Chapter 1 notes
Chapter 1
Introduction
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Development
Scientific study of Human Development
Development
How & why people change
How they do not change,
From conception til death
Development
Key Points
Developmental study is a science. (this means theories, data collection, critical thinking, scientific method)
Focus on all kinds of people (what all people have in common as they develop. General abilities as well as specific traits)
Changes that take place over time
Development
Life Span Perspective
Study human development that takes into account every moment of life from conception to death.
Change/Development in inevitable & constant
5 distinct developmental characteristics
Multidirectional
Multicontextual
Multicultural
Multidisciplinary
Plasticity
Multidirectional
A characteristic of development – gains & losses – predictable and non predictable changes over time
As we develop, there is evidence for growth, transformation, improvement, & decline
Multidirectional
Physical Growth
Growth is faster at night, height is added faster in summer
Rate of growth is very rapid during 1st year of life, then slows down, then picks up again near adolescence, then stops after we enter early adulthood
Multidirectional
Butterfly Effect
A small action or event may set off a series of changes that culminate in a major event.
Observation – It’s how you react to the little stuff that has a bigger influence in your life, than the "big" stuff
Research in this area focuses on the direction and intensity of change.
Multicontextual
Looks at the settings where change takes place.
Historical – Looks at cohorts
Cohort – A group of people who share a similar history
Depending upon your social construction, things you observe may or may not bother you.
Multicontextual
Social Construction – An idea built more on shared perceptions of social order than on objective reality.
Socioeconomic Status (SES) – Not based just on income. Based on income, plus family education plus neighborhood plus occupation plus affiliation
Multicontextual
Lifestyle – Not only what you have but where you ‘stay’
Collective Efficacy – Neighbors create a functioning, informal network of people who show concern for each other
When this is strong, problems can be overcome
Multicontextual
People who have someone show care & concern for their well-being, tend to score higher on almost any psychological factor, than those who do not.
Cultural Context - Specific manifestations of a social groups design for living, developed over the years, to provide a social structure for the group members to live together
Multicontextual
Cultural Context – Examples - Aggies, Gang-Bangers, Skateboarders
People caught up in a culture don’t see flaws in their system, and when separated from it, things just don’t make sense.
Multicultural
Comparing several cultures always makes it easier to notice which developmental patterns are universal for all humans & which ones depend on the social context.
Book study of women’s income & marriage
Japan – more $ - less marriages
Sweden – more $ - more marriages
Multicultural
Ethnicity, Race, & Income
Ethnic Group – A group of people who share certain attributes, almost always including ancestral heritage, and often include national origin, religion, customs, and language
(I am Lutheran, Italian-American, Texan, Houstonian,Longhorn,Principal, country hick,)
Multicultural
Race – A biological creation. Categorize people on the basis of physiological traits
Today’s view – There really appears to be no valid reason to just look at "race" as a variable to explain differences between groups.
Multidisciplinary
Each person follows a simultaneous pattern of development in mind, body, and spirit.
Development can be divided into the following factors:
Biological
Psychological
Sociological
Multidisciplinary
Back in the day – studied twins – identical (mz) and fraternal (dz)
My 3 kids
1 plays the flute, reads music, can’t sing
1 sings, can’t read music, can’t play an instrument
1 plays baseball, can’t play an instrument nor sing
Plasticity
Capacity to change over time.
How people respond to changes life "forces" upon them
Katrina evacuees, war refugees, adopted kids …..
Contextual
A point of reference
The "average" person – IQ = 100
When they refer to average, they are referring to a value obtained from a group of individuals that have been measured along some construct or dimension. Then, one value is assigned to best represent the group.
Human Development as a Science
Developmental scientists seek to:
Understand & measure human change
Use their knowledge to help all people develop their full potential
Human Development as a Science
As a science, this course will use the Scientific Method.
Scientific Method – A systematic pursuit of knowledge that, when applied to the study of development, involves 5 basic steps:
Scientific Method
Formulate a research question
Develop a hypothesis
Test the hypothesis
Draw conclusions
Make findings available for replication
Scientific Method
Methods Used
Scientific Observation
Unobtrusively watching & recording participants behavior in a lab or natural setting
Does not say what caused what
Correlation – A relationship exists between 2 variables but CANNOT say one caused the other
Experiment
Method used by scientists to try to determine causation.
Independent Variable – Treatment
Dependent Variable – Measured for change
Pre-Post Tests
Experimental Group Control Group
Placebo Group
Behavior changes strictly as a function of being in an experiment
Experiment
Statistical Significance
What is the probability that the measured change between an experimental group & a control group occurred as a result of random factors (chance).
The small the level of significance, the more confidence one can attribute to the results
Survey
A research method in which data is collected from as large number of people by personal interview, written questionnaire, or some other means
Sources of bias – Scoring Bias as well as Subject Bias
Case Study
Intensive study of 1 individual over time.
This method leads to wonderfully rich, qualitative data.
Qualitative data – Detailed, descriptive data
Quantitative data – Number crunching
Subjective data
Objective data
Provides a wealth of data about the person, as well as a starting point for further research
Limited generalizability
Research Over Time
Cross-sectional research – Research method in which groups of people who differ in age but share other important characteristics are compared
Collect the data 1 time & if there are differences, attribute them to 1 variable
Research Over Time
Longitudinal – Study the same individual over time
Collect data on the same person at different points in their life.
Differences can be attributed to time/historical events
Reaction to divorce – death of parent/spouse
Flaw – people drop out – data is no longer "pure" – how do you account for missing data?
Cross-Sequential Research
Researchers follow several groups of people of different ages – over time
Time consuming
Delivers precise, accurate data
Ecological Systems Approach
Relationship between the individual & the environment
To do a quality study, need to account for the following:
Family & peer group
Society Values
Cultural Values
Historical Events
Interaction of all 4
Research - Code of Ethics
A set of moral principles that is formally adopted by a group or organization
Inform
Consent
Dropping out
