Profed02/ Readings 1

Nature - Biological or genetic predispositions -Individuals differ in the rate of growth

impact human traits. and development.
Nurture - we cannot deny the -Boys and girls have different
development rates.
significance of environmental factors in the
-Each part of the body has its own
development of an individual.
particular rate of growth.
PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN 5) Development Proceeds from
GROWTH AND General to Specific
-In all areas of development, general
DEVELOPMENT
activity always precedes specific
activity.
1) Development is Continuous Ex. the fetus moves its whole body but is
- The process of growth and development incapable of making specific responses. With
continues from the conception till the respect to emotional behavior infants’
individual reaches maturity. approach strange and unusual objects with
some sort of general fear response.
- Development of both physical and mental
traits continues gradually until these traits 6) Most Traits are Correlated in
reach their maximum growth. Development
- It goes on continuously throughout life. -it is seen that the child whose mental
Even after maturity has been attained, development is above average, is also
development does not end. superior in so many other aspects like
2) Development is Gradual health, sociability and special aptitudes
-it does not come all on a sudden. 7) Growth and Development is a
-It is also cumulative in nature Product of Both Heredity and
3) Development is Sequential Environment
-Most psychologists agree that - Development is influenced by both
development is sequential or orderly. heredity and environment. Both are
-Every species, whether animal or human, responsible for human growth and
follows a pattern of development peculiar to development.
it.
-This pattern in general is the same for all 8) Development is Predictable
individuals. -The difference in physiological and
psychological potentialities can ‘be
4) Rate of Development Varies predicated by observation and
from Person to Person psychological tests.
-Rate of development is not uniform.
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9) Development brings about delivery, as well as risks and
structural and functional complications with newborns, but also
changes advances in tests, technology, and
medicine.
- Function is the capacity of the
 The influences of nature (e.g.,
biological system to carry out
genetics) and nurture (e.g., nutrition and
operations while Structure
teratogens, which are environmental
encompasses all parts of the organism
factors during pregnancy that can lead to
capable of carrying out functions
birth defects) are evident.
localized within the body of the
organism and arranged in some
Infancy and Toddlerhood
particular spatial pattern.
 The first year and a half to two
years of life are ones of dramatic growth
10) There is a Constant and change.
Interaction Between all Factors  A newborn, with many involuntary
of Development reflexes and a keen sense of hearing but
-Development in one area is highly poor vision, is transformed into a walking,
related to development in other areas. talking toddler within a relatively short
Ex. a child who has a good health can be period of time.
active socially and intellectually  Caregivers similarly transform
their roles from those who manage
feeding and sleep schedules to constantly
moving guides and safety inspectors for
Lifespan Development mobile, energetic children.
 Brain development happens at a
Prenatal Development remarkable rate, as does physical growth
and language development. Infants have
 Conception occurs and their own temperaments and approaches
development begins. to play
 There are three stages of prenatal  Interactions with primary
development: germinal, embryonic, and caregivers (and others) undergo changes
fetal periods. All of the major structures of influenced by possible separation
the body are forming and the health of the anxiety and the development of
mother is of primary concern. attachment styles.
 There are various approaches to  Social and cultural issues center
labor, delivery, and childbirth, with around breastfeeding or formula-feeding,
potential complications of pregnancy and
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sleeping in cribs or in the bed with Middle Childhood
parents, toilet training, and whether or not
to get vaccinations.  The ages of 6-11 comprise middle
childhood and much of what children
Early Childhood experience at this age is connected to
their involvement in the early grades of
 Early childhood is also referred to as
school.
the preschool years, consisting of the
 Now the world becomes one of
years that follow toddlerhood and
learning and testing new academic
precede formal schooling, roughly
skills and assessing one’s abilities
from around ages 2 to 5 or 6.
and accomplishments by making
 As a preschooler, the child is busy
comparisons between self and others.
learning language (with amazing
 Schools participate in this process by
growth in vocabulary), is gaining a
comparing students and making these
sense of self and greater
independence, and is beginning to comparisons public through team
sports, test scores, and other forms of
learn the workings of the physical
recognition.
world.
 The brain reaches its adult size around
 This knowledge does not come
age seven, but it continues to develop.
quickly, however, and preschoolers
Growth rates slow down and children
may initially have interesting
are able to refine their motor skills at
conceptions of size, time, space and
this point in life.
distance, such as demonstrating how
 Children also begin to learn about
long something will take by holding out
social relationships beyond the family
their two index fingers several inches
through interaction with friends and
apart.
fellow students; same-sex friendships
 A toddler’s fierce determination to do
are particularly salient during this
something may give way to a four-
period.
year-old’s sense of guilt for doing
something that brings the disapproval
of others.
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Adolescence Early Adulthood
 is a period of dramatic physical change  Late teens, twenties, and thirties are
marked by an overall physical growth often thought of as early adulthood
spurt and sexual maturation, known as (students who are in their mid to late
puberty; timing may vary by gender, 30s may love to hear that they are
cohort, and culture. young adults!).
 is also a time of cognitive change as the  It is a time when we are at our
adolescent begins to think of new physiological peak but are most at
possibilities and to consider abstract
risk for involvement in violent crimes
concepts such as love, fear, and freedom.
and substance abuse.
 Ironically, adolescents have a sense of
 It is a time of focusing on the future
invincibility that puts them at greater risk
of dying from accidents or contracting and putting a lot of energy into
sexually transmitted infections that can making choices that will help one
have lifelong consequences. Research on earn the status of a full adult in the
brain development helps us understand eyes of others. Love and work are the
teen risk-taking and impulsive behavior. primary concerns at this stage of life.
 A major developmental task during
Middle Adulthood
adolescence involves establishing one’s
own identity. Teens typically struggle to  The late thirties (or age 40) through
become more independent from their the mid-60s are referred to as middle
parents. adulthood.
 Peers become more important, as teens  This is a period in which physiological
strive for a sense of belonging and aging that began earlier becomes
acceptance; mixed-sex peer groups more noticeable and a period at
become more common. which many people are at their peak
 New roles and responsibilities are of productivity in love and work.
explored, which may involve dating,
 It may be a period of gaining
driving, taking on a part-time job, and
expertise in certain fields and being
planning for future academics.
able to understand problems and find
solutions with greater efficiency than
before.
 It can also be a time of becoming
more realistic about possibilities in
life; of recognizing the difference
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between what is possible and what is
likely. R
Death and Dying
 Referred to as the sandwich
generation, middle-aged adults may  The study of death and dying is
be in the middle of taking care of seldom given the amount of coverage
their children and also taking care of it deserves. Of course, there is a
their aging parents. While caring certain discomfort in thinking about
about others and the future, middle- death, but there is also a certain
aged adults may also be questioning confidence and acceptance that can
their own mortality, goals, and come from studying death and dying.
commitments, though not necessarily Factors such as age, religion, and
experiencing a “mid-life crisis.” culture play important roles in
attitudes and approaches to death
Late Adulthood and dying.
 This period of the lifespan, late  There are different types of death:
adulthood, has increased in the last physiological, psychological, and
100 years, particularly in social. The most common causes of
industrialized countries, as average death vary with age, gender, race, culture,
life expectancy has increased. and time in history.
 Late adulthood covers a wide age range  Dying and grieving are processes and
with a lot of variation, so it is helpful to may share certain stages of reactions to
divide it into categories such as the loss. There are interesting examples of
“young old” (65-74 years old), “old old” cultural variations in death rituals,
(75-84 years old), and “oldest old” (85+ mourning, and grief.
years old). >>The young old are similar to  The concept of a “good death” is
middle-aged adults; possibly still working, described as including personal choices
married, relatively healthy, and active. and the involvement of loved ones
throughout the process.
 Palliative care is an approach to maintain
dying individuals’ comfort level, and
Hospice is a movement and practice that
involves professional and volunteer care
and loved ones.