The Developing Person
Through the Life Span 8e
by Kathleen Stassen Berger
PART ONE
THE BEGINNINGS
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Theories of Development
Chapter 3: Heredity & Environment
Chapter 4: Prenatal Development & Birth
The Developing Person
Through the Life Span 8e
by Kathleen Stassen Berger
Chapter 1– Introduction
 Defining Development
 The Life-Span Perspective
 The Scientific Method
Defining Development
The science of human
development…
seeks to understand
how and why people—
all kinds of people,
everywhere, of every age
change over time.
The Nature-Nurture Debate
 Nature
inherited genetically from parents
 Nurture
environmental influences
• health and diet of the embryo’s
mother
• community
• family
• society
• diet
• school
Critical and Sensitive Periods
Critical Period
is a time when certain things must occur for normal
development.
- 1957-1961 Newly pregnant women took
thalidomide
- Between days 28-54 Fetus develops arms, legs,
hands, feet, fingers, toes
Sensitive period is when a particular development
occurs most easily.
- Language 1-3 years
Observing Changes Over Time
Dynamic-Systems Theory
A view of human development as an
ongoing,
ever-changing interaction
between the
physical and emotional being
and between the
person and every aspect
of his or her environment, including
the family and society.
The Life-Span Perspective
An approach to the study of human development that
takes into account all phases of life, not just childhood
or adulthood.
Human Development is:
 Multidirectional
 Multicontextual
Multicultural
Multidisciplinary
Plastic
The Life-Span Perspective
Development is Multidirectional
 Contrary to traditional view development advanced until 18
then level off to 50
Some describe as age-related steps – Piaget, Erickson, Freud
others such as Skinner & Maslow do not
The Life-Span Perspective
Development is Multicontextual
Bronfenbrenner’s
Ecological-Systems Approach - Bioecological
The Life-Span Perspective
Socioeconomic Context
 socioeconomic status (SES)
A person’s position in society as determined by
income, wealth, occupation, education, and place
of residence.
The Life-Span Perspective
Development is Multicontextual
Let’s look an example of how the context in which you
have developed can affect you by looking at common
cohort names…
Cohort – Persons born within a few years of each other. A
group who travel through life together experiencing
similar circumstances.
Which First Names for U.S. Girls & Boys Were Most Popular in
1922, 1952, 1982, and 2012?
Year
Top 5 Girls’ Names
/
Top 5 Boys Names
____ Mary, Dorothy, Helen, Margaret, Ruth / John, Robert, William, James, Charles
____ Sophia, Isabella, Emma, Olivia, Ava / Jacob, Mason, William, Jayden, Noah
____ Linda, Mary, Patricia, Deborah, Susan / James, Robert, John, Michael, David
____ Jennifer, Jessica, Amanda, Sarah, Melissa / Michael, Christopher, Matthew,
Jason, David
Which First Names for U.S. Girls & Boys Were Most Popular in
1922, 1952, 1982, and 2012?
Year
Top 5 Girls’ Names
/
Top 5 Boys Names
1922 Mary, Dorothy, Helen, Margaret, Ruth / John, Robert, William, James, Charles
2012 Sophia, Isabella, Emma, Olivia, Ava / Jacob, Mason, William, Jayden, Noah
1952 Linda, Mary, Patricia, Deborah, Susan / James, Robert, John, Michael, David
1982 Jennifer, Jessica, Amanda, Sarah, Melissa / Michael, Christopher, Matthew,
Jason, David
The Life-Span Perspective
Development is Multicultural
 Culture
a meaning and information system shared by a group
and transmitted across generations, that allows the group to
meet basic needs of survival…pursue happiness and
well-being, and derive meaning from life.
Ethnicity, Race, and Culture
 Ethnic Group
share certain attributes, almost always including ancestral
heritage and usually national origin
 Leo Vygotsky
The Life-Span Perspective
Ethnicity, Race, and Culture
 Ethnic Group
share certain attributes, almost always including ancestral
heritage and usually national origin, religion, language
(Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, etc…)
NOT the same as cultural group
Some people of a particular ethnic group may not share a culture.
Some cultures are followed by people of several ethnic groups.
(A person of Jewish Ethnicity does not necessarily practice Judaism or follow
Jewish culture, but instead may practice Buddhism and follow Asian culture)
 Race
A social construction wherein individuals who are labeled as
being of different races on the basis of physical characteristics
are treated as though they belong to biologically defined groups.
Development is Multicultural
Study on the effects cultural differences
Chan, Brandone, and TardifParticipants: 49 mother/toddler pairs.
25 Middle America/ 24 Beijing, China: Comparable
age/education
Design: 3 10-min. play sessions.
1)mechanical toys 2)regular toys 3)reading picture book
Data /Conclusions:
Similarities:
Influenced by context- used more verbs w/mechanical toys
Differences:
U.S. less commands “sit down” “listen”
allowed children to add irrelevant comments
China 20% more verbs than nouns
Why?
Development is Multicultural
Chinese Culture:
Encourages people to see themselves in relation to others rather than as
isolated individual
See objects in context rather than detached from uses and surroundings
‘The nail that sticks up will be hammered down.”
American Culture:
Encourages people to see themselves as individuals
See objects as detached
“The squeaky wheel get the oil”
The Life-Span Perspective
Development is Multidisciplinary
 Lifespan development involves interdisciplinary
collaborations & multiple methodological approaches to
understand how and why individuals change
Segmented in three domains:
biological, cognitive, and social
 Segmented age divisions
childhood, adolescence,
and adulthood
The Life-Span Perspective
Development is Plastic
 Human traits can be molded,
yet maintain a certain durability of identity
The Scientific Method
Answering questions using
empirical research and data-based conclusions
Empirical Research:
based on scientific observations, repeated experiences,
verifiable experiments (not theoretical)
Scientific Observation:
recording behavior systematically and objectively
Five Basic Steps of the Scientific Method
1. Begin with curiosity.
Pose a question.
2. Develop a hypothesis,
a specific prediction
that can be tested.
3. Test the
hypothesis.
Design & conduct
research to gather
empirical evidence
(data)
4. Draw conclusion
5. Report the results.
Often a sixth step is required before
the scientific community accepts your
results..
6. Replication of research & results.
The Scientific Method
Before the mid-1990s, Thousands of 2-4 month olds
died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) each
year.
1. “Begin with curiosity” –
Why do so many infants die suddenly in
their sleep?
… cat? brain damage? covers?
The Scientific Method
Scientist Susan Beal looked for factors that increased
the risk of SIDS in South Australia.
Babies of Chinese parents died of SIDS less often.
Unlike European customs, Chinese babies slept on their
backs.
2. “Develop a Hypothesis”
Babies are less likely to
die of SIDS when they
sleep on their backs
without loose blankets
The Scientific Method
3. “Test the Hypothesis”
 Gathered data from over 500
parents who lost babies to SIDS
 Convinced many parents in Australia to place
babies on backs
4. “Draw Conclusions”
 Back-sleeping infants survive SIDS more often
The Scientific Method
5. “Report Results”
6. Replicate Results
Thousands of parents in Holland placed babies on
their backs to sleep… SIDS reduced by 40% in one
year.
The Scientific Method
Three major types of research:
 Scientific Observation
 The Experiment
The Survey
The Scientific Method
Scientific Observation
A research method of testing a hypothesis by
unobtrusively watching and recording
participants behavior in a
systematic and objective manner –
in a natural setting, in a laboratory, or searches of archival data.
The Scientific Method
The Survey
A research method in which
information is collected from a large number of people by
interviews, written questionnaires, or some other means
Considerations of researcher:
 Survey wording
 Sequence of questions
 Selective memory
 Personality differences relating
to speaking with strangers
 People change their minds
The Scientific Method: Survey
Study by Quoidbach, Gilbert, Wilson
Rate how much you think you will change over the next
ten years in your:
Personality, Core Values, and Preferences
The End of History Illusion
The Scientific Method
The Experiment
A research method used to determine a
cause-and-effect relationship
between two variables (independent and dependent) by
manipulating the independent variable
and then
observing and recording changes
this causes to the dependent variable.
The Scientific Method
The Experiment
Experimental
Group
Treatment:
Independent
Variable
Participants
Significant
Change
Dependent
Variable
Predicted Outcome
(Sample Size)
Control
Group
No
Treatment
No Change
Dependent
Variable
Causation vs. Correlation
A correlation exists between
two variables if one variable is
more (or less) likely to occur when the other does.
 Positive
correlation - both variables tend to increase
or decrease together.
 Negative correlation - one variable tends to increase
while the other decreases.
 Zero correlation - no connection is evident.
Correlation is not causation
Correlation
Positive Correlation
Both variable increase or decrease together
Correlation
Negative Correlation
One variable increases one variable decreases
Correlation
Zero Correlation
No connection between variables
Correlation
For each pair of variable,
1. Decide whether you think there is a
positive, negative, or zero correlation.
2. Try to think of third variable explaining why that
correlation may/may not exist.
Correlation
Two Variables
Positive/Negative/Zero
Correlation?
Why?
(Third Variable)
1. Ice Cream Sales/
Murder Rate
Positive
Heat
2. Learning to Read/
# of Baby Teeth
Negative
Age
3.Sex of Adult (m/f)
# of Children
Zero
None
Studying Development over the Life Span
Cross-sectional Research
 Groups of people of one age are compared with people of
another age
Longitudinal Research
 Collecting data repeatedly on the same individuals as they age
Cross-sequential Research
 Study several groups of people of different ages (a cross-
sectional approach) and follow them over the years (a
longitudinal approach).
Using the Scientific Method
Quantitative vs. Qualitative
Quantity and Quality
 Quantitative research
Provides data that can be expressed with
numbers, such as ranks or scales.
 Qualitative research
Considers qualities instead of quantities.
-Descriptions of particular conditions and
participants’ expressed ideas are often part
of qualitative studies.
Ethics
 Each academic discipline and professional society
involved in the study of human development has a
code of ethics.
 An Institutional Review Board (IRB) ensures
that research follows established guidelines and
remains ethical.
 Participation is voluntary, confidential, and
harmless.
 Research subjects must give informed consentunderstand the research procedures and any risks
involved.