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1: Lifespan Psychology and Developmental Theories

1: Lifespan Psychology and Developmental Theories

Last updated

Feb 18, 2025
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- 1.0: What Does Psychology Say?

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1.0: What Does Psychology Say?
The text introduces the study of lifespan development, using the bustling scene at Grand Central Station and a subway journey in New York City as metaphors for human life and experience. It encourages curiosity about human development, questioning ideal environments for flourishing, the path of life's journey, expected changes across the lifespan, essential experiences for development, social and cultural expectations, and variations in development patterns.
1.1: Psychology and Human Development
This page outlines the study of lifespan development within the broader field of psychology. It explores the differences and connections between psychology, lifespan development, and human development, focusing on the study of growth, change, and stability from conception to death. Key topics include psychological processes behind life transitions, the historical background of lifespan development, and the multidisciplinary approach to human development.
1.2: Themes of Development
This page covers key themes in developmental psychology, such as continuous versus discontinuous development, the nature versus nurture debate, and the timing of developmental opportunities. It explores how development can be influenced by both biological and environmental factors, highlighting concepts like heritability, gene-environment correlations, and epigenetics.
1.3: Major Theories and Theorists
The document covers major theoretical perspectives in lifespan development, including Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory, Jean Piaget's cognitive development stages, Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, and information processing perspectives. It emphasizes the importance of considering different perspectives to understand the complexities of human development.
1.4: Contexts and Settings of Development
This page discusses key aspects of human development from a contextual perspective. It covers Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model, which maps interactions between individuals and their environments, identifying various systems from proximal influences to broader cultural contexts. The text also explores cohort, identity, social and cultural contexts, and highlights generalizability issues in psychological research.
1.5: Lifespan Development as a Science- Research Methods
The section outlines the objectives and processes of research in developmental psychology, including the study of individual behavior across the lifespan using various research methods. Topics covered include the importance of understanding correlation versus causation, ethical considerations in research, and the significance of reliability and validity in scientific studies.
1.6: Key Terms
This page provides definitions and explanations of various concepts and theories related to psychology and human development. Topics covered include learning processes, attachment, behavioral genetics, and research methods in developmental psychology. Additionally, concepts such as nature versus nurture, resilience, cognitive development, and socio-cultural influences on behavior are detailed.
1.7: Summary
This text outlines various aspects and dimensions of lifespan development, a subfield of psychology. It highlights the historical roots and modern application of lifespan development, emphasizing themes such as the timing of developmental events, the impact of nature and nurture, and critical or sensitive periods. It discusses major theories and theorists in the field, addressing perspectives like cognitive, biological, and behaviorist, and their complementary roles.
1.8: Review Questions
1.9: Check Your Understanding Questions
1.10: Personal Application Questions
1.11: Essay Questions

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