Human Development: Lifespan
SOCS16732
Week One
Agenda
 Introductions
 Course description and Learning outcomes
 Evaluation
 Course policies, student success
 Conceptions of Age
 Human Development: Nature vs. Nurture
 Intro to Human Development and the Social
Determinants of Health
Course Learning Outcomes
Students explore issues related to human
development across the lifespan as it applies to
the role of a Social Service Worker.
Students discuss aspects of biological, cognitive,
and social development, as well as the impact of
genetics and environment on developmental
outcomes.
Course Learning Outcomes
Students examine ways in which current social
issues, such as discrimination and poverty, impact
the development of individuals and families, from
conception until death.
Students also apply the concepts of lifespan
development to their personal lives, and identify
the challenges and opportunities in development
across the lifespan.
Evaluation
3 online activities (10% each)
2 tests (20% each)
1 assignment (30%)
Course Readings
• We will also be using the Social Determinants of Health: The
Canadian Facts by Raphael, Bryant, and Mikkonen (2020) and we
will also use Social Determinants of Mental Health by the World
Health Organization and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
(2014).
•In addition the Chapter, Learning the Grammar of Animacy in
Braiding Sweetgrass : Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge
and the teachings of plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013).
• And the article, Universality claim of attachment theory:
Children’s socioemotional development across cultures by Heidi
Keller (2018)
All the texts are available in the Course Readings Folder.
Why do Social Service Workers
need to know about human
development ?
Human Development
Development is the pattern of movement or
change that begins at conception and continues
through the life span.
Processes of Development
Biological: Changes in
individual’s physical nature
Cognitive:
Changes in
individual’s
thought,
intelligence,
and
language
Socio-emotional:
Changes in
individual’s
relationships with
other people,
emotions,
personality
Periods of Development
Periods of Development
For each period if development we will consider:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Physical changes
Cognitive changes
Psychosocial changes
Main issues affecting people during this lifestage
5. Impact of the social determinants of health on
that period of development
Why do you think that age
might not be the best indicator
of a person’s development?
What is “age”?
Chronological Age is the number of years since a
person’s birth
 Biological Age is a person’s age in terms of
biological health
What is “age”?
Psychological Age is an individual’s
adaptive capacities compared to those of
other individuals of the same
chronological age
Social Age refers to social roles and
expectations related to a person’s age
Mental Age refers to an individual’s
ability to solve problems on a diagnostic
instrument compared to others of the
same chronological age
The main
issues of
life-span development
1) Continuity and Discontinuity
Continuity: Development
involves gradual, cumulative
change
Discontinuity: Development
is made up of distinct
change at specific times or
ages.
2) Nature vs. Nurture
Nature:
Nurture:
Development is primarily
based on an organism’s
biological inheritance
Development is primarily
based on environmental
experiences.
Heredity‐Environment
Interaction
How much of who we are is from our genetic
heritage and how much is learned or influenced by
our environment?
Gene – environment interaction
Generally studied through either :
A) Twin studies
B) Adoption studies
(1) Identical twins (monozygotic twins)
(2) Fraternal twins (dizygotic twins)...
3) Stability and Change
Stability:
Change:
We become who we are as
adults based on our
experiences
in very early
life
We become who we are as
adults based on experiences
that happen throughout our
lives
Baltes’ Lifespan Perspective
• Lifespan development: the biological, cognitive,
and psychosocial changes and constancies that
occur throughout the entire course of life
• Lifespan Perspective: an approach to studying
lifespan development attributed to Paul Baltes, a
German psychologist and leading expert on
lifespan development and aging
(taken from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-lifespandevelopment/ )
Baltes’ Lifespan Perspective:
Key Principles
● Development occurs across one’s entire life or is lifelong
● Development is multidimensional
● Development is multidirectional and results in gains and
losses throughout life
● Development is plastic, meaning that characteristics are
malleable or changeable
● Development is influenced by contextual and sociocultural influences
● Development is multidisciplinary
(taken from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-lifespandevelopment/ )
Social Determinants of Health
What are some of the factors which contribute to
good health and good mental health?
What are some of the factors which contribute to
ill health?
Of the factors listed which are social and which
are biological?
Social Determinants of Health
The primary factors that shape the health (and
mental health) of Canadians are not medical
treatments or lifestyle choices but rather the
living conditions they experience
These conditions have come to be known as the
social determinants of health
Social Determinants of Health
Each of these social determinants of health has
been shown to have strong effects upon the
health of Canadians
Their effects are actually much stronger than the
ones associated with behaviours such as diet,
physical activity, and even tobacco and excessive
alcohol use
Source: Raphael, D. (2009). Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives, 2nd edition.
Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press
.
Social Determinants of Health
People who suffer from adverse social and
material living conditions also experience high
levels of physiological and psychological stress.
Stressful experiences arise from coping with
conditions of:
 Low income





Poor quality housing
Food insecurity
Inadequate working conditions
Insecure employment
Various forms of discrimination based on Aboriginal
status, disability, gender, or race.
Social Determinants of Health
Disadvantage starts before birth and accumulates
throughout life
Lifespan approach takes into account the
differential experience and impact of social
determinants throughout life
Social Determinants of Health
Any of these social determinants of health (or
intersectionality of several factors) exert a strong
influence on an individual throughout the
lifespan.
For example: Poverty
• Think about the effects of poverty during pre-natal
development, early childhood, adolescence, old age…
• Poverty is not only linked to income but also to social
exclusion, race, disability, Indigenous status
Social Determinants of Health
• Indigenous
Ancestry
• Gender
• Early childhood
development
• Income and
income
distribution
• Geography
•
• Sexual
•
Orientation
• Gender Identity •
Type equation here.•
• Employment
and working
•
conditions
•
• Social exclusion •
• Food insecurity
• Education
• Race
Social safety net
Unemployment
and job security
Mental Health
Immigration
Disability
Housing
Health services