Life-Span Perspective and Contextual Influences

Notes

Life-Span Development Study Guide Characteristics of the Life-Span Perspective (Pages 3–6) Development Development = pattern of change from conception through death. Includes: ● ● ● growth stability decline Life-Span Perspective Development is: 1. Lifelong ● ● Development continues through adulthood and old age. No age period dominates development. 2. Multidimensional Development includes: ● ● ● Biological = body/brain/hormonal changes Cognitive = thinking/intelligence/memory/language Socioemotional = emotions/personality/relationships 3. Multidirectional ● ● Some abilities improve while others decline. Example: ○ ○ vocabulary may improve processing speed may decline 4. Plastic Plasticity = capacity for change. ● ● Skills and functioning can improve with practice/training. Development is not fixed. 5. Multidisciplinary Development studied by many fields: ● ● ● ● ● ● psychology sociology neuroscience medicine anthropology education 6. Contextual Development influenced by: ● ● ● ● ● ● family peers school culture socioeconomic status historical events Influences on Development Contextual Influences Normative Age-Graded Influences Common to people of a certain age group. Examples: ● ● ...