PSYC*1000 — WEEK 8: LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
Comprehensive Midterm Study Sheet — Chapter 10 (10.1, 10.2, 10.3)
PART 1: Key Principles & Developmental Domains
Developmental Psychology Defined
• Study of human physical, cognitive, social, and behavioural changes across the lifespan
• Key research questions researchers debate:
◦ Continuous vs. discontinuous development
◦ Active vs. passive development
◦ One universal course vs. many courses
◦ Nature vs. nurture influences
Research Methods
Method Description
Longitudinal Study Same group studied repeatedly over an extended period of time
Cross-Sectional Study Different age groups compared at one single point in time
Physical Growth Trends
• Head to tail — Cephalocaudal trend:
◦ Head/brain develops before lower body
• Near to far — Proximodistal trend:
◦ Core (head, chest, trunk) develops before extremities (arms, legs, fingers)
• Epiphyses: bones begin as cartilage prenatally → harden into bone before birth
Attachment Theory
• Originated with John Bowlby (1969); grounded in evolutionary biology, psychology, neuroscience
• Purpose: keep infant safe, promote brain development and affect regulation
• Key idea: when scared, humans run to a PERSON (unlike ground mammals who hide)
• Based on emotional security — availability/responsiveness of key people when distressed
• Important from birth to death, but how it’s expressed changes with age
Arousal-Relaxation Cycle
• Need → High arousal → Need satisfied → Relaxation → Trust/Security/Attachment
Neurobiology of Attachment
Brain Side Role
Right Brain Limbic system, amygdala, hippocampus; right-brain-to-right-brain connection;
(Emotional) early caregiving shapes the right brain (neurobiological core of unconscious)
Left Brain (Rational) Provides the ‘story-line’ of relationships; active after age 2 (verbal); connects left-
brain-to-left-brain; facilitates 'talking' aspects of relationships
, • Secure attachment activates dopamine and releases oxytocin (love hormone)
• Secure attachment deactivates the amygdala (brain’s fear centre)
Ainsworth's Attachment Styles (Strange Situation)
• Type A: Secure
• Type B: Insecure avoidant
• Type C: Insecure anxious-ambivalent
• Type D: Disorganized — conceptualized by Solomon & George, NOT Ainsworth
⚠️ EXAM NOTE: Ainsworth’s work is considered HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC: Euro-American
ethnocentric design; only 100 middle-class White American mothers & infants; ignored cultural
variation in ‘stranger’ concept; infants subjected to extreme distress; attachment is more complex than
3 styles.
Developmental Domains
⚠️ EXAM NOTE: Developmental Domains are DIFFERENT from Piaget’s Stages — know this
distinction!
Domain What It Involves
Physical Height/weight/strength, neurological development, gross motor skills, fine motor
skills, sensory development
Cognitive Thinking, acquiring knowledge, attention, memory, reasoning, problem-solving,
creativity
Language Expressive language (speaking), receptive language (understanding), verbal/non-
verbal communication, literacy, bilingual development
Social-Emotional Sense of belonging, relationships, social skills/cues, emotional regulation,
understanding others’ emotions, self-concept
• Domains influence each other (e.g., learning to walk → more exploration → more cognitive development)
• A child can progress rapidly in one domain while developing more slowly in another
Screen Time
Age Group Canadian Paediatric Society Recommendation
Under 2 years No screen time
Ages 2–4 years Less than 1 hour/day
Ages 5–17 years Maximum 2 hours/day (recreational)
• Negative effects: brain changes, addictive behaviour (reward system), sleep deprivation, less school
readiness, attention issues, social challenges, cyberbullying, blue light exposure
Comprehensive Midterm Study Sheet — Chapter 10 (10.1, 10.2, 10.3)
PART 1: Key Principles & Developmental Domains
Developmental Psychology Defined
• Study of human physical, cognitive, social, and behavioural changes across the lifespan
• Key research questions researchers debate:
◦ Continuous vs. discontinuous development
◦ Active vs. passive development
◦ One universal course vs. many courses
◦ Nature vs. nurture influences
Research Methods
Method Description
Longitudinal Study Same group studied repeatedly over an extended period of time
Cross-Sectional Study Different age groups compared at one single point in time
Physical Growth Trends
• Head to tail — Cephalocaudal trend:
◦ Head/brain develops before lower body
• Near to far — Proximodistal trend:
◦ Core (head, chest, trunk) develops before extremities (arms, legs, fingers)
• Epiphyses: bones begin as cartilage prenatally → harden into bone before birth
Attachment Theory
• Originated with John Bowlby (1969); grounded in evolutionary biology, psychology, neuroscience
• Purpose: keep infant safe, promote brain development and affect regulation
• Key idea: when scared, humans run to a PERSON (unlike ground mammals who hide)
• Based on emotional security — availability/responsiveness of key people when distressed
• Important from birth to death, but how it’s expressed changes with age
Arousal-Relaxation Cycle
• Need → High arousal → Need satisfied → Relaxation → Trust/Security/Attachment
Neurobiology of Attachment
Brain Side Role
Right Brain Limbic system, amygdala, hippocampus; right-brain-to-right-brain connection;
(Emotional) early caregiving shapes the right brain (neurobiological core of unconscious)
Left Brain (Rational) Provides the ‘story-line’ of relationships; active after age 2 (verbal); connects left-
brain-to-left-brain; facilitates 'talking' aspects of relationships
, • Secure attachment activates dopamine and releases oxytocin (love hormone)
• Secure attachment deactivates the amygdala (brain’s fear centre)
Ainsworth's Attachment Styles (Strange Situation)
• Type A: Secure
• Type B: Insecure avoidant
• Type C: Insecure anxious-ambivalent
• Type D: Disorganized — conceptualized by Solomon & George, NOT Ainsworth
⚠️ EXAM NOTE: Ainsworth’s work is considered HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC: Euro-American
ethnocentric design; only 100 middle-class White American mothers & infants; ignored cultural
variation in ‘stranger’ concept; infants subjected to extreme distress; attachment is more complex than
3 styles.
Developmental Domains
⚠️ EXAM NOTE: Developmental Domains are DIFFERENT from Piaget’s Stages — know this
distinction!
Domain What It Involves
Physical Height/weight/strength, neurological development, gross motor skills, fine motor
skills, sensory development
Cognitive Thinking, acquiring knowledge, attention, memory, reasoning, problem-solving,
creativity
Language Expressive language (speaking), receptive language (understanding), verbal/non-
verbal communication, literacy, bilingual development
Social-Emotional Sense of belonging, relationships, social skills/cues, emotional regulation,
understanding others’ emotions, self-concept
• Domains influence each other (e.g., learning to walk → more exploration → more cognitive development)
• A child can progress rapidly in one domain while developing more slowly in another
Screen Time
Age Group Canadian Paediatric Society Recommendation
Under 2 years No screen time
Ages 2–4 years Less than 1 hour/day
Ages 5–17 years Maximum 2 hours/day (recreational)
• Negative effects: brain changes, addictive behaviour (reward system), sleep deprivation, less school
readiness, attention issues, social challenges, cyberbullying, blue light exposure
