prenatal stage
- from fertilisation till birth
- development of body organs + structures
- substantial growth (most growth of a lifespan)
fertilisation
when a sperm meets and penetrates an egg and they form a complete cell called a zygote.
infancy stage
- birth till 2nd birthday
- rapid growth
- motor skill (walk, use simple words, identify people)
early childhood
- end of infancy till 6th bday
- slow n steady growth
- accomplishment of many new skills
- learns social skills to make friends
- toilet trained
late childhood
- 6th till 12th bday
- slow n steady growth
- many physical, social, emotional and intellectual changes eg reading, writing, memory
youth
- 12th till 18th bday (hard to define bc puberty)
- rapid growth
- increased independence
- sexual maturity
- life goal development
early adulthood
- 18th till 40th bday
- deciding on career
- choosing life partner, married, kids
- physical peak ab 25-30
- period of maintenance and repair
middle adulthood
- 40 till 65th bday
- stability in work and relationships
- further development of identity
- financial security
- physical signs of aging and menopause
late adulthood
- 65 till death
- change in lifestyle (retirement and financial security)
- greater participation in volunteering
- reflection on life
- grief associated with death
perceptions
- beliefs or opinions based on how things seem
factors that influence perceptions
- past experiences with people in the specific stages
- media portrayal
- own experiences in the stage
- politicians and public figures opinion
- values and beliefs
perceptions of youth
- positive, ambitious, hardworking and happy (positive image)
- frightening, lazy and selfish (negative image)
- many opportunities and lucky (positive social context)
- devalued, victimised and neglected (negative social context)
perceptions of adults
early adulthood - contributing to society by being employed and being responsible
middle adulthood - out of touch
late adulthood - wise n experienced
development
refers to the orderly predictable n sequential changes that occur in individuals from conception to death (lifelong n qualitative)
physical development
Changes that occur to the body n its systems
- growth
- fine motor skills
- motor development
- gross motor skills
intellectual development
the increase in complexity of processes in the brain
- cognitive development
- memory
- problem solving
- language
emotional development
experiencing the full range of emotions n being able to appropriately express them
- self esteem
- self concept
- awareness of emotions
- expression of emotions
social development
the increasing complexity of behaviour patterns used in relationships with other people
- socialisation
- values n beliefs
- communications skills
- social roles
- behaviours
