PSY20007 Study Guide - Final Guide: Swinburne University Of Technology, Psychological Abuse, Euthanasia
Developmental Psychology -
PSY20007 Semester Notes
SAMANTHA GILLAM - 101611652
SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
The Life Span Perspective
Development refers to the pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and
continues through the lifespan.!
•Development involves growth, maintenance, and
decline!
The traditional approach is referred to as
developmental stages related to childhood and
adolescence which is characterised by extensive
growth and development. However there is limited
view post 20, proposing that minimal change occurs
after that.!
The lifespan approach explains that development is
not primarily limited to first 20 yers of life but
extended through the lifespan.!
Characteristics of the Lifespan Perspective!
Lifespan perspective views development as:!
•Lifelong: Early adulthood is not the end of development and there is no age group that
dominates in development over another.!
•Multidimensional: Combinations of biological, cognitive, and socio-economical dimensions
and each have different components.!
•Multidirectional: Some dimensions or components of dimensions that grow or shrink at
particular times (eg. language increases at a rapid rate in childhood, adolescence - shift from
family focus to peer focused relationships).!
•Plastic: There is an ability to increase knowledge and skills as we age.!
•Multidisciplinary: Development is interested in by psychologists, parents, sociologists, and
many others.!
•Contextual: All development occurs within a particular context or setting but contexts change.!
CONTEXTUAL INFLUENCES
Context exerts three types of influences:!
•Normative age-graded influences are ones that are similar for individuals in a particular age
group. (eg. puberty, onset of formal education, and retirement)!
•Normative history-graded influences are common to people of a particular generation
because of historical circumstances. (eg. Introduction of particular technologies such as TV).!
•Non-normative life events are unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an
individual’s life (eg. Adolescent pregnancy, death of a family member during childhood).!
Concerns of Lifespan Perspective!
The lifespan perspective is interested in concerns relations to:!
•Health and wellbeing: this primarily refers to who gets sick and who stays well? As well as
how to reduce sickness and promote wellness as developmental psychologists (and how we
view mental health).!
•Parenting: this focuses on parenting styles on childhood development, goals and practices of
parents, the effects of childcare, corporal punishment, as well as the introduction of new
caregivers.!
•Education: this focuses on how to educate children in order to produce the optimal outcomes
on their development.!
•Sociocultural contexts and diversity: this focuses on the role of SES and resources on
outcomes of aspects of development.!
•Social policy: the tendency toward looking at the psychologically abnormal rather than the
normal.!
Resilience!
Resilience has been defined as an outcome due to particular outcomes of behaviour despite risk.!
MODELS OF RESILIENCE
•Compensatory: Compensatory factors offset or cancel out the effect of adversity or risk.
Compensatory factors are independent of the risk factor; they have a direct effect on the
outcome; they fully or partially compensate or counteract the effects of risk.
•Protective: Protective factors have beneficial effects on those exposed to the risk but no more
or less benefit among those not exposed. Protective factors moderate the relationship between
risk and outcome; no direct relationship between the protective factors and the outcome
independent of the risk; the effect of the risk on the outcome in the absence of any protective
factors is more negative than in their presence.!
•Challenge: The challenging model suggests that resilience can be found through hardships
depending on whether the child succumbs or rebounds from the harm.!
Processes!
The pattern of change over time is complex as it involves biological, cognitive, and socio-
emotional processes.!
•Biological processes produce changes in an individual’s physical nature (eg. genes, brain
development, nutrition, motor skills, exercise, weight gain).!
•Cognitive processes refer to changes in thought, intelligence, and language.!
•Socio-emotional processes involve changes in relationships with other people, changes in
emotions, and changes in personality — they’re all interactive and inter-dimensional (eg.
relationships, identity, sense of self).!
Periods of Development!
Document Summary
Development refers to the pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and continues through the lifespan: development involves growth, maintenance, and decline. The traditional approach is referred to as developmental stages related to childhood and adolescence which is characterised by extensive growth and development. However there is limited view post 20, proposing that minimal change occurs after that. The lifespan approach explains that development is not primarily limited to rst 20 yers of life but extended through the lifespan. Resilience has been de ned as an outcome due to particular outcomes of behaviour despite risk. Models of resilience: compensatory: compensatory factors o set or cancel out the e ect of adversity or risk. An alternative conceptualisation of the life span is the four ages" of development: first age: childhood and adolescence, second age: prime adulthood (20s - 50s, third age: approx.
