This is a comprehensive and detailed note on Chapter 1; understanding human development ; approaches and theories for Psy 232.
*Essential Study Material!!
Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories
Phases of Life
● Prenatal (conception to birth)
● Infancy and toddlerhood (birth to 2 years)
● Early childhood (2 to 6 years)
● Middle childhood (6 to 11 years)
● Adolescence (11 to 18 years)
● Early adulthood (18 to 40 years)
● Middle adulthood (40 to 65 years)
● Late adulthood (65 and beyond)
● Death
Five Main Principles of Developmental Psychology
1. Development is Multidimensional
○ Development entails changes in many areas of development:
■ Physical development
● Body maturation and growth
■ Cognitive development
● Maturation of thought processes
■ Socioemotional development
● Changes in personality, emotions, views of oneself, social skills,
and interpersonal relationships
2. Development is Multidirectional
○ Development consists of:
■ Gains and losses
■ Growth and decline
○ Example:
■ Older adults’ social networks narrow and have fewer friends; however,
their relationships become more significant and meaningful
3. Development is Plastic
○ Development is malleable or changeable
■ Examples:
● The brain and body can compensate for illness and injury
● People can modify their traits and capacities throughout life
○ There is no point in your life where you cannot change your course of life and try
new things
○ We can change in a variety of different ways throughout our lives
4. Development is Influenced by Multiple Contexts
○ Context
■ Where and when a person develops and includes:
● The physical and social environment
● Neighborhood
● Country
● Culture
● Historical time period
, ● Values, customs, and ideals
○ Contextual influences
■ Cohort - a generation of people born at the same time
■ History-graded influences:
● Wars, epidemics, anf economic shifts
● Ex: The Great Depression
■ Age-graded influences:
● Events tied to chronological age
● Ex: when someone graduates from school
5. Study of Development is Multidisciplinary
○ The contributions of many disciplines are needed to understand how people
grow, think, and interact with their world
■ Psychologists
■ Sociologists
■ Anthropologists
■ Biologists
■ Neuroscientists
■ Medical researchers
Three Fundamental Questions about Human Development
1. Do people remain largely the same over time or do they change dramatically?
2. What role do people play in their own development?
○ Other people's contributions to someone else's development
3. To what extent is development a function of inborn genetic endowments, as compared
with the environment in which individuals live?
○ Nature (genetics) vs. nurture (environment/upbringing)
Continuities and Discontinuities in Development
● Continuous
○ Slow and gradual change
○ Ex: middle-aged adults experiences gradual loss of muscle
● Discontinuous
○ Abrupt change
○ Ex: puberty
Individuals Are Active in Development
● Individuals interact with and influence the world around them
● Individuals create the experiences that lead to developmental change
● Ex: children who are learning languages and how to navigate the world frequently ask
the question “Why?”
Nature and Nurture Influence Development
● Nature
○ Developmental change is caused by inborn genetic endowments or heredity,
maturational processes, and evolution
● Nurture
○ Individuals are molded by the physical and social environment in which they are
raised, including the home, school, workplace, neighborhood, and society
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