Answers to Discussion Questions

1. Discuss the various theories of human development. Which of these theories do you feel most accurately describes your development? Why?

2. Nature vs Nurture

3. Every individual develops at a unique rate and in a unique manner. What are some factors that influence development across the lifespan? How do people, who all start out as newborns with a limited repertoire of behaviors, end up so different?

4. There are several distinct characteristics that make up each lifespan development theory and explain human development. Development across the lifespan is multidirectional, plastic, dependent on history and context, multidisciplinary, and contextual.

Discuss with the class your own development as it pertains to these characteristics. You do not have to address each characteristic, but discuss at least 2 as they relate to your development across the lifespan.

5. Read a current article in the University Library regarding human development, heredity and the environment, or natural selection and adaptive behavior.

Post a short summary of its main points as a response. Include reference information for your article so your classmates can find it if they are interested in reading it.

6. Review the “Look and Listen” activity on p. 99 in Ch. 3 of Development Through the Lifespan.

Discuss your response with your classmates.

7. SIDS & Central Nervous Impairment

8. What ethical safeguards do you regard as vital in conducting research that requires deception of children?

9. You provide a very good discussion of different environmental influences on development. This week you are also reading about several developmental theories. Do you think accounting for environmental influences is an important criterion of a good life-span development theory? Are there any theories that you think account for environmental influences better than others?

5 hours ago

REQUIREMENTS

Life Span Human Development PSY 205

Answer preview…………

Human development theorists consider the changes that occur at different stages of the life of an individual as models for building the capacities for the subsequent ones. The theory of personality by Sigmund Freud focused on the development of personality at different stages with those that occur during childhood, especially at age five as the most important. In contrast, the Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development postulates that personality development occurs throughout the lifespan of an individual since people encounter different types of challenges at various stages of their lives. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development people develop schema from childhood and use these mental models to understand and interact with the world around them. I consider the Erikson’s theory as the most accurate as result of its account for the role of challenges and actions for dealing with them in the growth and development of the child. Also, the perspectives are individualized and reflect the dynamics of the various environments that people live………….

APA 1196 words