Life Span Development.” is a sub-field in the discipline of psychology that deals with questions of life history and different pathways people take during a lifetime. It asks how a given “state of affairs” came to be and how this state is likely to progress over time. The Life Span is often broadly categorized into three periods: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Sometimes, this field is also called “Developmental Psychology.” There is an entire course devoted to this area of psychology at all colleges and Universities. Another course focuses on child and adolescent development. Similar material is offered in Child Growth and Development for those interested in majoring in Early Childhood Development.

• Some changes involve physical development and motor development: the maturation of various bodily structures and the progressive attainment of motor skills, such as walking.
• Changes also involve cognitive development: the growth of intellectual functioning; and the ability to think, plan, organize, and solve problems.
• There is also social and emotional development: changes in the ways we can interact with others and regulate our emotions.
• moral development: how the ability to reason before making choices develops over time.
• and even faith development: how one’s faith, spiritual belief system develops over time.

More than any other area in psychology, developmental psychology deals with the age-old question of nature versus nurture. Developmental psychologists look at both factors–biological/evolutionary and environmental–when studying how humans develop. Through the previous chapters in the class we have covered much of the biological (genetics) discussion of human development.

In this first page we turn toward the discussion of nurture (environment) and it’s effects on child development. In the following 2 videos you will see how the environment (nurture) clearly effects development further complicating this age-old question. We ask, how much is a person’s psychological state and personality due to Nature (biological) and how much is due to Nurture (environment)? What does trauma/early adversity do to the developing mind and psychology of a person?

This first video reviews how trauma and early adversity affects not only the psychological/social development of children but the physical/brain development as well. This is a medical presentation using some medical terms but focuses on how environment can affect the body and neurology (brain), thus triggering the “Fight or Flight” reaction. See the following presented by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris via TEDMED.

How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | Nadine Burke Harris – YouTube

In the following video see how trauma can affect the child’s brain and further development. This is “A general introduction to what happens in the brain after children face traumatic experiences in childhood, like abuse and neglect.”

Childhood Trauma and the Brain | UK Trauma Council – YouTube

It is interesting to note that, compared with other animals, human beings’ rate of development is rather slow. Lions, for example, chase their young away by the age of two or three. Human parents, however, face years of childcare and devote time and other resources to raising their young! Take note: we have new parents in this class. You’re in for a long haul! We also have young adults in the class who may be in the process of becoming more independent.

HOW DO WE UNDERSTAND AND HELP BUILD A POSITIVE HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT TO FOSTER “NURTURE”?

The slow pace of maturing of the human infant is indeed inconvenient at times (for both parent and infant/child), but the human infant has a great deal to learn and a huge capacity for learning. Watch the following video focusing on the key factor: development of language, which effects the relationship of caretaker and baby.

Improving early child development with words: Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald at TEDxAtlanta

Improving early child development with words: Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald at TEDxAtlanta – YouTube