Re: Lifespan Development Boyd Test Bank.pdf Free
Tanja Freeze
The goal of scientists who study human development is to produce observations and explanations that canbe applied to as wide an age range of human beings and contexts as possible. To accomplish this goal,they study both change and stability. Additionally, they study cultural expectations; make predictionsabout development and use scientific methods to test them; and hope their findings can be used topositively influence development in individuals.
Developmental psychology uses the scientific method to achieve its goals: to describe, explain, predict,and influence human development from conception to death. Descriptive research methods are used tostudy the relationship between variables. Case studies are in-depth examinations of single individuals.The laboratory observation method attempts to exert some degree of control over the environment.Surveys collect data about attitudes, interests, values, and various kinds of behavior. Correlational studiesmeasure the relationship between variables. To test causal hypotheses, experimental designs in whichsubjects are assigned randomly to experimental or control groups are necessary. There are three choicesfor studying age-related change: a cross-sectional design to study different groups of people of differentages; a longitudinal design to study the same people over a period of time; and a sequential design tocombine cross-sectional and longitudinal designs in some fashion. Cross-cultural research helpsdevelopmentalists identify specific variables that explain cultural differences. Ethical principles in humandevelopmental research include the following: protection from harm, informed consent, confidentiality,knowledge of results, and protection from deception.
After completing Chapter 1, students should be able to answer the following questions:1 What ideas about development were proposed by early philosophers and scientists?1 What is the lifespan perspective?1 What major domains and periods do developmental scientists use to organize their discussions of the human lifespan?1 How do developmentalists view the two sides of the nature-nurture debate?1 What is the continuity-discontinuity debate?1 How do the three kinds of age-related change differ?1 How does consideration of the contexts in which change occurs improve scientists understanding of human development?1 What are the goals of scientists who study human development?1 What descriptive methods are used by developmental scientists?1 What is the primary advantage of the experimental method?1 What are the pros and cons of cross-sectional, longitudinal, and sequential research designs?1 Why is cross-cultural research important to the study of human development?1 What are the ethical standards that developmental researchers must follow?
The changes listed above have led to the adoption of a lifespan perspective. It maintains that importantchanges occur during every period of development and that these changes must be understood in thecultures and contexts in which they occur. This new perspective emphasizes these key elements: Plasticity: Individuals of all ages possess the capacity for positive change in response to environmental demands. Interdisciplinary research: Research from different kinds of disciplinary perspectives is needed to fully understand lifespan development. Multi-contextual nature of development: Individual development occurs within several interrelated contexts.
Scientists who study age-related changes across the lifespan often use three broad categories, calleddomains of development, to classify these changes. The physical domain includes changes in the size, shape, and characteristics of the body. The cognitive domain includes changes in thinking, memory, problem-solving, and other intellectual skills. The social domain includes variables that are associated with the relationship of an individual to others.Using domain classifications helps to organize discussions of human development, but it is important toremember that the three domains do not function independently of one another.
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