Why is it important to study life-span development?
- understand your own life
How much had life expectancy increased in the 20th century alone?
30 years
What are some dimensions of the Life-Span Perspective
Context exerts what 3 types of influences on development?
What 3 main processes govern lifespan development?
What are the 8 periods of development?
What are some contemporary concerns in Life-Span Development?
What are the 4 types of age?
What are the 3 developmental patterns of aging?
What is the stability and change issue?
the degree to which early traits and characteristics persist or change over time
What is the continuity and discontinuity issue?
The degree to which development involves either gradual changes or distinct stages
What are Piaget’s 4 stages of cognitive development?
During which of Piaget’s stages can children reason logically about concrete events?
Concrete operational stage
During which of Piaget’s stages can people think abstractly?
Formal operational stage
What are the 3 key factors in development according to Bandura’s social cognitive theory?
Behavior, environment, and person/cognition
Describe the ethological theory of development
Behavior and development are strongly influenced by biology and evolution
What are critical or sensitive periods?
Time frames where the presence or absence of certain experiences has a long lasting influence on people
(ex. the critical period of language acquisition is between 5 and puberty)
What does the ecological theory of development emphasize?
Evironmental factors
What are the 5 environmental systems of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory?
Describe the microsystem
the setting in which the individual lives, includes family, peers, school, and neighborhood
Describe the mesosystem
the relations between microsystems; ie. home and school, if a child’s parents communicate with the child’s teachers, this interaction may influence the child’s development
Describe the exosystem
Settings that affect the developing individual, despite them not being an active participant in those settings
Give an example if the exosystem
A husband and child’s experience at home would be affected by a the wife/mother’s promotion that involves more travel
Describe the macrosystem
the culture in which the individuals live (how culture influences development)