CHAPTER 1

o Positive: Becoming toilet trained (child) or

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: AN EVER- enrolling in a college course after retirement
(old age).
EVOLVING FIELD ▪ Emotional Development – A
• From conception, human beings begin their process teenager learns how to manage
of change that continues until death. stress and express feelings in
• A single cell divides repeatedly, in an organized healthy ways.
fashion. o Negative: Wetting the bed after a traumatic
o The development pattern follows a blueprint event (child) or isolating yourself after
laid out by our evolutionary history. retirement (old age).
• When an infant is born, they begin to be influenced • The timing parenthood, maternal employment, and
and to influence their surroundings. marital satisfaction are studied as part of
developmental psychology.
Human Development
• Scientific study of processes of change and stability HUMAN DEVELOPMENT TODAY
throughout the human life span. • Goals are Description, Explanation, Prediction, and
• A scientific study of the systematic processes of Intervention.
change and stability in people. • Describe: What is happening?
o Systematic: fixed or organized development. o Example: Observing how children grow and
May sinusundan na blueprint. behave at different ages.
• Explanation: Why is it happening?
Developmental Scientists o Example: Understanding why development
• They look at ways on how people from conception happens in a certain way (e.g., due to
to maturity as well as the characteristics that remain genetics or environment).
stable. • Predict: What will likely happen next?
• Their work has dramatic impact on people’s lives o Example: Predicting future behavior or
due to their findings that are often applied to child abilities based on earlier development.
rearing, education, health, and social policy. • Intervene: How can we support or change what is
o Example: Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive happening?
development (Education): Teachers use o Example: Using research to help children
knowledge of children’s thinking abilities develop in healthier or more effective ways
(e.g., concrete vs. abstract reasoning) to (e.g., early education programs).
design age-appropriate lessons. For
• The scientific study of the human development ever
example, hands-on activities are encouraged
evolving.
in elementary years, while critical thinking
o The methods and explanations they
tasks are emphasized in adolescence.
propose are more advanced and diverse
o Jean Piaget is the most influential
than they were five years ago.
developmental scientist.
o These reflect advances in technology: using
sensitive instruments and brain imaging to
STUDYING THE LIFE SPAN
examine people and compare their
• The field of developmental psychology emerged as a conditions. (e.g. comparing normal brain
scientific discipline and most researchers focused on with the brain of a person with dementia)
infants and child development.
• Development is messy, complex, and multifaced so
o Growth and development are more obvious
to understand this, they use various theories,
during this phase due to the rapid pace of
research, and other disciplines in studying
change.
developments.
o Its study has been interdisciplinary (fields
Life-Span Development
blending and integrating knowledge).
• From womb-to-tomb o Range of disciplines includes psychology,
• Made up of the entire human life from conception to psychiatry, sociology, anthropology,
death. biology, genetics, family science, education,
• Development can be positive or negative. history, and medicine.
o Psychology – mental, emotional, and
cognitive growth
 o Psychiatry – diagnosis and treatment of Child Development
mental health across development • A complex and tangled web of multiple influences.
o Sociology – social structures, family, and To understand the influences, one must think
community influences carefully of their interactions.
o Anthropology – cultural and cross-cultural o Development in one area sends ripples and
aspects of development affect other areas.
o Biology – physical and neurological growth • Example: Physical development affects cognitive
o Genetics – inherited traits and their and psychosocial (interactions, family dynamics, and
influence on development community shapes one’s personality and behavior).
o Family Science – dynamics of family o A child with ear infection may develop
relationships and child-rearing language more slowly (Physical), which
o Education – learning, teaching, and school may affect their sense of self during puberty
readiness (cognitive) that interaction with others may
o History – historical and generational be a challenge (psychosocial).
influences on development • Example 2: Cognitive advances and declines are
o Medicine – health, pediatrics, and lifespan related to physical and psychosocial development.
medical care o An adult who has trouble remembering
people’s name may feel shy during social
CHECKPOINT! situations.
Examples of Practical Applications of Research • Example 3: Psychosocial development can affect
on Human Development. cognitive and physical functioning.
➢ (Health) Early nutrition research → o Without meaningful social connection,
Promotes breastfeeding and healthy diets physical and mental health suffers.
for brain development. ▪ Meaningful relationships provide
emotional support, a sense of
Four goals of the scientific study of human belonging, and self-worth. Without
development? these, people are more vulnerable to
➢ Describe, Explain, Predict, & Intervene. loneliness, depression, and
anxiety.
Six disciplines involved in the study of human • Motivation and self-confidence are important
development. contributions to school success.
➢ Psychology, psychiatry, sociology, biology, • Negative emotions like anxiety can weaken
family science, & anthropology. performance.

PERIODS OF LIFE SPAN

Social Construction
THE STUDY OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: • A concept or practice that may appear natural and
BASIC CONCEPTS obvious to those who accept it, but that is an invention
• Developmentalists study processes of change and of a particular culture or society.
stability in all aspects of development throughout all
• A belief or practice that feels "normal" or "natural"
periods of the life span. but is actually created by society or culture.
o Example: Utang na Loob (Debt of
DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT Gratitude) Belief: You owe loyalty or
Three Major Domains/Aspects of the Self studied by favors to someone who helped you —
Developmental Scientists: often for life. Why it's a social
• Physical Development – Growth of the body and construction: This is a powerful value in
brain including patterns of change in sensory Filipino culture, but it’s a learned moral
capacities, motor skills (big movements using large expectation. In other cultures, gratitude
muscles), psychosocial, and health. may be expressed differently or have
• Cognitive Development – Pattern of change in different limits.
mental abilities. Such as learning, attention, o Example 2: Calling Elders “Kuya” or
memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and “Ate” (Even If Not Related) Belief:
creativity. Using respectful titles for older people
• Psychosocial Development – Pattern of change in even outside the family. Why it's a social
emotions, personality, and social relationships. construction: This shows how Filipinos
value respect and hierarchy. It's not a
 biological need but a learned social rule o Beliefs or practices that shape a child’s
— children are taught to use these titles personality and behavior.
to show politeness. • Similar construction involves adolescence.
• No objectively definable moment when a child o Recent concept that emerged as society
becomes an adult or a young person becomes old. became more industrialized.
• The concept of childhood is a social construction • We follow a sequence of eight periods generally
which takes various form across cultures. accepted in Western industrial societies.

TYPICAL MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN EIGHT PERIODS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

AGE PERIOD PHYSICAL COGNITIVE PSYCHOSOCIAL
Prenatal Period ➢ Conception occurs by • Learning, remembering, • Fetus responds to
(Conception to fertilization or other means. and response to sensory mother’s voice and grows
birth) ➢ Genes and the environment stimuli are developing. preference for it.
work together from the very
beginning.
➢ Basic body structures &
organs form; brain growth
➢ Physical growth is the most
rapid in the life span.
➢ Greatly vulnerable to
environmental influences
Infancy and • A baby’s senses and body • Learning and • Attachments to parents
Toddlerhood systems are working at birth, remembering are present (eg. Secure, avoidant,
(birth to age 3) but not all at the same level. in early weeks. ambivalent, disorganized)
• Brain grows complexity, • Uses symbols to solve • Self-awareness develops.
highly sensitive to problems by end of 2nd • Shift from dependence to
environment influences. year. autonomy.
• Development of motor skills • Comprehension and use • Interest in other children
are rapid. of language develop increases.
rapidly.
Early Childhood • Steady growth; slender • Somewhat egocentric but • See themselves & their
(ages 3 to 6) appearance, proportions understanding of people’s emotions in deeper ways,
adultlike. perspective grows. but self-esteem is still
• Appetite diminishes, and • Cognitive immaturity; may overall and not detailed.
sleep problems. have illogical ideas about (e.g. child saying “I’m a
• Children start showing hand the world. good boy!” doesn’t link
preference (left or right), and • Memory and language any special abilities as to
their movements and strength improve. why)
get better • Intelligence becomes • Independence, initiative,
predictable. and self-control increase.
• Preschool experience is • Gender identity develops.
common and • Play = imaginative,
kindergarten. elaborated, and social.
• Altruism, aggression, and
fearfulness are common.
• Family is their focus of
social life, but other
children become more
important.
Middle • Growth slows. • Egocentrism diminishes. • Self-concept = more
Childhood (age • Strength and athletic skills • Child thinks logically but complex, affects self-
6 to 11) improve. concretely (specific). esteem.
• Respiratory illnesses are • Memory & language • Coregulation shifts control
common,; health is better increase. from parents to child.
 than any other time in the life • Child benefits from • Peers assume central
span. schooling; Some needs importance.
special education.
Adolescence • Physical growth & other • Thinking abstractly, uses • Searches for identity
(age 11 to about changes are rapid and scientific reasoning. • Generally good
20) intense. • Immature thinking stays in relationships with parents
• Reproductive matures. some attitudes & behavior • Peer group = positive or
• Major health risk arises from • Education focuses on negative influence.
behavioral issues college prep or vocation
(disorders/drug abuse)
Emerging and • Physical condition peaks • Thought and moral • Personality trait & styles =
Young then decline slightly. judgement = more complex relatively stable; changes
Adulthood (age • Lifestyle choices influence • Educational & in personality are
20 to 40) health. occupational choices are influenced by life events
made; after period of • Intimate relationships &
exploration personal lifestyle is
established but may not be
lasting
• Most people marry, most
become parents
Middle • Decline of sensory, health, • Mental abilities peak; • Sense of identify continues
Adulthood (age stamina, and strength. expert & practical problem to develop; midlife
40 to 65) • Women experience solving skills are high transition
menopause • Creative output declines • Dual responsibilities or
• Men = andropause but improve in quality caring for child or parents
• Career success & earning may cause stress
powers peak; for others • Children leaves empty nest
burnout or career change
Late Adulthood • Most people are healthy; but • Mentally alert • Retirement from
(age 65 and health may decline • Intelligence and memory workforce; may offer new
over) • Slow reaction time affects decline, some find ways to options to use time
some aspects of functioning compensate (e.g. Relying • Develops flexible
on routine or writing strategies to cope with
reminders or using losses & near death
experience or wisdom to • Family & friends provide
solve problems instead of important support
quick memory) • Search for meaning of life

Although individuals differ in the way they deal with • Emerging Adulthood (20s) → Exploring life, not
characteristic events and issues of each period, fully settled in career or family yet.
developmentalists suggest that basic needs must be met • Young Adulthood (30s) → Most people establish
for typical development to occur. jobs, independence, and families
• Middle Adulthood → Some physical decline, but
8 Stages in Bullet Form also new challenges (career shifts, caring for parents).
• Infancy → Babies depend on adults for food, care,
and love.
• Toddlerhood → Begin walking/talking, want
independence but still need limits.
• Early Childhood → Better self-control, more
interest in playing with other kids.
• Middle Childhood → Parents give more control to
child, peers become important.
• Adolescence → Teens search for identity (self,
sexual, career), deal with strong emotions.
• Late Adulthood → Face losses (health, loved ones, HEREDITY, ENVIRONMENT, AND
work), but may find meaning in relationships, MATURATION
hobbies, and reflection. • Influences on development are described in two
primary ways: heredity and environment.
CHECKPOINT!
Identify the three domains of development and Heredity
give examples of how they are interrelated. • Inborn traits or characteristics inherited from the
➢ They are interrelated because growth in one biological parents
domain supports and influences the others. • Internal, driven by biological process.
None of them works alone — they overlap. A • Conceptualized by genetic roll of dice.
problem in one domain can create a chain
reaction, slowing or harming growth in the Environment
other areas. • Totality of nonhereditary, or experiential, influences
Name 8 periods of human development and list development.
several key issues or tasks of each period? • Is outside the body, starting conception with prenatal
➢ Infancy (0–2 yrs): depend on adults for environment in the womb continuing throughout life.
needs; form attachment with parents; learn to o Examples of prenatal environment
move and talk. influences: Mother’s nutrition → healthy diet
➢ Early Childhood (2–6 yrs): develop supports growth; poor nutrition may cause
language and imagination; gain self-control low birth weight. Stress → high maternal
and independence; play and practice social stress can affect baby’s brain development.
skills.
➢ Middle Childhood (6–11 yrs): learn school • Influence of nature and nurture is fiercely debated,
skills like reading and math; make friends and and theorists differ in the weight they assign to each.
follow rules; build self-esteem. • All characteristics are strongly influenced by
➢ Adolescence (11–18 yrs): go through inheritance and experience.
puberty; search for identity; seek o Example: Even if intelligence is strongly
independence and are influenced by peers. influenced by hereditary it can still be shaped
➢ Emerging Adulthood (18–25 yrs): explore by parents’ encouragement in the child’s
careers and relationships; delay long-term learning and growth, education, peer
commitments; try different lifestyles. influence, and other factors.
➢ Early Adulthood (25–40 yrs): establish • Contemporary theorists and researchers are more
careers; build close relationships or marriage; interested in finding ways to explain how nature and
start families. nurture work together.
➢ Middle Adulthood (40–65 yrs): adjust to Maturation
aging; balance work, family, and possibly • Unfolding of a natural sequence of physical and
care for parents; reassess life goals. behavioral changes
➢ Late Adulthood (65+ yrs): cope with health
• Typical changes of infancy and early childhood
changes; adjust to retirement; reflect on life
• Continues to influence certain biological processes
and seek meaning.
such as brain development
• Development process of people differs or varies in
INFLUENCES ON DEVELOPMENT rates and timing
• Since in every phase we have average ages of the
Individual Differences development’s occurrence, if a deviation or
• Differences in characteristics (feature, quality, or trait difference from the average age is extreme only then
that makes them different from others), influences, or we consider development exceptionally advanced or
developmental outcomes. delayed.
• People differ in physical appearance, cognitive
attributes, and their experiences. To understand development…
• Everyone has unique developmental trajectory. • Look at inherited characteristics
• One challenge in developmental psychology is • Consider environmental factors
identifying universal influences on development and • Consider how heredity and environment interact
applying those to understand individual differences in • Look at influences that affect many or most people at
developmental trajectories. a certain age or certain time in history
• Look at how timing can emphasize the impact of Multigenerational households are common due to:
certain influences • Both men and women marrying at later ages -
o If a mother drinks alcohol during the first remaining home for longer years; common during
trimester of pregnancy, it can cause major economic decline.
birth defects, since organs are forming. • Influx of immigrant populations - immigrants most
o If the same happens later in pregnancy, it may likely seek multigenerational homes for practically
affect growth but not organ formation as and preference. (Common for Latinos, African-
severely. America, and Asians)
• People living longer, elderly parents may sometimes
CONTEXT OF DEVELOPMENT benefit from inclusion in their children’s households
• Humans develop within social and historical context.
• The diagram SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS
O M M UNIT shows that while the • (SES) Combination of economic and social factors
C

ILY family is the infant’s describing an individual or family, including income,

Y

AM closest environment, the education, and occupation.

F

FANT neighborhood, • Race or ethnicity is often associated with

IN

community, and larger socioeconomic status

society all shape how
the family raises the
child.

FAMILY
Nuclear Family
• Two-generational kinship, economic, and household
unit consisting of one or two parents and their
biological children, adopted children, or stepchildren.
• Normal family unit in the US and other Western
Countries.
• We are most likely to see smaller, urban families
where parents spend more time at work and children
spend most of their time at school,
• Increased incidence of divorce has affected the
nuclear family.
• However, there is no longer a dominant family form
due to increasing numbers of singles, childless adults, Poverty
unmarried parents, gay and lesbians’ households, and • Poverty is a worldwide problem, majority of the
mixed-race households. global poor live in rural areas, work in agriculture,
• Families now are described as being characterized by and are poorly educated.
diversity. • Poverty is stressful and can damage children’s and
families’ physical, cognitive, and psychosocial well-
Extended Family being.
• A multigenerational network of grandparents, aunts, o Poor children are more likely to go hungry,
uncles, cousins, and more distant relatives--is the have illnesses, lack access to healthcare,
traditional family form. experience violence, family conflict, and to
• Common in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and some show emotional or behavioral problems.
US families. o Their cognitive and school performance may
• Adults often share breadwinning and child-raring suffer as well.
responsibilities and other children are responsible for • Poverty indirectly harms parents’ emotional state and
younger children. parenting practices in the home environment.
• In developing countries, this family unit is slightly • Threats to well-being multiplies if risk factors are
less typical due to industrialization and migration to present.
urban (city/town) centers. o Risk factors: Conditions that increase the
likelihood of negative developmental
outcome.
• Negative effects of poverty can be avoided. grandparents help take care of the
o Example: Supportive parenting can protect grandchildren.
children from harmful effects of poverty.
CHECKPOINT!
Wealth Give examples of the influences of family and
• Does not necessarily protect children from risk. neighborhood composition, socioeconomic status,
• Research says that adolescents, particularly girls from culture, race/ethnicity, and historical context?
wealthy families, have higher risk of disposing ➢ Family/Neighborhood:
incomes and greater parental tolerance for substance Living with extended family gives more support.
use and other violations like academic problems or Example: Grandparents help raise the kids.
stealing. ➢ Socioeconomic Status:
Richer families afford better schools and
• Some increased risk might be due to pressure to
healthcare.
achieve or being left unsupervised by busy parents.
Example: Child goes to private school with tutors.
Some may be driven by association with gay peers
➢ Culture:
within the school context.
Traditions guide behavior and values.
Example: Saying “po” and “opo” shows respect.
CULTURE AND RACE/ETHNICITY
➢ Race/Ethnicity:
Culture
Different groups have unique experiences.
• A society’s or group’s total way of life, including
Example: Indigenous kids may face limited access
customs, traditions, beliefs, values, language, and
to education.
physical products--all learned behavior, passed on
➢ Historical Context:
from parents to children.
Past events shape family life today.
o Example: Using ‘po’ and ‘opo’ and doing the
Example: OFW parents working abroad affect
mano gesture to elders as taught by parents
child’s upbringing.
which was also passed down by older
generations. • Given the diversity of groups, terms such as black or
• Constantly changing through contact with other Hispanic can be called an ethnic gloss.
culture. o Ethnic gloss: overgeneralization about an
o Example: Many Filipinos now celebrate ethnic or cultural group that obscures or blurs
Halloween by wearing costumes and going differences within the group.
trick-or-treating—customs that originally o Example: “All Filipinos are good
came from Western cultures like the United singers/family-oriented!” this statement
States. This practice has become more oversimplifies and assumes everyone fits this
common in the Philippines due to movies, stereotype, ignoring individual differences
TV, and social media. and unique experiences.
• Cultural contact is enhanced by computers and • The term race, historically was viewed as biological
telecommunications. category. Now it’s more accurately defined as social
o E-mailing, texting, and social media gave construct.
instant communication across the globe. o Social Construct: idea or belief that people in
a society create and agree on, even though it’s
Ethnic Group not naturally happening on its own.
• A group united by ancestry, race, religion, language, o All humans belongs to the classification of
or national origins, which contribute to a sense of Homo Sapiens. Despite that the difference of
shared identity. people in skin color and such led people to
• Ethnic and cultural traditions influence how families speak and treat them differently.
grow and change. They affect how family members o Race is a social category, this made it remain
treat each other and the family’s social and economic a factor in research because it makes a
situation. difference on how they are treated and
o Example: In many Filipino families, the whether they can fully participate in their
tradition of close family ties means that society.
children often live with their parents even ▪ Race is not based on biology, but on
after they grow up. This cultural value of how society groups people by skin
“close family unity” affects how families color or appearance.
support each other emotionally and ▪ People made up the idea of race to
financially. For example, adult children often divide, label, or treat others
help their parents with expenses, and differently.
 ▪ These labels can change over time Normative history-graded influences
and in different places. • Significant events that shape behavior and attitudes of
▪ That’s why race is called a social a historical generation.
construct—people created it, it’s not o Historical generation: a group of people who
natural. experienced the event at a formative time in
• Categories of culture, race, and ethnicity are a fluid, their lives.
continuously shaped by social and political forces. • Happen to a whole generation because of a
• Due to geographic dispersion and intermarriages, historical event
they produced a great heterogeneity of physical and • Example: Living through Typhoon Yolanda (2013),
cultural characteristics within populations. COVID-19 pandemic, Martial Law era (1970s–80s)
• Effect: Millions of Filipinos experienced lockdowns,
THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT online classes, job loss, and health risks. It changed
• Developmentalists focus on the time in which people how people worked, learned, and interacted —
live rather than historical context. affecting an entire generation's lifestyle and mental
o Investigators began to focus on how certain health.
experiences, tied to time and place, affect the
course of people’s lives. ➢ Social changes, such as employed mothers and
• It is an important part of the study of development. increase in single-parent households, have greatly
altered family life.
NORMATIVE AND NONNORMATIVE ➢ Historical generation is not the same as an age
INFLUENCES cohort.
• To understand similarities and differences in ➢ Cohort: a group of people born at about the same
development, we need to look at two types of time.
normative influences: biological and environmental o cohort is only part of a historical
events. generation if they were old enough to be
o Normative: Characteristics of an event that meaningfully affected by the major
occurs in a similar way for most people in a event.
group ➢ Example: People born in 1995-2005 are Millenial
o Examples: (1) Starting school around age 5– to Gen Z transition. (Shared experiences) Grew
6. Most Filipino children begin kindergarten up with tech and socmed, witnessed the rise of K-
or Grade 1 at this age. (2) Attending a debut pop, TikTok. Job market challenges after grad.
at age 18 (for girls). It’s a Filipino tradition to Online class during COVID 19.
celebrate a girl’s 18th birthday with a big ➢ Historical generation contains more than one cohort
party. (3) Living with parents until marriage BUT cohort is only A PART of historical generation
or adulthood. In the Philippines, it’s normal if they experienced the major, shaping historical
for children to stay with their parents even as events at a point in their lives.
young adults. (4) Helping with household o Examples: 🔹 Historical Generation:
chores at a young age. (5) Many Filipino kids “Martial Law Generation” (1970s–1980s)
are expected to help with tasks like cleaning ➢ Includes people who lived through the
or cooking early in life. Martial Law period under Ferdinand Marcos.
o Formative: ➢ They may span different cohorts (e.g.,
teens, young adults, parents at that time).
Normative age-graded influences
🔹 Cohort within that generation:
• Highly similar for people in a particular age group.
The timing of biological events is fairly predictable Filipinos born around 1960–1965
within a normal range. ➢ They were teenagers during Martial Law and
• Happen to most people at a certain age likely shaped by student activism, censorship,
• Example: Starting school at age 6, having a debut at and political unrest.
18, retiring at 60 ➢ This cohort is part of the historical generation
• Effect: Most Filipino children begin school at this because they were old enough to be affected.
age, shaping their learning, social development, and
routines early in life. It's a shared experience that Nonnormative
prepares them for structured education and future • Characteristics of an unusual event that happens to a
work. particular person or a typical event that happens at an
unusual time of life.
• These unusual events have major impact on occur; and the resulting abnormal patterns may be
individual lives because they disturb the expected irreversible.
sequence of the life cycle. • The length of a critical period is not fixed.
• It has two types: typical and atypical events. o If ducklings’ rearing conditions are varied to
slow their growth, the usual critical period for
Typical Events imprinting can be extended, and it may even
• Common or expected events that happen to most be reversed.
people at a certain age or life stage.
• Examples: Plasticity
o Starting school around age 6 • Range of modifiability of performance
o Celebrating a debut at age 18 (for girls) • Example (Super Plastic Brain): Learning a New
o Getting married in adulthood Language Easily (as a child):
o Retiring around age 60 o A 4-year-old who moves to another country
quickly learns the new language. → Their
Atypical Events brain is flexible and adapts.
• Unusual or unexpected events that don't happen to
everyone, or happen at an unusual time. Sensitive Period
o Losing a parent at a young age • Times in development when a person is particularly
o → Most children grow up with at least one open to certain kinds of experiences.
parent, so this is not typical.
o Becoming a parent at age 14 CHECKPOINT!
o → Most people become parents as adults, not Critical Period vs. Sensitive Period
teens. Critical Period Sensitive Period
o Surviving a major disaster (like Typhoon Definition A time when the A time when the
Yolanda) brain must get brain is especially
o → Not everyone experiences a life- certain input to ready to learn a
threatening natural disaster. develop normally. skill easily.
o Being diagnosed with a rare illness as a child Flexibility Learning is not Learning is easier,
o → Health problems can happen at any age, possible or much but still possible
but serious illnesses in childhood are not harder after the later.
typical. period.
o Winning a big competition or scholarship at Common Some specific Most types of
a young age In biological functions development
o → It’s a positive event, but still uncommon (vision, hearing). (language,
for most. emotions).
In Short Only time to learn, Best time to learn,
or the chance is but not the only
TIMING OF INFLUENCES: CRITICAL OR gone. chance.
SENSITIVE PERIODS
Imprinting Examples:
• Konrad Lorenz showed that newly hatched ducklings ✅ Sensitive Period:
will instinctively follow the first moving object they 1. Language Development
see whether it’s a member of the species or not. o Children learn languages most easily in
• Automatic and irreversible. the first 5–7 years.
• Instinctive bond is with the mother. o They can still learn later, but it takes
• Result of a predisposition toward learning more effort and may not sound native.
o Predisposition toward learning: the readiness ❌ Critical Period:
of an organism’s nervous system to acquire • Vision (Seeing clearly with both eyes)
certain information during a brief critical o If a baby has cataracts and doesn’t
period in early life. receive treatment in the first few months,
they may never develop normal vision.
Critical Period o The brain needs visual input during this
• Specific time when a given event or its absence gas a time, or the ability to see may be lost
specific impact on development permanently.
• If a necessary even does not occur during a critical
period of maturation, normal development will not
 THE LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENTAL Development Is Shaped by Historical and Cultural
APPROACH Context
• People grow up in different times and cultures,
According to Paul B. Baltes (1936-2006) with his which influence how they develop.
colleagues, they identified 7 key principles of a life-span • For example, people born in different decades
developmental approach that sum up many concepts (cohorts) may develop different skills, emotions, or
discussed. These principles serve as a widely accepted personalities based on their environment.
conceptual framework for the study of life-span
development:

Development is Lifelong:
• It happens from birth to old age.
• Every stage affects the next, and all stages are equally
important.

Development is Multidimensional:
• It involves biological, psychological, and social
changes.
• These areas grow and change at different rates.

Development is Multidirectional:
• People can gain in some areas and lose in others at
the same time.
• For example, teens get stronger but may find it harder
to learn new languages.
• Some skills improve with age (like wisdom), while
others may decline.

Biology and Culture Change in Influence Over Time

• Both biology (like strength and senses) and culture
(like education, relationships, and tools) shape
development.
• As we age, biological abilities weaken, but cultural
support can help us adapt.

Development Involves Changing Resource Use

• People use time, energy, money, and support
differently at each life stage.
• Resources are used for:
o Growth (learning new things)
o Maintenance (keeping current skills)
o Loss management (coping when abilities
decline)
• In youth, most resources go to growth;
in old age, more go to handling losses;
in midlife, it’s more balanced.

Development Shows Plasticity

• Many abilities (like memory or strength) can
improve with practice, even in later life.
• However, plasticity has limits—not everything can
change at any time.
• Developmental research studies what can be
changed and when.