Experience Human Development

12th Edition

Diane E. Papalia

2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

The Study of Human Development

Chapter 1

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Genie: Critical Period for

Language Acquisition?

Lennenbergs theory (1967)

Genie discovered in 1970 at age 13
Raises questions about critical periods of language
development
Adult versus childs ability to learn language

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Guideposts for Study

1. What is human development, and how has its study
evolved?
2. What do developmental scientists study?
3. What kinds of influences make one person different
from another?
4. What are seven principles of the life-span
developmental approach?

2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Formal Study of
Human Development

The Scientific Study of How Humans Develop

Development is systematic
Development is adaptive
Development is lifelong (i.e., life-span development)

Stanford Studies of Gifted Children

Berkeley Growth and Guidance Studies
Oakland Growth Study

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Four Goals of
Developmental Psychology
Describe
Example: When do
children say their first
words?

Explain
Example: How do children
learn to use language?

Predict
Example: Will delayed
language development
affect speech?

Modify
Example: Can therapy
help speech delays?
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Domains of Development
Change & Stability
Physical

Development

Body, brain, senses, motor skills, and health

Cognitive

Development

Learning, memory, moral reasoning, language,

thinking, and creativity

Psychosocial

Development

Personality, emotional life, and relationships

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Periods of the Life Span:

A Social Construction

Based on subjective perceptions or

assumptions

Varies among cultures

Changes over generations

Adolescence only recently introduced in
industrial societies

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Periods of the Life Span

Prenatal Period

ConceptionBirth

Infancy and Toddlerhood

Birth3 years

Early Childhood

36 years

Middle Childhood

611 years

Adolescence

1120 years

Young Adulthood

2040 years

Middle Adulthood

4065 years

Late Adulthood

65 years and Over

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Influences on Development
Individuals vary in rate and timing of
development due to:
o

Heredity: Inherited traits from biological

parents

Environment: Physical and social influences

Maturation: Sequences of physical and

behavioral patterns
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Contexts of Development: Family

What

is a family? Depends!
Great changes

Over time
Place to place

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Nuclear Family
Two generations: parents and children

Economic unit, history in farming

Dominant in Western societies
Increasing numbers of

Working parents
Stepchildren
Gay/lesbian homes
Single parents

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Extended Family
A multigenerational

kinship

Includes grandparents, cousins, aunts/uncles,

and more!
Social roles are flexible
Historically, common in
Asian, African, and
Latin American cultures
Becoming less typical
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Contexts of Development:
Socioeconomic Status (SES)
Includes

income, education, and occupation

Poor children are more likely to:

Have emotional and behavior problems
Not reach cognitive potential
Have poorer school performance

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Poverty Hurts Children

Outcome
Health
Death in Infancy
Premature Birth
Inadequate Prenatal Care
No Regular Health Care
Education
Repeat a Grade
Drop Out (1624 years)

Risk Increase
1.6 times
1.8 times
2.8 times
2.7 times
2 times
3.5 times
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Low SES &

Related Risk Factors
Poverty-related

risks that increase

chance of negative outcomes include:

Living in neighborhoods with high

unemployment

Lack of social support

Social support less likely in highunemployment neighborhoods

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Contexts of Development:
Culture
Culture

A way of life
Includes:

Customs
Traditions
Artwork

Learned behavior, passed on to children

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Contexts of Development:
Race & Ethnicity
Ethnic Group A shared identity
United by ancestry, religion, or origin
Contributes to shared attitudes and beliefs
Race A socially constructed term
Scholars have no real consensus on definition
Categories fluid shaped by society and politics
Ethnic Gloss
Overgeneralization that obscures cultural
differences within a group
Examples: Black or Hispanic

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Contexts of Development:
Historical Context
Unique

time in which people live and grow

up
Experiences tied to time and place:

Great Depression
World War II
The 60s

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Age-Graded
Normative Influences
Similar

for an age group

Maturational: Fixed in time

Puberty or menopause
Social: Timing is flexible
Marriage or parenthood
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Normative
History-Graded Influences
Events

that shape attitudes of a

historical generation
o

Historical Generation: A group that

experiences an event at a formative time

Ex: WWII children have strong social bond to each other

Cohort: Group born around the same time

A historical generation can have many cohorts

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Non-Normative Influences
Unusual

events affecting individual lives

Typical events at atypical times

Puberty at age 20
Marriage in teens
Atypical events
Birth defect
Winning the lottery
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Timing of Influences

Imprinting

Instinctively following first moving

object seen after birth; usually mother

Konrad Lorenz and his ducklings

Indicates predisposition or readiness

to learn

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Timing of Influences:
Critical & Sensitive Periods

Critical Period
Specific

time when an event (or its absence) has

specific impact on development

Sensitive Period
Developmental

timing when child is particularly

responsive to certain experiences

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Timing of Influences:
Plasticity of Development

Modifiability of performance
Plasticity

lasts through life span,

but has limits

Example: Limits and progress of

Genie

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Baltess Life Span Approach:

Six Key Principles

Development is lifelong
Development is multidimensional
Development is multidirectional
Development involves changing resource
allocations
Development shows plasticity
Development is influenced by the historical and
cultural context
2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc