Chapter 1.1

normative history-graded influences:

influences associated with a specific time period that define the broader bio-cultural context in which an individual develops

Contexts exert three types of influences

normative age-graded influences, normative history-graded influences, nonnormative or highly individualized life events

nonnormative influences

unpredictable influences not tied to a certain developmental time, personally or historical period

Change in one dimension also affect development in the other dimensions

What is Multidimensional

During late adulthood, older adults might become wiser by being able to call on experience to guide their intellectual decision making but they perform more poorly on tasks that require speed in processing information

What is Multidirectional

Development is Contextual

All development occurs within a context e.g. families, schools, peer groups, churches, etc.

Development in Multidimensional

Development consists of biological, cognitive, and socioemotional dimensions..

Development is a Co-Construction

Development is shaped by biology, culture, and the individual factors influencing each other.

According to Baltes' lifespan perspective, what is true about development?

Development of plastic

Development is lifelong

In the life-span perspective, early adulthood is not the endpoint of development; rather, no age period dominates development

Plasticity

Means the capacity for change

During adolescence, as individuals establish romantic relationships, their relationships with friends might decrease.

Multidirectional

Michael's grandfather was teaching Michael how to drive a car. At first, Michael was frustrated because his grandfather's reactions and driving were rather slow; his grandfather explained that while he's not as fast as he used to be, he is more careful in his driving in later life. When Michael followed his grandfather's example and avoided hitting another car due to his cautious driving, he appreciated his grandfather's slow, but careful driving. This difference in ability involving the loss of speed but gain of caution best illustrates Baltes' principle that development is:

Multidirectional

Developmental Science is Multidisciplinary

Multiple fields, including psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, neuroscientists, and medical researchers, share an interest in studying human development across the life span.

Iminathi and all of her siblings are being raised by their elderly grandmother (with few resources) because both of their parents have died from complications of AIDS. This is very common in recent years in South Africa, as many adults have died due to the AIDS/HIV epidemic, leaving their children to be raised by grandparents. According to Baltes' contextual paradigm, this best exemplifies:

Normative history-graded influences

life-span perspective

The perspective that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual that is involves growth, maintenance and regulation; and that is is constructed through biological, sociocultural, and individual factors working together.

Development is multidirectional

Throughout life, some dimensions or components of a dimension expand and others shrink.

Developmental Psychology

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

Cognitive dimension includes

a. attention b. memory c. abstract thinking d. speed of processing information e. social intelligence

normative age-graded influences

biological and environmental factors that have a strong correlation with chronological age

Development is plastic

capacity for change