Psychology Presentation Chapter 10 - Life Span Development

Psychology Presentation
Chapter 10: Life Span Development
Ala Sahouri
Eduardo Villanueva
Introduction: Lifespan Development

Developmental psychology is the study of change and stability of
human physical, cognitive, social, and behavioral characteristics
across the lifespan
Stages?
Methods Concepts and prenatal Development

Two methods of measuring development:
Cross sectional Study: different ages,compared at a single
point in time.
Longitudinal Study: same group of subjects, tracked over
multiple point in time.
Stages;
1.germinal:0 to 2 weeks- division lead to multiple organ,nervous system and skin tissue
2.Embryonic: 2 to 8 weeks- mayor structures begin to form, head, heart and limbs. embryo
attaches to placenta (oxygen and nutrients exchanged)
3.Fetal Stage: 8 to birth- brain development,
Infancy and childhood

Synaptogenesis: formation of billions of new synapses.
Synaptic pruning: the loss of weak nerve cell connections.
Piaget Stages of cognitive Development:
1. Sensorimotor 0-2yrs thinking and understanding about the world is based on sensory
experiences and physical actions.
2. Preoperational 2-7yrs understanding of symbols pretend play mastery of concept of
conservation
3. concrete operational 7-11yrs develop skills in using and manipulating numbers as well as
logical thinking.
4. Formal Operational 11-adulthood advance cognitive processes abstract reasoning and
hypothetical thinking.
Erikson Stages of Psychosocial development
8 Stages. for example Trust versus mistrust during infancy
Adolescence
The awkward stage
*Brain not fully developed until the age of 25 yrs.
A time of Opportunity period of physical growth
Kohlbergs Stages of moral reasoning; Trolley example
Preconventional morality: characterized by self-interest in
seeking reward or avoiding punishment.
Conventional morality: regards social conventions and rules as
guides for appropriate moral behavior.
Postconventional morality: considers rules and laws as relative.
Adulthood and Aging

Dementia: refers to a set of symptoms including mild to severe disruption
of mental functioning, memory loss, disorientation, poor judgement, and
decision making.
Alzheimer's disease: usually appears at 71 but rarely at 60
Puzzles and brain teasers leads to better maintenance of cognitive and
brain functioning
Research on aging has shown that while

declines may be expected in some mental
abilities, people can still have control over how
they age.
Cognitive task = mentally sharper and more
satisfied with their mental abilities.
Article (CALTAP Model)

The Contextual Adult Lifespan Theory for Adapting Psychotherapy Model
provides an understanding as to how to treat older patients with regards to
social/cultural differences and their age developments
The main themes of the CALTAP model are: developmental aging, social
context, cohort differences, and cultural issues
Negative Maturation
Physical aspects of negative maturation include vision, mobility, and hearing
impairments
These impairments may affect emotional health
Mental aspects of negative maturation such as decreased cognitive functionality,
memory loss, and diseases affecting the brain (E.g. Alzheimers) may also
negatively impact a patient and should be considered when treating them
Positive Maturation
Older adults can also benefit from maturation such as gaining life experiences
and learning to deal with their emotions
Challenges in later life

A psychologist should understand the challenges an older patient may face
when treating them.
These challenges include disabilities, diseases, and depression
Social Contexts
The CALTAP Model also considers the need to understand the current social
environment of the patient
The psychologist should take note of the patients living situation (E.g. Nursing
home, their own home, independent living villages
The people around the patient such as family, friends, nursing home staff, and
etc are also factors when assessing a patient and should be considered
Cohort Influences
Cohort refers to a group of people born within a certain timespan who share a sense of group
identity.
Where and when a person was born should be taken into consideration when treating them.
While cohorts are important to consider, there should be no assumptions made about the
patient based upon their cohort
For example older patients may have different views on same sex marriage and abortion than
younger patients
Cultural Context
Like cohort factors, culture should be considered but no assumptions should be
made based on culture context
Depending on culture aging can be considered either positive or negative
Cultures that believe in respect for elders may have a hard time dealing with
decreased cognitive function and physical impairments
The psychologist must take care when discussing this subject for it may be
sensitive to the patient
CALTAP Model
The CALTAP Model can be used for implemented for both psychotherapy and
psychoanalysis of older adults.
A psychologist must be aware of all the factors when treating an older patient
and should be able to address these.
Differences between treating older adults vs younger adults has little to do with
developmental aging but more with the social and cultural differences
between the two.
Discussion questions:
1. Has technology allowed for an increase of life expectancy or has it shorten it?
2. Give an example of a social/cultural aspect of an older persons life that is
different than ours today.

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Psychology Presentation

Chapter 10: Life Span Development

Introduction: Lifespan Development

Methods Concepts and prenatal Development

Infancy and childhood

Adulthood and Aging

Research on aging has shown that while

Article (CALTAP Model)

Challenges in later life

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