Chapter 1 Outline

Human Development, "Is a field of study devoted to the understanding of constancy and change through the human lifespan."

--Single goal

1) Identify consistencies

2) Identify change

It is Scientific, Applied and Interdisciplinary….

Basic Issues

Theory

Scientific Verification

3 Basic Issues involved in Developmental Theories

1) Continuous or Discontinuous development

2) One course of development or many?

3) Nature versus nurture?

Development as a lifespan process

1) Development is a lifelong process

2) Development is multidimensional and multidirectional

3) Development is highly plastic or flexible

4) Development as embedded in multiple contexts

Historical foundations

John Locke and Tabla Rasa

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Research Methods

Naturalistic Observation

Structured Observation

Self Reports/Survey Method

Clinical or Opened Ended Interview

Structured Interview

Clinical or case study method

Correlation Design/Method

Experimental Design

Longitudinal design

Cross-sectional Design

Research Ethics in Lifespan Development