Larson's Notes - Life Span Development

EXCELSIOR COLLEGE Nursing

Study Guide Expanded Notes

Life Span Development Psychology

Study Guide

I. The Study of Life Span Development Psychology (15%)

A. Concepts related to the study of life span development

1. Defining development and the life span approach

2. Domains of development

a. Physical, biological, and evolutionary

b. Cognitive

c. Social and emotional (psychosocial, personality)

3. The complex nature of development (including the influence of growth, maturation, and learning; heredity and environment)

4. Continuity and discontinuity

5. Contexts of development and individual differences (for example: society, culture, home, school, race, gender, socioeconomic status)

B. Research methods in the study of life span development

1. The scientific method (formulate a research question, develop a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, draw conclusions, make findings available)

2. Types of research

a. Naturalistic observation and field experiments

b. Controlled experiment (independent and dependent variables)

c. Surveys

d. interviews

e. Case studies

3. Developmental research designs

a. Longitudinal

b. Cross-sectional

c. Sequential

4. Interpretaion of results

a. Correlation vs. causation

b. Cohort effects

c. Issues related to generalizability (for example: sex, culture, socioeconomic status, ecological validity)

5. Ethical considerations (for example: ability to give informed consent, privacy, deception)

C. Theoretical foundations for life span development psycology

1. Ethological perspectives (for example: Bowlby)

2. Psycodynamic perspectives (for example: Freud, Erikson, Levinson, Vaillant)

3. Learning perspectives

a. Clasical conditioning (for example: Pavlov, Watson)

b. Operant conditioning (for example: Skinner, Thorndike)

c. Social learning (for example: Bandura)

4. Cognitive perspectives (for example: Piaget, Case, Bruner)

5. Humanistic perspectives (for example: Maslow, Rogers)

6. Ecological and social-contestual perspectives (for example: Bronfenbrenner, Vygotsky)

II. Genetics, Prenatal Development, and Childbirth (10%)

A. Basic concepts of genetics

1. Genes and chromosomes

2. Genotype, phenotype, and reaction range

3. Dominant and recessive traits

4. Sex-linked traits

5. Polygentic traits

6. Behavior genetics (for example: twin and adoption studies)

7. Genetic and chromosomal abnormalities (for example: phenylketonuria, Turner syndrome, Down syndrome, Huntington's disease)

8. Natural selection

B. Prenatal development

1. Conception

2. Prenatal critical periods and stages (germinal, embryonic, fetal)

3. Prenatal environment (for example:maternal nutrition, illness, and stress; teratogens)

4. Prenatal life-support systems (placenta, umbilical cord, amnion)

C. Childbirth

1. Preparation for, and methods of, childbirth

2. Stages of childbirth

3. Complications (for example: prematurity, postmaturity, low birth weight)

4. Neonatal assessment (for example: Apgar scale, Brazelton scale)

D. Issues (for example: genetic assessment and counseling, cultural differences)

III. Infancy and Toddlerhood (10%)

A. Characteristics of the newborn

1. Reflexes

2. States and behaviors (for example: sleep/wake cycles)

B. Development in infancy and toodlerhood

1. Physical development

a. Principles of growth (for example: cephalocaudal, proximodistal, individual differences)

b. Motor development

c. Sensory development

d. Brain development

e. Nutrition

2. Cognitive development

a. Methods of studing (for example: habituation)

b. Sensorimotor intelligence (for example: object permanence, imitation)

c. Perceptual development (for example:cross-modal perception)

d. Early language development

3. Social and emotional development

a. Temperament and personality

b. Attachment to caregivers

c. Self-awareness and independence

d. Emotions and emotional expression

e. Family processes

4. Issue (for example: attachment vs. bonding, sudden infant death syndrome [SIDS], child abuse and neglect, day care)

IV. Early Childhood (10%)

A. Physical development

1. Physical growth

2. Motor development

3. Brain development

4. Nutrition

5. Health and safety

B. Cognitive development

1. Preoperational and symbolic thought

2. Zone of proximal development (Vygotsky)

3. Language development

4. Memory development

5. Early childhood education (for example: Head Start)

C. Social and emotional development

1. The developing self (for example: self-concept, self-awareness, autonomy, initiative)

2. Gender identy and gender roles

3. Moral development and prosocial behaviour

4. Family (for example: parenting styles, sibling relationships, extended families)

5. Peers and plau

6. Culture, school, and media (for example: television, aggression)

7. Childhood fears

D. Issues (for example: working parents, divorce, day care, sexual abuse)

V. Middle Childhood (10%)

A. Physical development

1. Physical growth and motor skill development

2. Health and fitness (for example: sports, exercise, childhood obesity)

B. Cognitive development

1. Concrete operational thought

2. Language development and communication (for example: vocabulary, grammar, bilingualism)

3. Memory development and metacognition

4. Intelligence testing and theories (Gardner, Sternberg)

5. Children with specific educational needs (for example: learning disabilities, gifted and talented, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)

C. Social and emotional development

1. Self-concept and self-esteem

2. Moral development and prosocial behaviour

3. Family (for example: changing definitions of the family, family interaction, extended families)

4. Peer relationships and social cognition (for example:conformity, popularity, rejection, friendship patterns)

5. The school setting (for example: achievement and motivation, mainstreaming, gender differences)

6. Problems of adjustment (for example: childhood depression, school phobia, agressive and antisocial behavior, stress and resilience)

D. Issues (for example: after-school care [self-care children], divorce, families who are homeless, poverty, cultural differences in schooling)

VI. Adolescence (10%)

A. Physical development

1. Physical development (for example: individual and gender differences, growth spurt)

2. Sexual maturation and puberty

3. Health and fitness (for example: sports and exercise, nutrition)

B. Cognitive development

1. Formal operational thought

2. Adolescent egocentrism

3. Decision making

4. Metacognition

C. Social and emotional development

1. Self-concept and identity (for example: Marcia's theory, cultural and gender differences, body image, risk-taking behavior)

2. Moral development and behavior (for example: Kohlberg, Gilligan)

3. Sexuality (for example: attitudes, knowledge, behavior, values, birth control, sexual harassment and abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, adolescent pregancy)

4. Family (for example: shared and nonshared values, autonomy and interdependence, relationships with parents and siblings)

5. Peers (for example: adolescent subculture, conformity, cliques and crowds, shared and nonshared values)

6. The school setting (for example: transitions in school, dropping out of school, achievement and socioeconomic status)

7. Problems of adjustment (for example: substance abuse, violence, depression, suicide, eating disorders)

D. Issues (for example: stereotypes about adolescents, cross-cultural perspectives, adolescents who leave home, adolescents who have jobs)

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