Life-span
Development
Introduction
Paul Raj
Jyoti Nivas College Autonomous
Developmental
Psychology
Life-span Development:
What is it?
• What is Psychology?
• Psychology is about people:
their thoughts, feelings and
behaviour.
Developmental
Psychology
Life-span Development:
What is it?
• Psychology is about people: their
thoughts, feelings and behaviour;
• Developmental Psychology or
Life-span Development is
concerned with exploring
development and change in
thoughts, feelings and behaviour
across the lifespan.
Life-span Development
• Developmental psychology is the
scientific study of how and why human
beings change over the course of their life.
• Originally concerned with infants and
prepubescent children, the field has
expanded to include adolescence, adult
development, aging, and the entire
lifespan.
Life-span Development: HOW and WHY People Change
Life-span Development
• Developmental psychology is the
scientific study of how and why human
beings change over the course of their life.
• Originally concerned with infants and
prepubescent children, the field has
expanded to include adolescence, adult
development, aging, and the entire
lifespan.
Life-span Development:
Definition/meaning
What is Life-span Development?
• Meaning: Life-span Development is
a branch of psychology that studies
systematically how and why people
grow and change over the course of
a lifetime – that is – from
conception to death.
• This includes all aspects of human
development such as physical,
emotional, intellectual (cognitive),
social, moral and spiritual
developments.
Developmental Psychology
Many people use
Important Terms:
the words growth
Growth &
and maturation
Maturation
interchangeably.
Developmental Psychology
• Growth & Maturation
• Growth is the physical process of development, particularly the process of
becoming physically larger.
• It is:
• Quantifiable, can be measured.
• It is mostly influenced by:
• Genetics. E.g. height, weight, length of hands, legs. A child rolling over, lifting its
head, or sitting up.
• Environment: E.g., sedentary modern lifestyle.
Developmental Psychology
Growth & Maturation
• Maturation is the physical, emotional,
intellectual (cognitive), social, moral and
spiritual process of development.
• It is often:
• Not quantifiable, and
• Mostly influenced by genetics and other
environmental factors.
• For example, as Mary became older, her brain
developed in a way that meant she was able to
handle more complex tasks than she could
before. When in school, she became an
excellent singer, just like her parents.
Developmental
Psychology
Growth & Maturation
• Growth is physical;
• Maturation is physical,
intellectual, moral, social,
psychological, spiritual or
emotional.
• Often, maturation
involves two or more than
two areas of human
development.
5 Perspectives
(Characteristics) of
Developmental
Psychology
5 Perspectives (Characteristics) of
Developmental Psychology
1. Multidirectional and involves both losses and gains:
• Humans change in many directions.
• We may show gains in some areas of development, while showing
losses in other areas.
• Every change, whether it is finishing high school, getting married, or
becoming a parent, entails both growth and loss.
• As workers age, physical stamina gradually decreases with age, but
accumulated knowledge or “wisdom” tends to gradually increase.
2. Multicontextual:
There are many contexts
that affect human
development.
Historical events
Economic conditions
Cultural traditions
Race
Gender
Age
Socioeconomic status
5 Perspectives of Pandemics
Conflicts between
Developmental Psychology two States
5 Perspectives of
Developmental Psychology
• 3. Multicultural: There are
many, many cultures
around the world!
• Each one is influential
• Each one has separate
values, traditions, living
standards, etc. that
influence the individuals
of that society.
5 Perspectives of Developmental
Psychology
4. Multidisciplinary: Different fields
aid in effective study of development.
Biology
Sociology
Education
Economics
Religion
History
Medicine
Anthropology
Political Science
Art/Theater/Music/Cultural Studies
5 Perspectives of Developmental Psychology
• 5. Plasticity: Developmental
changes occur throughout the
lifespan and can be drastically
altered at any point in time!
• Neuroplasticity, or brain
plasticity, refers to the brain's
ability to CHANGE
throughout life. The human
brain has the amazing ability
to reorganize itself by
forming new connections
between brain cells (neurons).
5 Perspectives of
Developmental Psychology
• Stability refers to the degree to which
The Stability and people maintain their same rank order in
comparison to other children with
Plasticity of Human respect to some characteristic.
Behavior • E.g., shyness, attachment to parents.
• Plasticity refers to the ability to change
as a result of experience.
• Baltes (1987) – children are
malleable throughout the lifespan.
Lifespan Development
or
Developmental Psychology
There isn't one, except with regard to a course titled
Lifespan Development "Developmental Psychology" and a course titled "Lifespan
Psychology."
or Developmental Developmental psychology would concentrate on birth
Psychology through the end of adolescence, while lifespan
psychology would cover the entire lifespan.
Traditional Approach Vs Life-Span Approach
• The traditional approach (Developmental
Psychology Approach) emphasizes
extensive change from birth to
adolescence, little or no change in
adulthood, and decline in late old age.
• The life-span approach emphasizes
developmental change from conception to
death. From womb to tomb - significant.
• The approach of our course – lifespan
approach.
Any Questions???