Instructor Manual: Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human Development
Instructor Manual
Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human
Development
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Learning Objectives.......................................................................................................2
Key Terms.....................................................................................................................2
What's New in This Chapter........................................................................................6
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................6
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................14
Additional Activities and Assignments.......................................................................16
Additional Resources..................................................................................................19
Video Resources......................................................................................................................................19
Internet Resources....................................................................................................................................20
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 1
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human Development
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
Chapter 1 defines the study of human development and establishes it as the multidisciplinary study of
how people change and how they remain the same over time. Three unifying issues in human
development are presented: (1) nature and nurture; (2) continuity and discontinuity; and (3) universal and
context-specific development. The influence of nature and nurture on all aspects of human development
and the increased understanding of the roles of genes and environment on development are emphasized.
Students are introduced to the biopsychosocial framework, which focuses on four interactive forces that
influence human development: biological forces, psychological forces, sociocultural forces, and life-cycle
forces. The focus then turns to theories of human development: psychodynamic theory, learning theory,
cognitive theory, ecological and systems theory, and the lifespan/selective optimization with
compensation/life-course perspective. The chapter ends with a discussion on conducting developmental
research, research methods used, responsibilities of researchers, and communicating results from
research.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1.1 Identify issues and biopsychosocial forces in the study of life-span development.
1.2 Describe the theories used in the study of life-span psychology.
1.3 Describe the scientific methods used to conduct research in life-span development.
[return to top]
KEY TERMS
biological forces: all genetic and health-related factors that affect development
biopsychosocial framework: useful way to organize the biological, psychological, and
sociocultural forces on human development
chronosystem: the changes and continuities that occur over the life span that influence development
cohort effects: a problem with cross-sectional designs in which differences between age groups
(cohorts) may result from environmental events, not from developmental processes
competence: people’s abilities
continuity–discontinuity issue: concerns whether a particular developmental phenomenon
represents a smooth progression throughout the life span (continuity) or a series of abrupt shifts
(discontinuity)
correlation coefficient: an expression of the strength and direction of a relation between two
variables
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 2
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human Development
correlational study: investigation looking at relations between variables as they exist naturally in the
world
cross-sectional study: study in which developmental differences are identified by testing people of
different ages at the same time
dependent variable: the factor manipulated in an experiment
ecological theory: theory that considers human development as inseparable from the environmental
contexts in which a person develops
environmental press: the demands put on people by the environment
epigenetic principle: means by which each psychosocial strength has its own special period of
importance
exosystem: social settings that a person may not experience firsthand but that still influence
development
experiment: a systematic way of manipulating the key factor(s) that the investigator thinks causes a
particular behavior
human development: the multidisciplinary study of how people change and how they remain the
same over time
imitation or observational learning: learning by watching those around us
independent variable: the factor manipulated in an experiment
information-processing theory: proposes that human cognition consists of mental hardware and
mental software
intersectionality: interaction of, for example, race and gender that results in unique life experiences
beyond what might otherwise be predicted based on each aspect separately
life-course perspective: describes the ways in which various generations experience the biological,
psychological, and sociocultural forces of development in their respective historical contexts
life-cycle forces: differences in how the same event affects people of different ages
life-span perspective: that human development is multiply determined and cannot be understood
within the scope of a single framework
longitudinal study: a research design in which the same individuals are observed or tested repeatedly
at different points
macrosystem: the cultures and subcultures in which the microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem are
embedded
mesosystem: provides connections across microsystems because what happens in one microsystem is
likely to influence others
meta-analysis: a tool that enables researchers to synthesize the results of many studies to estimate
relations between variables
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 3
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human Development
microsystem: the people and objects in an individual’s immediate environment
naturalistic observation: Observing people as they behave spontaneously in a real-life situation
nature–nurture issue: the degree to which genetic or hereditary influences (nature) and experiential
or environmental influences (nurture) determine the kind of person you are
neuroscience: the study of the brain and the nervous system, especially in terms of brain–behavior
relationships
operant conditioning: technique in which the consequences of a behavior determine whether a
behavior is repeated in the future
populations: broad groups of people that are of interest to researchers
psychodynamic theories: hold that development is largely determined by how well people resolve
conflicts they face at different ages
psychological forces: all perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and personality factors that affect
development
psychosocial theory: Erikson’s theory that personality development is determined by the interaction
of an internal maturational plan and external societal demands
punishment: a consequence that decreases the likelihood of the behavior that it follows
qualitative research: method that involves gaining in-depth understanding of human behavior and
what governs it
reinforcement: a consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior that it follows
reliability: the extent to which a measure provides a consistent index of a characteristic
sample: a subset of the population
selective optimization with compensation (SOC) model: perspective that selection,
optimization, and compensation form a system of behavioral action that generates and regulates
development and aging
self-efficacy: people’s beliefs about their own abilities and talents
self-reports: people’s answers to questions about the topic of interest
sequential design: developmental research design based on cross-sectional and longitudinal designs
sociocultural forces: interpersonal, societal, cultural, and ethnic factors that affect development
structured observations: method in which the researcher creates a setting that is likely to bring out
the behavior of interest
systematic observation: watching people and carefully recording what they do or say
theory: an organized set of ideas that explains development
universal and context-specific development issue: concerns whether there is one path of
development or several
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 4
accessible website, in whole or in part.
Instructor Manual
Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human
Development
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter......................................................................2
Learning Objectives.......................................................................................................2
Key Terms.....................................................................................................................2
What's New in This Chapter........................................................................................6
Chapter Outline.............................................................................................................6
Discussion Questions..................................................................................................14
Additional Activities and Assignments.......................................................................16
Additional Resources..................................................................................................19
Video Resources......................................................................................................................................19
Internet Resources....................................................................................................................................20
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 1
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human Development
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
Chapter 1 defines the study of human development and establishes it as the multidisciplinary study of
how people change and how they remain the same over time. Three unifying issues in human
development are presented: (1) nature and nurture; (2) continuity and discontinuity; and (3) universal and
context-specific development. The influence of nature and nurture on all aspects of human development
and the increased understanding of the roles of genes and environment on development are emphasized.
Students are introduced to the biopsychosocial framework, which focuses on four interactive forces that
influence human development: biological forces, psychological forces, sociocultural forces, and life-cycle
forces. The focus then turns to theories of human development: psychodynamic theory, learning theory,
cognitive theory, ecological and systems theory, and the lifespan/selective optimization with
compensation/life-course perspective. The chapter ends with a discussion on conducting developmental
research, research methods used, responsibilities of researchers, and communicating results from
research.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1.1 Identify issues and biopsychosocial forces in the study of life-span development.
1.2 Describe the theories used in the study of life-span psychology.
1.3 Describe the scientific methods used to conduct research in life-span development.
[return to top]
KEY TERMS
biological forces: all genetic and health-related factors that affect development
biopsychosocial framework: useful way to organize the biological, psychological, and
sociocultural forces on human development
chronosystem: the changes and continuities that occur over the life span that influence development
cohort effects: a problem with cross-sectional designs in which differences between age groups
(cohorts) may result from environmental events, not from developmental processes
competence: people’s abilities
continuity–discontinuity issue: concerns whether a particular developmental phenomenon
represents a smooth progression throughout the life span (continuity) or a series of abrupt shifts
(discontinuity)
correlation coefficient: an expression of the strength and direction of a relation between two
variables
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 2
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human Development
correlational study: investigation looking at relations between variables as they exist naturally in the
world
cross-sectional study: study in which developmental differences are identified by testing people of
different ages at the same time
dependent variable: the factor manipulated in an experiment
ecological theory: theory that considers human development as inseparable from the environmental
contexts in which a person develops
environmental press: the demands put on people by the environment
epigenetic principle: means by which each psychosocial strength has its own special period of
importance
exosystem: social settings that a person may not experience firsthand but that still influence
development
experiment: a systematic way of manipulating the key factor(s) that the investigator thinks causes a
particular behavior
human development: the multidisciplinary study of how people change and how they remain the
same over time
imitation or observational learning: learning by watching those around us
independent variable: the factor manipulated in an experiment
information-processing theory: proposes that human cognition consists of mental hardware and
mental software
intersectionality: interaction of, for example, race and gender that results in unique life experiences
beyond what might otherwise be predicted based on each aspect separately
life-course perspective: describes the ways in which various generations experience the biological,
psychological, and sociocultural forces of development in their respective historical contexts
life-cycle forces: differences in how the same event affects people of different ages
life-span perspective: that human development is multiply determined and cannot be understood
within the scope of a single framework
longitudinal study: a research design in which the same individuals are observed or tested repeatedly
at different points
macrosystem: the cultures and subcultures in which the microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem are
embedded
mesosystem: provides connections across microsystems because what happens in one microsystem is
likely to influence others
meta-analysis: a tool that enables researchers to synthesize the results of many studies to estimate
relations between variables
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 3
accessible website, in whole or in part.
, Instructor Manual: Kail, Human Development, 10th Edition, 9798214156859; Chapter 1: The Study of Human Development
microsystem: the people and objects in an individual’s immediate environment
naturalistic observation: Observing people as they behave spontaneously in a real-life situation
nature–nurture issue: the degree to which genetic or hereditary influences (nature) and experiential
or environmental influences (nurture) determine the kind of person you are
neuroscience: the study of the brain and the nervous system, especially in terms of brain–behavior
relationships
operant conditioning: technique in which the consequences of a behavior determine whether a
behavior is repeated in the future
populations: broad groups of people that are of interest to researchers
psychodynamic theories: hold that development is largely determined by how well people resolve
conflicts they face at different ages
psychological forces: all perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and personality factors that affect
development
psychosocial theory: Erikson’s theory that personality development is determined by the interaction
of an internal maturational plan and external societal demands
punishment: a consequence that decreases the likelihood of the behavior that it follows
qualitative research: method that involves gaining in-depth understanding of human behavior and
what governs it
reinforcement: a consequence that increases the likelihood of the behavior that it follows
reliability: the extent to which a measure provides a consistent index of a characteristic
sample: a subset of the population
selective optimization with compensation (SOC) model: perspective that selection,
optimization, and compensation form a system of behavioral action that generates and regulates
development and aging
self-efficacy: people’s beliefs about their own abilities and talents
self-reports: people’s answers to questions about the topic of interest
sequential design: developmental research design based on cross-sectional and longitudinal designs
sociocultural forces: interpersonal, societal, cultural, and ethnic factors that affect development
structured observations: method in which the researcher creates a setting that is likely to bring out
the behavior of interest
systematic observation: watching people and carefully recording what they do or say
theory: an organized set of ideas that explains development
universal and context-specific development issue: concerns whether there is one path of
development or several
© 2027 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly 4
accessible website, in whole or in part.
