CoursedContents/Syllabus:
ModuledI:dIntroductiondtodLifespandDevelopmentd–
d20%dDescriptors/Topics
LifedSpandDevelopment:dDefinition,dConcept,dIssues
Defn.d-
● Branchdofdpsychologydthatdstudiesdintraindividualdchangesdanddinterindividualdchangesd
withindthesedintraindividualdchanges.
● Itsdtask,dasdLadBouviedhasdpointeddout,disd"notdonlyddescriptiondbutdalsodexplicationdofdag
e-relateddchangesdindbehaviordindtermsdofdantecedent-consequentdrelationships".
● Developmentaldpsychologistsdstudyddevelopmentaldchangedcoveringdthedlifedspandfromd
conceptiondtoddeath.dByddoingdso,dtheydattemptdtodgivedadcompletedpicturedofdgrowthdand
ddecline.dOthersdcoverdonlydadsegmentdofdthedlifedspan-childhood,dadulthood,dordolddage.
● Siegeldduringdthedearlydyears,dasdhasdexplained,d"Lifedspandpsychologydwasdpreoccupied
dwithdagesdanddstages.dInvestigatorsdsoughtdtodlearndthedtypicaldagedatdwhichdvariousdstag
esdofddevelopmentdoccurred".
● Thedareasdindwhichdresearchdwasdmainlydconcentrateddweredthosedconsidereddsignificant
dfordhumandevolutionaldadaptation.dFordthedmostdpart,dresearchdstudiesdweredconcentrate
ddondpreschooldanddschool-
agedchildrendanddondadolescents.dOnlydlaterddiddresearchdextendddownward,dfirstdtodbirth
danddthendtodconception,danddlaterdupward,dtodadulthood,dolddage,danddfinallydtodmiddleda
ge.
Domainsdofddevelopment:
● Physicalddevelopment:dprenatalddevelopment,dgrowthdofdbodydanddbrain,dsensorydcapaci
ties,dmotordskills,dhealthdanddnutrition,dmotordskills,dhormonaldchangesdduringdpubertyde
tc.
● Cognitiveddevelopment:dthinking,dreasoning,dcreativity,dlearning,dmemory,dattentiondan
ddlanguagedetc.
● Psychosocialddevelopment:demotions,dpersonality,dsocialdrelationshipsdetc.
● Physical,dcognitive,danddpsychosocialdprocessesdaredinextricablydintertwinedd(Diamond,
d2013).
2drapidlydemergingdfielddrevealsdconnectionsdofdtheddomains:
● developmentaldcognitivedneuroscience,dwhichdexploresdlinksdbetweenddevelopment,dco
gnitivedprocesses,danddthedbraind(Belld&dothers,d2018;dNyberg,dPudas,d&dLundquist,d201
7).
● developmentaldsocialdneuroscience,dwhichdexaminesdconnectionsdbetweendsocioemotio
naldprocesses,ddevelopment,danddthedbraind(Silversd&dothers,d2017;dSullivand&dWilson,d
2018)
Periodsdofddevelopment
● Thedprenataldperiod:dfromdconceptiondtodbirth
● Infancydanddtoddlerhood:dfromdbirthdtod2dyears.
● Earlydchildhood:dfromd2dtod6dyears.
, ● Middledchildhood:dfromd6dtod11dyears
● Adolescence:fromd11dtod18dyears.
● Differentdperiodsdofddevelopmentdaredinterconnected
● Aged cand bed conceptualizedd notd justd asd chronologicald aged butd alsod asdbiologicaldage,dp
sychologicaldage,danddsocialdaged(Hoyerd&dRoodin,d2009).
● Divisiondofdlifespandintodperiodsdisdadsocialdconstruct
GoaldofdLifedspandChanges:
● Itdisdtodenabledpeopledtodadaptdtodthedenvironmentdindwhichdtheydlive.
● Todachievedthisdgoal,dself-realization,dor,dasditdisdsometimesdcalled,d'Self-
actualization,"disdessential.dHowever,dthisdgoaldisdneverdstatic.dItdmaydbedconsidereddandu
rge-
thedurgedtoddodwhatdonedisdfitteddtoddo,dthedurgedtodbecomedthedperson,dbothdphysicallydan
ddpsychologically,dthatdonedwantsdtodbe.
● Thedwaydpeopledexpressdthisdurgeddependsdondthedindividual'sdinnatedabilitiesdanddtrainin
g,dnotdonlydduringdthedearly,dformativedyearsdofdchildhooddbutdalsodasdhedordshedgrowsdol
derdanddcomesdunderdgreaterdpressuresdtodconformdtodsocialdexpectations.
● Sincedself-
realizationdplaysdandimportantdroledindmentaldhealth,dpeopledwhodmakedgooddpersonaldan
ddsocialdadjustmentsdmustdhavedopportunitiesdtodexpressdtheirdinterestsdandddesiresdindwa
ysdthatdgivedthemdsatisfactiondbut,datdthedsamedtime,dconformdtodaccepteddstandards.dLac
kdofdthesedopportunitiesdwilldresultdindfrustrationsdanddgenerallydnegativedattitudesdtowar
ddpeopledanddtowarddlifedindgeneral.
Researchdondhumanddevelopmentdisdadrelativelydrecentdendeavor.dStudiesdofdchildrenddiddnotdbe
ginduntildthedearlydpartdofdthedtwentiethdcentury.dInvestigationsdintodadultddevelopment,dageing,d
anddchangedoverdthedlifedcoursedemergeddonlydindthed1960sdandd1970s.dNevertheless,dideasdabou
tdhowdpeopledgrowdanddchangedhavedexisteddfordcenturies.dAsdthesedspeculationsdcombineddwith
dresearch,dtheydinspireddthedconstructiondofdtheoriesdofddevelopment.dAdtheorydisdandorderly,dinte
grateddsetdofdstatementsdthatddescribes,dexplains,danddpredictsdbehaviour.dFordexample,dadgooddth
eorydofdinfant-
caregiverdattachmentdwouldd(1)ddescribedthedbehaviorsdofdbabiesdofd6dtod8dmonthsdofdagedasdthey
dseekdthedaffectiondanddcomfortdofdadfamiliardadult,d(2)dexplaindhowdanddwhydinfantsddevelopdthi
sdstrongddesiredtodbonddwithdadcaregiver,dandd(3)dpredictdthedconsequencesdofdthisdemotionaldbon
ddfordrelationshipsdthroughoutdlife.
Issues:
Thered ared somed majord theoriesd ofd humand developmentd andd researchd strategiesd usedd tod testdt
hem.dWedcandeasilydorganizedthem,dsincedalmostdalldtakedadstancedondthreedbasicdissues:
● ContinuousdordDiscontinuousdDevelopment
Thedcontinuity-
discontinuitydissuedfocusesdondtheddegreedtodwhichddevelopmentdinvolvesdeitherdgradual,dcumul
ativedchanged(continuity)dorddistinctdstagesd(dis-dcontinuity).
Continuousd-
dindtermsdofdcontinuity,dasdthedoakdgrowsdfromdseedlingdtodgiantdoak,ditdbecomesdmoredofdandoak
—
itsddevelopmentdisdcontinuous.dGradual,dcumulativedchange.dSimilarly,dadchild’sdfirstdword,dtho
,ughdseeminglydandabrupt,ddiscontinuousdevent,disdactuallydthedresultdofdweeksdanddmonthsdofdgr
owthdanddpractice.dPubertydmightdseemdabrupt,dbutditdisdadgradualdprocessdthatdoccursdoverdsever
aldyears.
, Discontinuousd-
dIndtermsdofddiscontinuity, dasdandinsectdgrowsdfromdadcaterpillardtodadchrysalisdtodadbutterfly,ditdpa
ssesdthroughdadsequencedofdstagesdindwhichdchangedisdqualitativelydratherdthandquantitativelyddif
ferent.dSimilarly,datdsomedpointdadchilddmovesdfromdnotdbeingdabledtodthinkd abstractlydaboutdthed
worlddtodbeingdabledto.dThisdisdadqualitative,ddiscontinuousdchangedinddevelopmentdratherdthandad
quantitative,dcontinuousdchange.dTheoriesdthatdacceptdtheddiscontinuousdperspectivedregardddev
elopmentdasdtakingdplacedindstages-
qualitativedchangesdthinking,dfeeling,danddbehavingdthatdcharacterizedspecificdperiodsdofddevelo
pment.dIndstagedtheories,ddevelopmentdisdmuchdlikedclimbingdadstaircase,dwithdeachdstepdcorresp
ondingdtodadmoredmature,dreorganizeddwaydofdfunctioning.dThedstagedconceptdalsodassumesdthatd
peopledundergodperiodsdofdrapiddtransformationdasdtheydstepdupdfromdonedstagedtodthednext.dIndot
herdwords,dchangedisdfairlydsuddendratherdthandgradualdanddongoing.
● Stabilitydordchange
Thedstability-
dchangedissue,dinvolvesdtheddegreedtodwhichdearlydtraitsdanddcharacteristicsd persistdthroughdlifedo
rdchange.
Stabilityd-
dManyddevelopmentalistsdwhodemphasizedstabilitydinddevelopmentdarguedthatdstabilitydisdthedres
ultdofdhereditydanddpossiblydearlydexperiencesdindlife.dFordexample,dmanydarguedthatdifdandindivi
dualdisdshydthroughoutdlifed(asdTeddKaczynskidwas),dthisdstabilitydisdduedtodhereditydanddpossibly
dearlydexperiencesdindwhichdthedinfantdordyoungdchilddencountereddconsiderabledstressdwhendinte
ractingdwithdpeople.
Changed-
dDevelopmentalistsdwhodemphasizedchangedtakedthedmoredoptimisticdviewdthatdlaterdexperiences
dcandproducedchange.dIndthedlife-
spandperspective,dplasticity,dthedpotentialdfordchange,dexistsdthroughoutdthedlifespan.dExpertsdsu
chdasdPauldBaltesd(2003)darguedthatdwithdincreasingdagedanddondaveragedolderdadultsdoftendshowd
lessdcapacitydfordchangedindthedsensedofdlearningdnewdthingsdthandyoungerdadults.dHowever,dman
ydolderdadultsdcontinuedtodbedgooddatdpracticingdwhatdtheydhavedlearneddindearlierdtimes.
Thedrolesdofdearlydanddlaterdexperiencedaredandaspectdofdthedstability-
changedissuedthatdhasdlongdbeendhotlyddebatedd(Phillipsd&dLowenstein,d2011;dSchaie,d2010a,db).
dSomedarguedthatdunlessdinfantsdexperiencedwarm,dnurturantdcaregivingdindthedfirstdyeardordsodofdl
ife,dtheirddevelopmentdwilldneverdbedoptimald(Berlin,dCassidy,d&dApple-dyard,d2008).dThedlater-
experiencedadvocatesdseedchildrendasdmalleabledthroughoutddevelopmentdanddlaterdsensitivedcar
egivingdasdequallydimportantdtodearlierdsensitivedcaregivingd(Sieglerd&dothers,d2009).
Stagedtheoristsdassumedthatdpeopledeverywheredfollowdthedsamedsequencedofddevelopment.dYetdt
hedfielddofdhumanddevelopmentdisdbecomingdincreasinglydawaredthatdchildrendanddadultsdlivedind
distinctdcontextsdorduniquedcombinationsdofdpersonaldanddenvironmentaldcircumstancesdthatdcand
resultdinddifferentdpathsdofdchange.dFordexample,dadshydindividual,dfearsdsocialdencountersddevel
opsdindveryddifferentdcontextsdfromdthosedofdadsocialdagematedwhodreadilydseeksdoutd otherdpeopl
e.dChildrendanddadultsdindvillagedsocietiesdencounterdexperiencesdindtheirdfamiliesdanddcommuni
tiesdthatddifferdsharplydfromdthosedofdpeopledindlargedcities.dTheseddifferentdcircumstancesdfoster
ddifferentdintellectualdcapacities,dsocialdskills,danddfeelingsdaboutdthedselfdanddothers.
ModuledI:dIntroductiondtodLifespandDevelopmentd–
d20%dDescriptors/Topics
LifedSpandDevelopment:dDefinition,dConcept,dIssues
Defn.d-
● Branchdofdpsychologydthatdstudiesdintraindividualdchangesdanddinterindividualdchangesd
withindthesedintraindividualdchanges.
● Itsdtask,dasdLadBouviedhasdpointeddout,disd"notdonlyddescriptiondbutdalsodexplicationdofdag
e-relateddchangesdindbehaviordindtermsdofdantecedent-consequentdrelationships".
● Developmentaldpsychologistsdstudyddevelopmentaldchangedcoveringdthedlifedspandfromd
conceptiondtoddeath.dByddoingdso,dtheydattemptdtodgivedadcompletedpicturedofdgrowthdand
ddecline.dOthersdcoverdonlydadsegmentdofdthedlifedspan-childhood,dadulthood,dordolddage.
● Siegeldduringdthedearlydyears,dasdhasdexplained,d"Lifedspandpsychologydwasdpreoccupied
dwithdagesdanddstages.dInvestigatorsdsoughtdtodlearndthedtypicaldagedatdwhichdvariousdstag
esdofddevelopmentdoccurred".
● Thedareasdindwhichdresearchdwasdmainlydconcentrateddweredthosedconsidereddsignificant
dfordhumandevolutionaldadaptation.dFordthedmostdpart,dresearchdstudiesdweredconcentrate
ddondpreschooldanddschool-
agedchildrendanddondadolescents.dOnlydlaterddiddresearchdextendddownward,dfirstdtodbirth
danddthendtodconception,danddlaterdupward,dtodadulthood,dolddage,danddfinallydtodmiddleda
ge.
Domainsdofddevelopment:
● Physicalddevelopment:dprenatalddevelopment,dgrowthdofdbodydanddbrain,dsensorydcapaci
ties,dmotordskills,dhealthdanddnutrition,dmotordskills,dhormonaldchangesdduringdpubertyde
tc.
● Cognitiveddevelopment:dthinking,dreasoning,dcreativity,dlearning,dmemory,dattentiondan
ddlanguagedetc.
● Psychosocialddevelopment:demotions,dpersonality,dsocialdrelationshipsdetc.
● Physical,dcognitive,danddpsychosocialdprocessesdaredinextricablydintertwinedd(Diamond,
d2013).
2drapidlydemergingdfielddrevealsdconnectionsdofdtheddomains:
● developmentaldcognitivedneuroscience,dwhichdexploresdlinksdbetweenddevelopment,dco
gnitivedprocesses,danddthedbraind(Belld&dothers,d2018;dNyberg,dPudas,d&dLundquist,d201
7).
● developmentaldsocialdneuroscience,dwhichdexaminesdconnectionsdbetweendsocioemotio
naldprocesses,ddevelopment,danddthedbraind(Silversd&dothers,d2017;dSullivand&dWilson,d
2018)
Periodsdofddevelopment
● Thedprenataldperiod:dfromdconceptiondtodbirth
● Infancydanddtoddlerhood:dfromdbirthdtod2dyears.
● Earlydchildhood:dfromd2dtod6dyears.
, ● Middledchildhood:dfromd6dtod11dyears
● Adolescence:fromd11dtod18dyears.
● Differentdperiodsdofddevelopmentdaredinterconnected
● Aged cand bed conceptualizedd notd justd asd chronologicald aged butd alsod asdbiologicaldage,dp
sychologicaldage,danddsocialdaged(Hoyerd&dRoodin,d2009).
● Divisiondofdlifespandintodperiodsdisdadsocialdconstruct
GoaldofdLifedspandChanges:
● Itdisdtodenabledpeopledtodadaptdtodthedenvironmentdindwhichdtheydlive.
● Todachievedthisdgoal,dself-realization,dor,dasditdisdsometimesdcalled,d'Self-
actualization,"disdessential.dHowever,dthisdgoaldisdneverdstatic.dItdmaydbedconsidereddandu
rge-
thedurgedtoddodwhatdonedisdfitteddtoddo,dthedurgedtodbecomedthedperson,dbothdphysicallydan
ddpsychologically,dthatdonedwantsdtodbe.
● Thedwaydpeopledexpressdthisdurgeddependsdondthedindividual'sdinnatedabilitiesdanddtrainin
g,dnotdonlydduringdthedearly,dformativedyearsdofdchildhooddbutdalsodasdhedordshedgrowsdol
derdanddcomesdunderdgreaterdpressuresdtodconformdtodsocialdexpectations.
● Sincedself-
realizationdplaysdandimportantdroledindmentaldhealth,dpeopledwhodmakedgooddpersonaldan
ddsocialdadjustmentsdmustdhavedopportunitiesdtodexpressdtheirdinterestsdandddesiresdindwa
ysdthatdgivedthemdsatisfactiondbut,datdthedsamedtime,dconformdtodaccepteddstandards.dLac
kdofdthesedopportunitiesdwilldresultdindfrustrationsdanddgenerallydnegativedattitudesdtowar
ddpeopledanddtowarddlifedindgeneral.
Researchdondhumanddevelopmentdisdadrelativelydrecentdendeavor.dStudiesdofdchildrenddiddnotdbe
ginduntildthedearlydpartdofdthedtwentiethdcentury.dInvestigationsdintodadultddevelopment,dageing,d
anddchangedoverdthedlifedcoursedemergeddonlydindthed1960sdandd1970s.dNevertheless,dideasdabou
tdhowdpeopledgrowdanddchangedhavedexisteddfordcenturies.dAsdthesedspeculationsdcombineddwith
dresearch,dtheydinspireddthedconstructiondofdtheoriesdofddevelopment.dAdtheorydisdandorderly,dinte
grateddsetdofdstatementsdthatddescribes,dexplains,danddpredictsdbehaviour.dFordexample,dadgooddth
eorydofdinfant-
caregiverdattachmentdwouldd(1)ddescribedthedbehaviorsdofdbabiesdofd6dtod8dmonthsdofdagedasdthey
dseekdthedaffectiondanddcomfortdofdadfamiliardadult,d(2)dexplaindhowdanddwhydinfantsddevelopdthi
sdstrongddesiredtodbonddwithdadcaregiver,dandd(3)dpredictdthedconsequencesdofdthisdemotionaldbon
ddfordrelationshipsdthroughoutdlife.
Issues:
Thered ared somed majord theoriesd ofd humand developmentd andd researchd strategiesd usedd tod testdt
hem.dWedcandeasilydorganizedthem,dsincedalmostdalldtakedadstancedondthreedbasicdissues:
● ContinuousdordDiscontinuousdDevelopment
Thedcontinuity-
discontinuitydissuedfocusesdondtheddegreedtodwhichddevelopmentdinvolvesdeitherdgradual,dcumul
ativedchanged(continuity)dorddistinctdstagesd(dis-dcontinuity).
Continuousd-
dindtermsdofdcontinuity,dasdthedoakdgrowsdfromdseedlingdtodgiantdoak,ditdbecomesdmoredofdandoak
—
itsddevelopmentdisdcontinuous.dGradual,dcumulativedchange.dSimilarly,dadchild’sdfirstdword,dtho
,ughdseeminglydandabrupt,ddiscontinuousdevent,disdactuallydthedresultdofdweeksdanddmonthsdofdgr
owthdanddpractice.dPubertydmightdseemdabrupt,dbutditdisdadgradualdprocessdthatdoccursdoverdsever
aldyears.
, Discontinuousd-
dIndtermsdofddiscontinuity, dasdandinsectdgrowsdfromdadcaterpillardtodadchrysalisdtodadbutterfly,ditdpa
ssesdthroughdadsequencedofdstagesdindwhichdchangedisdqualitativelydratherdthandquantitativelyddif
ferent.dSimilarly,datdsomedpointdadchilddmovesdfromdnotdbeingdabledtodthinkd abstractlydaboutdthed
worlddtodbeingdabledto.dThisdisdadqualitative,ddiscontinuousdchangedinddevelopmentdratherdthandad
quantitative,dcontinuousdchange.dTheoriesdthatdacceptdtheddiscontinuousdperspectivedregardddev
elopmentdasdtakingdplacedindstages-
qualitativedchangesdthinking,dfeeling,danddbehavingdthatdcharacterizedspecificdperiodsdofddevelo
pment.dIndstagedtheories,ddevelopmentdisdmuchdlikedclimbingdadstaircase,dwithdeachdstepdcorresp
ondingdtodadmoredmature,dreorganizeddwaydofdfunctioning.dThedstagedconceptdalsodassumesdthatd
peopledundergodperiodsdofdrapiddtransformationdasdtheydstepdupdfromdonedstagedtodthednext.dIndot
herdwords,dchangedisdfairlydsuddendratherdthandgradualdanddongoing.
● Stabilitydordchange
Thedstability-
dchangedissue,dinvolvesdtheddegreedtodwhichdearlydtraitsdanddcharacteristicsd persistdthroughdlifedo
rdchange.
Stabilityd-
dManyddevelopmentalistsdwhodemphasizedstabilitydinddevelopmentdarguedthatdstabilitydisdthedres
ultdofdhereditydanddpossiblydearlydexperiencesdindlife.dFordexample,dmanydarguedthatdifdandindivi
dualdisdshydthroughoutdlifed(asdTeddKaczynskidwas),dthisdstabilitydisdduedtodhereditydanddpossibly
dearlydexperiencesdindwhichdthedinfantdordyoungdchilddencountereddconsiderabledstressdwhendinte
ractingdwithdpeople.
Changed-
dDevelopmentalistsdwhodemphasizedchangedtakedthedmoredoptimisticdviewdthatdlaterdexperiences
dcandproducedchange.dIndthedlife-
spandperspective,dplasticity,dthedpotentialdfordchange,dexistsdthroughoutdthedlifespan.dExpertsdsu
chdasdPauldBaltesd(2003)darguedthatdwithdincreasingdagedanddondaveragedolderdadultsdoftendshowd
lessdcapacitydfordchangedindthedsensedofdlearningdnewdthingsdthandyoungerdadults.dHowever,dman
ydolderdadultsdcontinuedtodbedgooddatdpracticingdwhatdtheydhavedlearneddindearlierdtimes.
Thedrolesdofdearlydanddlaterdexperiencedaredandaspectdofdthedstability-
changedissuedthatdhasdlongdbeendhotlyddebatedd(Phillipsd&dLowenstein,d2011;dSchaie,d2010a,db).
dSomedarguedthatdunlessdinfantsdexperiencedwarm,dnurturantdcaregivingdindthedfirstdyeardordsodofdl
ife,dtheirddevelopmentdwilldneverdbedoptimald(Berlin,dCassidy,d&dApple-dyard,d2008).dThedlater-
experiencedadvocatesdseedchildrendasdmalleabledthroughoutddevelopmentdanddlaterdsensitivedcar
egivingdasdequallydimportantdtodearlierdsensitivedcaregivingd(Sieglerd&dothers,d2009).
Stagedtheoristsdassumedthatdpeopledeverywheredfollowdthedsamedsequencedofddevelopment.dYetdt
hedfielddofdhumanddevelopmentdisdbecomingdincreasinglydawaredthatdchildrendanddadultsdlivedind
distinctdcontextsdorduniquedcombinationsdofdpersonaldanddenvironmentaldcircumstancesdthatdcand
resultdinddifferentdpathsdofdchange.dFordexample,dadshydindividual,dfearsdsocialdencountersddevel
opsdindveryddifferentdcontextsdfromdthosedofdadsocialdagematedwhodreadilydseeksdoutd otherdpeopl
e.dChildrendanddadultsdindvillagedsocietiesdencounterdexperiencesdindtheirdfamiliesdanddcommuni
tiesdthatddifferdsharplydfromdthosedofdpeopledindlargedcities.dTheseddifferentdcircumstancesdfoster
ddifferentdintellectualdcapacities,dsocialdskills,danddfeelingsdaboutdthedselfdanddothers.
