Experience Human Development
12th Edition
 Diane E. Papalia
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
The Study of Human Development
Chapter 1
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Genie: Critical Period for
Language Acquisition?
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Lennenberg’s theory (1967)
Genie “discovered” in 1970 at age 13
Raises questions about critical periods of language
development
Adult versus child’s ability to learn language
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Guideposts for Study
1. What is human development, and how has its study
evolved?
2. What do developmental scientists study?
3. What kinds of influences make one person different
from another?
4. What are seven principles of the life-span
developmental approach?
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Formal Study of
Human Development

The Scientific Study of How Humans Develop
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Development is systematic
Development is adaptive
Development is lifelong (i.e., life-span development)
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Stanford Studies of Gifted Children
Berkeley Growth and Guidance Studies
Oakland Growth Study
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Four Goals of
Developmental Psychology
● Describe
 Example: When do
children say their first
words?
● Explain
 Example: How do children
learn to use language?

Predict
 Example: Will delayed
language development
affect speech?
● Modify
 Example: Can therapy
help speech delays?
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Domains of Development
Change & Stability

Physical Development
 Body, brain, senses, motor skills, and health
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Cognitive Development
 Learning, memory, moral reasoning, language,
thinking, and creativity

Psychosocial Development
 Personality, emotional life, and relationships
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Periods of the Life Span:
A Social Construction
•
Based on subjective perceptions or
assumptions
•
Varies among cultures
•
Changes over generations
 Adolescence only recently introduced in
industrial societies
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Periods of the Life Span
Prenatal Period
Conception–Birth
Infancy and Toddlerhood
Birth–3 years
Early Childhood
3–6 years
Middle Childhood
6–11 years
Adolescence
11–20 years
Young Adulthood
20–40 years
Middle Adulthood
40–65 years
Late Adulthood
65 years and Over
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Influences on Development
Individuals vary in rate and timing of
development due to:
o
Heredity: Inherited traits from biological
parents
o
Environment: Physical and social influences
o
Maturation: Sequences of physical and
behavioral patterns
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Contexts of Development: Family
What is a family? … Depends!
 Great changes
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Over time
Place to place
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Nuclear Family
Two generations: parents and children
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Economic unit, history in farming
Dominant in Western societies
Increasing numbers of
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Working parents
Stepchildren
Gay/lesbian homes
Single parents
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Extended Family

A multigenerational kinship
 Includes grandparents, cousins, aunts/uncles,
… and more!
 Social roles are flexible
 Historically, common in
Asian, African, and
Latin American cultures
 Becoming less typical
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Contexts of Development:
Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Includes income, education, and occupation
 Poor children are more likely to:
 Have emotional and behavior problems
 Not reach cognitive potential
 Have poorer school performance
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Poverty Hurts Children
Outcome
Health
Death in Infancy
Premature Birth
Inadequate Prenatal Care
No Regular Health Care
Education
Repeat a Grade
Drop Out (16–24 years)
Risk Increase
1.6 times
1.8 times
2.8 times
2.7 times
2 times
3.5 times
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Low SES &
Related Risk Factors

Poverty-related risks that increase
chance of negative outcomes include:

Living in neighborhoods with high
unemployment

Lack of social support

Social support less likely in highunemployment neighborhoods
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Contexts of Development:
Culture

Culture – A way of life
 Includes:
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Customs
Traditions
Artwork
 Learned behavior, passed on to children
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Contexts of Development:
Race & Ethnicity
● Ethnic Group – A shared identity
 United by ancestry, religion, or origin
 Contributes to shared attitudes and beliefs
● Race – A socially constructed term
 Scholars have no real consensus on definition
 Categories “fluid” – shaped by society and politics
● Ethnic Gloss
 Overgeneralization that obscures cultural
differences within a group
 Examples: “Black” or “Hispanic”
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Contexts of Development:
Historical Context
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Unique time in which people live and grow
up
Experiences tied to time and place:
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Great Depression
World War II
The ’60s
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Age-Graded
Normative Influences

Similar for an age group
 Maturational: Fixed in time
 Puberty or menopause
 Social: Timing is flexible
 Marriage or parenthood
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Normative
History-Graded Influences

Events that shape attitudes of a
historical generation
o
Historical Generation: A group that
experiences an event at a formative time
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o
Ex: WWII children have strong social bond to each other
Cohort: Group born around the same time
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A historical generation can have many cohorts
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Non-Normative Influences
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Unusual events affecting individual lives
 Typical events at atypical times
 Puberty at age 20
 Marriage in teens
 Atypical events
 Birth defect
 Winning the lottery
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Timing of Influences
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Imprinting
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Instinctively following first moving
object seen after birth; usually mother
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Konrad Lorenz and his ducklings
Indicates predisposition or readiness
to learn
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Timing of Influences:
Critical & Sensitive Periods

Critical Period
 Specific
time when an event (or its absence) has
specific impact on development

Sensitive Period
 Developmental
timing when child is particularly
responsive to certain experiences
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Timing of Influences:
Plasticity of Development

Modifiability of performance
Plasticity
lasts through life span,
but has limits
–
Example: Limits and progress of
Genie
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc
Baltes’s Life Span Approach:
Six Key Principles
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Development is lifelong
Development is multidimensional
Development is multidirectional
Development involves changing resource
allocations
Development shows plasticity
Development is influenced by the historical and
cultural context
© 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc