sexual maturity.
Thought becomes abstract and idealistic and school
achievement more serious. Adolescents begin to establish
autonomy from family and to define values and goals.
Early Adulthood 18- 40 years Most leave home, complete their education, and begin
full‐time work. Major concerns: developing a career, forming
an intimate partnership, marrying, rearing children, or
establishing other lifestyles.
Middle Adulthood 40-60 years Height of their careers and attain leadership positions. They
must also help their children begin independent lives and
their parents adapt to aging. They become more aware of
their own mortality
Late Adulthood 60 - death People adjust to retirement, to decreased physical strength
and health, often to the death of spouse. Reflect on the
meaning of their lives.

11. Domain Changes in
Physical Body size & proportions, appearance
Functioning of body systems, health
Perceptual & motor capacities
Cognitive Intellectual abilities
Thought processes
Perceptual abilities
Language
Social and Emotional Emotional communication
Self-understanding, knowledge about others
Interpersonal skills & relationships
Moral reasoning & behavior
DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT
11

12. RESEARCH
METHODS &
ETHICS

13.  Be a critical consumer of knowledge
 Bridge the gap between research and practice
WHY STUDY RESEARCH METHODS?

14. SCIENTIFIC METHOD

15. THEORY VS. HYPOTHESIS
Child Care in
Infancy
Attachment
Insecurity
Attachment
Theory
Hypothesis

16.  Research Design
Correlational vs. Experimental (“general”)
Designs to examine change over time
(“developmental”)
 Research Methods
Qualitative vs. Quantitative
Measures
Data analysis
RESEARCH STRATEGY

17.  Researchers gather information on individuals and
make no effort to alter their experiences
 aka _____________ design
 Cause and effect cannot be
inferred
CORRELATIONAL DESIGN

18. CORRELATION COEFFICIENT
Sign (+ or -) =
_________of
the
relationship
Magnitude =
_________of
the
relationship

19. CONFOUNDING VARIABLES
 Ice cream sales and rate of death by
drowning
 Reading ability and number of baby teeth
X Y
Z

20. Research design used to establish cause &
effect
THE EXPERIMENT
Independent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
Imposed treatment
or special condition
Specific outcome
being studied

21. THE EXPERIMENT

22. REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSUMING
CAUSE & EFFECT
1. Association
2. Time precedence
3. Isolation
X Y
Z
Z
Z
TIME 

23. Experimental = “Gold Standard” for cause &
effect
When is it not plausible to conduct
experiments?
Feasibility
Manipulability of independent variable
Ethical reasons
Both are valuable
OBSERVATIONAL VS.
EXPERIMENTAL

24. Cross-sectional
Longitudinal
Cross-sequential
Microgenetic
RESEARCH DESIGN: CHANGE
OVER TIME

25. Children of different ages compared at one
time
CROSS-SECTIONAL DESIGN
Total Time: A few weeks + analysis
7th
Grade
8th
Grade
6th
Grade
Year 1

26. PRO
 Not time consuming
 Easy to analyze
 Identifies differences
across age groups
 Participant dropout and
practice effects are not
a concern
CON
 No direct measure of
age changes
 Individual differences?
 Inapplicable to issues
of individual stability
 Cohort effects
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

27. One group of children compared across time
LONGITUDINAL DESIGN
6th
Grade
7th
Grade
8th
Grade
Total Time: 3 years + analysis
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

28. PRO
 Explains individual
consistency or change
 Measure of age
changes is direct
 Well suited for tracing
continuous
development
CON
 Time consuming
 $$$$$
 Biased sampling,
selective attrition
 Limit to one cohort
 Practice effects
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

29. SEQUENTIAL DESIGN
Children of different ages followed longitudinally
Total Time: 3 years + multiple analyses
7th
Grade
8th
Grade
8th
Grade
9th
Grade
9th
Grade
10th
Grade
6th
Grade
7th
Grade
8th
Grade
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3

30.  Small-scale longitudinal design
 Present novel task & follow child over series of
sessions
 Ideal for studying cognition and learning
 Examine change while it is happening
MICROGENETIC DESIGN

31.  Qualitative research
Data = description
Subjective
 Quantitative
research
Data = numbers
Operationalization
Objective
QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE
Both types are valuable!

32.  Clinical or Case study
 Ethnography
 Systematic Observation
 Self-Report
 Standardized Tests
 Psychophysiological Measures
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

33. Case study = full picture of one individual
Ethnography = full picture of one culture
Provides rich information
Danger of researcher’s bias
Not easily generalizable
CLINICAL OR CASE STUDY

34.  Naturalistic
Observation
 In the “field” or natural
environment where
behavior happens
 Not all participants
have the same chance
to display particular
behavior
 Structured
Observation
 Laboratory situation
set up to evoke
behavior of interest
 All participants have
equal chance to
display behavior
SYSTEMATIC OBSERVATION

35.  Clinical
Interview
 Flexible,
conversational
style
 Probes for
participant’s point
of view
 Accurate?
Structured
Interview
 Each participant is
asked same questions
in the same way
 May use
questionnaires, can
assess groups at the
same time
 Not as in-depth
SELF-REPORT: INTERVIEWS

36. SELF-REPORT:
QUESTIONNAIRES
Does your teacher care about
you?
Do you like your teacher?
How do you feel when you’re
at school?
Are you good at reading?
How much do you know about
math?
• Often use a Likert-type
scale
• Particularly useful to
obtain parent and
teacher reports of
behavior

37.  Intelligence
 Verbal Comprehension
 Perceptual Reasoning
 Processing Speed
 Working Memory
 Achievement
 Developmental Level
STANDARDIZED TESTS

38.  Autonomic indicators
 i.e. heart rate
 Electroencephalogram (EEG)
 Brain-wave patterns
 Event-related potentials (ERP)
 Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT)
 Positron emission tomography (PET)
 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
 Structural
 Functional (fMRI)
 Near-infrared optical topography (NIROT)
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
MEASURES

39. RESEARCH RIGHTS
 Protection from harm
 Informed consent
 Privacy
 Knowledge of results
 Beneficial treatments

40.  Many conflicts in research do not have clear right or
wrong answers
 Institutional Review Boards
 Balance costs and benefits
 Deception
ETHICS IN RESEARCH