Introduction to Growth & Development Reference Library Health & Social Care

When their needs are met, infants learn that relying on others is safe; when their needs go unmet, infants grow up to be less trusting. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model challenges us to go beyond the individual if we want to understand human development and promote improvements. During the formal operational stage children, at about age 12, acquire the ability to think logically about concrete and abstract events. The teenager who has reached this stage is able to consider possibilities and to contemplate ideas about situations that have never been directly encountered.

Physical Development in Adolescence (9-18 years)

1. If you read it differently the second time (adding the second “the”) you just experienced one of the problems with personal inquiry; that is, the tendency to see what we believe.
2. The study of developmental psychology can lead to careers in several different fields.
3. For example, to appreciate what is going on with a student in math, the relationship between the student and teacher should be known.
4. For instance, a person may struggle with a lack of trust beyond infancy under certain circumstances.
5. Indeed, they are proposed explanations for the “how” and “whys” of development.

Now the world becomes one of learning and testing new academic skills and of assessing one’s abilities and accomplishments by making comparisons between self and others. Schools compare students and make these comparisons public through team sports, test scores, and other forms of recognition. Growth rates slow down and children are able to refine their motor introduction of growth and development skills at this point in life. Children begin to learn about social relationships beyond the family through interaction with friends and fellow students. I was also introduced to the theories of Freud, Erikson, and Piaget, the classic stage theorists whose models depict development as occurring in a series of predictable stages. Stage theories had a certain appeal to an American culture experiencing dramatic change in the early part of the 20th century.

Analysis takes much longer when respondents give lengthy responses that must be analyzed in a different way. The major advantage of the experimental design is that of helping to establish cause and effect relationships. A disadvantage of this design is the difficulty of translating much of what happens in a laboratory setting into real life. Experiments are designed to test hypotheses (or specific statements about the relationship between variables) in a controlled setting in efforts to explain how certain factors or events produce outcomes.

Human Growth and Development 1a: Introduction

The genital stage begins with puberty and continues through adulthood. Latency occurs during middle childhood when a child’s urges quiet down and friendships become the focus. The ego and superego can be refined as the child learns how to cooperate and negotiate with others. Keep in mind that theories are not facts; they are guidelines for investigation and practice, and they gain credibility through research that fails to disprove them.

Module 1: Lifespan Psychology

These new demands may be a response to national efforts to promote math and science deemed important by political leaders in response to relations with other countries at a particular time in history. Vygotsky concentrated on the child’s interactions with peers and adults. He believed that the child was an apprentice, learning through sensitive social interactions with more skilled peers and adults. In the preoperational stage, children from ages 2 to 7, become able to think about the world using symbols.

1. If an infant or child is not meeting a specific milestone, such as an infant still not being able to sit up by 12 months, this may indicate a developmental condition that requires further investigation.
2. Karl Popper was an Austrian-British philosopher, academic and social commentator.
3. Most individuals with Down syndrome have intellectual impairment, but the degree of this impairment varies from person to person.
4. Her research focus is in brain development and the role social relationships play in development.
5. The Perry Preschool Project which began in 1962 is an example of a longitudinal study that continues to provide data on children’s development.
6. Experiments are designed to test hypotheses (or specific statements about the relationship between variables) in a controlled setting in efforts to explain how certain factors or events produce outcomes.

Some theories are difficult to test but are still useful in stimulating debate or providing concepts that have practical application. Keep in mind that theories are not facts; they are guidelines for investigation and practice, and they gain credibility through research that fails to disprove them (Lumen Learning, n.d.). Further, a theory guides how information is collected, how it is interpreted, and how it is applied to real-life situations.

Our assumptions very often guide our perceptions, consequently, when we believe something, we tend to see it even if it is not there. This problem may just be a result of cognitive ‘blinders’ or it may be part of a more conscious attempt to support our own views. Confirmation bias is the tendency to look for evidence that we are right and in so doing, we ignore contradictory evidence. Karl Popper was an Austrian-British philosopher, academic and social commentator.

Punishment is often less effective than reinforcement for several reasons. Not all behaviours are learned through association or reinforcement. Children begin to develop their own unique personalities, strengths, and interests during their school-age years.

What to Expect at Every Stage

However, if they’re made to feel guilty or ashamed for their assertiveness, they may grow up to be timid and less likely to take the lead. Describing change-many of the studies we will examine simply involve the first step in investigation, which is description. All of this happens in an historical context referred to as the chronosystem. Cultural values change over time, as do policies of educational institutions or governments in certain political climates.

In fact, the study of developmental psychology is most people’s entry into human development. For example, in order to understand a student in math, we can’t simply look at that individual and what challenges they face directly with the subject. We have to look at the interactions that occur between teacher and child. The teacher may be responding to regulations made by the school, such as new expectations for students in math or constraints on time that interfere with the teacher’s ability to instruct.

Also described are the ways in which other organs and tissues, such as fat, lymphoid tissue, and the brain, differ from height in their growth curves. Throughout, the emphasis is on ways in which individuals differ in their rates of growth and development. Social workers work with people at all stages of life, tackling a multitude of personal, social, health, welfare, legal and educational issues. As a result, all social work students need to understand human growth and development throughout the lifespan.

After studying all of the prior theories, Bronfenbrenner added an important element of context to the discussion of influences on human development. These are the people with whom the child interacts such as parents, peers, and teachers. The relationship between individuals and those around them need to be considered. For example, to appreciate what is going on with a student in math, the relationship between the student and teacher should be known. Piaget believed our desire to understand the world comes from a need for cognitive equilibrium.