PSYC 357 Chapter : Ch 2 Models of Development Textbook notes and definition

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 357
• Professor: Wendy Loken Thornton

Document Summary

Models of development: nature and nurture in adulthood. Understanding of development as continuous from childhood through old age. Includes focus on social or contextual influences on development. Effects of social processes on changes within individual lives. Term replace developmental psychology; starting to replace because both nurture and nature affect changes in life. Science = understand systematic effects of multiple influences. View individuals continue to grow and change over entire course of. Understand interactions among and within each level (biological to social) Tries to explain underlying process instead of describing (descriptive approach = used for many decades to establish ages which different events occur) Child"s genetically based abilities lead that child to select certain activities that further enhance development of those abilities once started down particular pathway, further changes occur that influence later development of those abilities. Genetic and environmental factors work together to influence direction that children"s lives take. Nature or genetics is regarded as prime mover in development.