Lesson 1: The Developmental Perspective and Developmental Clocks


Attention

We are taking our first steps into the field of Developmental Psychology. One of the greatest aspects of studying this subject is that YOU are the subject! You are in the process of growing and developing so you are actually going to spend a good part of this class thinking and studying your self!


Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Identify the key components of the syllabus and the expectations of this class.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in using the Blackboard interface to communicate and complete assignments
  • Identify a typical psychological question and incorporate the "Developmental Perspective" in the question
  • Identify personal experiences that correspond to each of the "Developmental Clocks

Teaching

The Developmental Perspective

In this course we are essentially discussing how humans change over time. We examine this issue from a multitude of perspectives, but overall, we are concerned with, and we are informed in our investigations by taking the Developmental Perspective or "DP".

The DP is very simple. When we are faced with a question in Psychology we affirm that the answer to that question may very well be impacted by how OLD the person is.

In this class we will be studying what NORMALLY happens across the lifespan and based on that knowledge we can take the DP on any topic. Here are some examples:

"How does divorce effect the children?"

This is obviously a great question, but for this class it is incomplete. Before we can really answer this question we need to know how old the kids are. We know that changes in family structure can have profound impacts on an individual but these impacts will be different based on how old the person is.

Let's say the person we are asking this about is 10 years old. What is "normally" going on in the life of a 10-year old that may be impacted by a divorce?

What if the person we are asking this about is 17? What if they are 25? What if they are 50? (Remember, a divorce can happen at any time in the lifespan). It should be apparent to you now that it is quite difficult to answer a question without asking how old the person is.

Note: Taking the DP is not the same as applying Developmental Theory. You are NOT taking the DP when you ask something like "How does intelligence change over childhood?" or if you ask "How does memory change in late adulthood?" These are simply applications of theory and knowledge.

The DP ADDS age to the equation of a question that is not about age (to begin with). So we ask questions like these:

  • How well do people remember things? (DP---Depends on how old the person is!)
  • How fast can a person learn a new skill? (DP---Depends on how old the person is!)
  • How will losing a job impact a person? (DP---Depends on how old the person is!)
  • How will having children impact a person's plans? (DP---Depends on how old the person is!)
  • How will a serious injury impact someone? (DP---Depends on how old the person is!)

Developmental Clocks

clocks

Clocks come in all shapes and sizes and help us to track time...we have some clocks built into our bodies, our genetics, our society, and our psychology.

Developmental Psychology is all about how human behavior changes OVER TIME...so TIME is very important. One way to conceptualize the different ways in which we change over time is to think of them as different "Clocks" that are ticking in us. You are probably familiar with the "Biological Clock"...but there are others as well!

One might say that there are multiple "clocks" that are marking time and determine how we "turn out".

  • Biological Clock
    • Genetic timetable, aging, "getting old", dying, being able to have kids, puberty, etc.
  • Psychological Clock
    • Memory span, attention span, cognitive abilities and development
  • Social Clock
    • Contextual (cultural) view on what SHOULD be happening at a particular age
  • Historical Clock
    • Impact of historical events and technology on development.

Consider that these clocks are not always "in sync". The teen mother who may be BIOLOGICALLY able to have a child, but not PSYCHOLOGICALLY ready.


Assessment

Possible Class Discussion

In this discussion I want you to provide an example of ONE clock and how it manifests in your life. You can tell a story or simply state a fact about yourself. Here are some examples:

  • I was born during the "Cold War" when the threat of Nuclear War was very present and on our minds. This is part of my Historical Clock and impacts the way I view the world.
  • I had my first child when I was in my early 30's. This makes me an older father than some other fathers. This could be an example of Biological or Social clock...according to the social clock I "should" have had kids by then!

Lesson 1 Quiz

  1. Write a typical psychological question
  2. Write the question AGAIN incorporating the Developmental Perspective

Example: You might write a question such as this?

"What impact does losing the ability to walk have on a person?"

The DP questions could be stated as this:

"What impact does losing the ability to walk have on a 10 year old?"

That is it...it is as easy as that!!

For each Lesson Quiz I will list the actual questions right here in the Lesson Plan. Prepare your answers ahead of time, spell check them, and then simply copy/paste the answers into the answer box provided in the quiz.

Be sure to "save" your answers in the Quiz otherwise I won't get them!

I will not be repeating these directions again so apply these points to EVERY Quiz in this class!