Psych 125
Human Development
Christopher Gade
Office: 1031-G
Office hours: Tu 12-1:30 and by apt.
Email: gadecj@gmail.com
Class: T 1:30-4:20 Room 2210
Looking at Developmental
Psychology and Health
• When we examine how health relates to the
field of developmental psychology, two different
relationships emerge
– The effects of psychological
topics on health
– Nervous system related
health problems
How Psychological Factors Impact Health
• Cognitive development and age specific abilities
that impact health
• Social factors that
impact health
• Cultural factors that
impact health
Cognitive Based Health Concerns
• Infancy – infants are almost entirely reliant upon their
parents or caregivers
– Proper diet, sleep, and low-stress environment has a big
impact on the long-term health of infants
• All impact health and proper nervous system development
– Breast feeding has been linked to a lot of health related
issues
• Baby - weight, diabetes, SIDS, infections, and illness
• Mother – cancer (breast and ovarian), diabetes
• Childhood – many of our habits and approaches to
health are believed to be learned at this age
– Eating habits
• Diet
• Eating schedule (snacking, restricting, unfocused)
– Exercise habits
Why Obesity in Childhood Matters
• Obesity during this age range predicts:
– Long-term health problems – chronic pain, heavier
adulthood, diabetes, hypertension, coronary disease, etc.
– Long-term psychological problems – anxiety, depression
– Long-term social problems – low self-esteem, greater
social exclusion and teasing
Cognitive Based Health Concerns
• Adolescence – during this age, we are still primed to
learn health related behaviors from our environment
– Exercise
– Diet
• This stage is also marked by
the tendency to engage in
riskier behaviors
–
–
–
–
Sexual activity
Drug use
Dangerous activities (e.g. reckless driving)
Note: this is cognitive based because we believe that a
large portion of this deals with the brain’s development
(hormones and amygdala) at this age
Cognitive Based Health Concerns
• Adulthood – by adulthood, most of us are set in
our ways
– Consistency in personality
• Big V studies in aging
– Consistency in behaviors
– Consistency in weight an exercise
Social Based Health Concerns
• Infancy to Childhood – children are learners
during these stages, what they see is what they’ll
most likely do when they become adults
• Adolescence – this period is
marked by drastic social change
– School (high school, college, etc.)
– Social networks beyond the
immediate family become
extremely important
• Drug use video
Cultural Based Health Concerns
• Different cultures stress different diet, health, and
lifestyle approaches
– Japan, Honolulu, and San Francisco family study on
coronary disease
• This can also occur
within sub-groups of
cultures as well
– Ethnic group studies
within the US
• Cultures have also been
linked to other health
related behaviors
– Bulimia and anorexia
nervosa (white females)
Why So Much Focus on Weight and Exercise?
• Weight and exercise have a big impact on a number
of health outcomes
– Physical decline over time
(illness, chronic pain, mobility)
– Cognitive performance at a
young age (9-year-olds study)
• Weight, exercise, and calorie
restriction = longevity
– In rats and mice
– In females (not males)
• They have been linked to psychological issues as well
– Prevalence of disorders
– Emotional health and cognitive performance
Another Reason Why We Discuss Exercise
• Exercise has been linked strongly to both age,
gender, and ethnicity. Causing a number of
groups to be more susceptible to the health
related problems.
Moving on…
• In the next section, we’ll examine nervous system
health and how it relates to human development.
• Note: some of this isn’t in the book, so please pay
extra attention.
Nervous System and Psychological
Disorder Problems Related to Aging
• A Nervous System
Problem of Note
– Alzheimer's
• Psychological Disorder
Problems of Note
– Schizophrenia
– Substance Abuse
Nervous System Problem: Alzheimer’s
• Alzheimer’s disease – a progressive, irreversible
brain disorder that is characterized by a gradual
deterioration of memory, reasoning, language,
and eventually physical functioning
– Early onset – age 30-65
• rare, about 1/50,000
– Late onset – age 65+
• more common;
1/500-2,000 for 65-75
1/20-50 for 75-85
1/5-10 for 85+
More on
Alzheimer’s
• Impacts women
more than men
(probably due to
the fact that
women tend to
outlive men)
• Marked by a
shrinking, plaquefilled, and tangled
brain
• Gene linked
(video)?
Psychological Disorders: Substance Abuse
• Substance abuse involves the inappropriate consumption of
any type of drug (alcohol, nicotine, stimulant, hallucinogen,
opiate, prescription, etc.) that has a significantly negative
impact on one’s social, cognitive, or other major aspects of
life.
• Substance abuse is often identified in early teenagers, but
can arise throughout life
• Substance abuse frequency declines as we age
What Is Linked to this Disorder?
• Genetics
– No gene linked, but inheritance has been established
• Early Exposure to Drugs
• Lower Parental Control and Monitoring
– Dinner study
• School Success
• Peer Consumption
– Onset age
– Binge drinking
Why is this such a concern?
• Substance abuse not only has a negative impact
on people’s current lives, the effects carry over
– Longevity studies
– Wernicke-Korsakoff
Syndrome
• Thiamine linked
• Vision and memory
problems
– Liver Damage
Psychological
Disorder:
Schizophrenia
• Schizophrenia - a
severe disconnect with
reality with many
cognitive and
emotional symptoms.
– Affects about 1% of the
population
– Almost identical incidence
in men & women (7:5 ratio
has been found in recent
studies)
– Onset is usually sometime
between 16 and 25 yrs old
(later for women).
So how is it
linked?
• Schizophrenia is
linked to
development
because:
– This is a disorder
that’s manifestations
are linked to a specific
age
– This is a disorder that
can be traced to
genetics and the
development of the
brain
Reviewing Developmental
Psychology and Health
• We examined how health relates to the field of
developmental psychology by examining
– The effects of psychological
topics on health
– Nervous system related
health problems
Nervous System and Psychological
Disorder Problems Related to Aging
• A Nervous System
Problem of Note
– Alzheimer's
• Psychological Disorder
Problems of Note
– Schizophrenia
– Substance Abuse
Moving On…
• In the next class, we move onto physical
growth by studying motor and sensory
development. Please have chapter 5 read by
then.