MODULE 1 LESSON 1: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Human Development- Is the pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and
continues throughout the lifespan.
Development- includes both growth and decline.
-can be positive and negative
-Individual continuously adapts to changes as age increases
- development continues as long as life continues

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

GROWTH DEVELOPMENT

Increase in size and number(purely physical) Improvement in circumstances

Quantitative measure Qualitative measure

Stops at maturity Continues throughout life and is progressive

Aspect of development Encompasses overall changes in which

growth is part of

PRINCIPLES GOVERN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

1. Development is relatively orderly.
- Stages we go through are always in the same order.

Two developmental patterns:

Proximodistal- development proceeds from the center of the body outward. The muscular
control of the trunk and the arms come earlier as compared to the hands and fingers.

Cephalocaudal- development that proceeds from head downward.

2. While the pattern of development is likely to be similar, the outcomes of the

developmental process and the rate of development are likely to vary among
individuals.
- Since development is a result of the interaction between heredity and environment, and
since heredity and environment are different for different people, it seems obvious that
individuals will encounter factors that make them different from other individuals. As a
result, we can expect individual differences in developmental characteristics and
variation in the ages when people will experience events that will influence their
development.

3. Development takes gradually.

-While some changes occur in a flash of insight, more often it takes weeks, months, or
years for the person to undergo the changes that result in the display of developmental
characteristics.
 4. Development as a process is complex because it is a product of biological,
cognitive, and socioemotional processes.

Biological processes
- changes in the individual’s physical nature.
- Children will experience hormonal changes when they reach the period of puberty, and
cardiovascular decline as they approach late adulthood.

Cognitive Processes
- changes in the individual’s thought, intelligence, and language.
Ex. Children develop from mere sounds to a word becoming two words, the two words
becoming a sentence. They would move on to memorizing their first prayer, singing
Bayang Magiliw, solving chess and solving math problems.

Socioemotional processes
- Changes in the individual’s relationships with other people.
- They may fall in love and get inspired for life or may end up betrayed, deserted and
desperate afterwards.

Two Approaches to human development

TRADITIONAL - Extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no change in

adulthood and decline in late old age.
LIFESPAN- In adulthood developmental change takes place as it does during childhood.

Characteristics of the life-span

1. Development is lifelong.
It does not end in adulthood.
2. Development is multidimensional
Development consists of biological, cognitive, and socio-emotional dimensions.
3. Development is plastic.
Development is possible throughout the lifespan. This means skills and abilities can be
improved or developed throughout the life-span.
4. Development is contextual.
Individuals are changing beings in a changing world.
5. Development involves growth, maintenance and regulation.
The goals of individuals vary among developmental stages.
M1L2: CORE ISSUE ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: NATURE VS. NURTURE

Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and

other biological factors.

Nurture, on the other hand, is generally taken as influence of external factors after
conception,
eg, the product of exposure, life experiences and learning of an individual.

Other Issues on Human Development

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

Continuity theorists believe that developmental changes occur smoothly over time.
Human development is a gradual and continuous process with no sudden changes
(Shaffer & Kipp, 2013).
Human development is like riding a chute; it is a smooth process from beginning to end.
Changes are simply a matter of quantity; children display more a certain skill’s as they
grow older.

Meanwhile, discontinuity theorists argue that development occurs through a series of

predetermined steps.
Shaffer and Kipp, (2013) describe the road to maturity as a series of abrupt changes,
each of which elevates to a new and presumably more advanced level of functioning.
Development is a series of sequential stages in which skills emerge at certain points of
development.

Stability vs. Change

Stability believes that a person's personality is stable and continuous The personality
that a child has at birth will remain throughout a child's development (Corpuz, et al,
2015)

According to Freud, much of a child's personality is already completely established at

the age of five. If this is the case, those who have experienced deprived or abusive
childhoods might never adjust or develop normally.

Change theorists, on the other hand, believe that personalities and temperaments can
change as a child develops at certain stages and that later events play an equally
important role in a child’s development.
MODULE 1 LESSON 3: PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENTAL
TASKS

Development stages are assumed to be temporary and are often characterized by a

dominant feature or a leading characteristic, which gives each period its uniqueness
(Human Development, n.d)

Robert Havighurst emphasized that learning is basic and that it continues throughout life
span. The eight (8) developmental stages cited by Santrock are the same with
Havighurst's six (6) developmental stages only that Havighurst did not include prenatal
period. Havighurst combined infancy and early childhood while Santrock mentioned
them as two separate stages. These developmental stages are described more in detail
in the next paragraphs.

Developmental Tasks

The idea of "developmental task" is generally credited to the work of Robert

Havighurst (1972). Havighurst defines developmental task as one that arises at a
certain period in our life, the successful achievement of which leads to happiness and
success with later tasks while failure leads to unhappiness, social disapproval, and
difficulty with later tasks' (Havighurst, 1972 cited by Corpuz, et al, 2015). He believed
that learning is basic to life and that people continue to learn throughout life. According
to him a developmental task is a task which an individual has to and wants to solve in a
particular life-period.

Sources of Developmental Tasks

Developmental tasks arise from three different sources (Havighurst, 1948, 1953). In his
bio psychosocial model, the first important issue is biology, second is psychology, and
the last one is sociology. He identifies three sources of developmental tasks
(Havighurst, 1972):
1. Tasks that arise from physical maturation these include learning to walk talk,
control of bowel and urine, behaving in an acceptable manner to the opposite sex and
adjusting to menopause.

2. Tasks that arise from personal values and aspirations examples include choosing
an occupation and figuring out one's philosophical outlook.
3. Tasks that have their source in the socio-structural and cultural farces- Such
influences are based on, for instance, laws, (example is minimum age for marriage), or
pressures of society; for instance, we are required to learn to read and learn to be a
responsible citizen (Human Development, n.d..)
The Developmental Tasks
Let's describe the developmental tasks as described by Santrock:

1. Prenatal Period (from conception to birth)- it involves tremendous growth-from a

single cell to an organism complete with behavioral capabilities.

2. Infancy (form birth to 18-24 months) -a time of extreme dependence on adults.

Many psychological activities are just beginning language, symbolic thought,
sensorimotor coordination, and social learning.

3. Early Childhood lend of infancy to 5-6 years (Grade 1)- these are the preschool
years. Young children learn to become more self-sufficient and to care for themselves,
develop school readiness skills and spend many hours in play with peers.

4. Middle and Late Childhood (6-11 years of age; the elementary school years)- the
fundamental skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic are mastered. The child is formally
exp0sed to the larger world and its culture. Achievement becomes a more central theme
of the child's world and self-control increases.

5. Adolescence (10-12 years of age ending up to 18-22 years of age)- begins with
rapid physical changes dramatic gains in height and weight, changes in body contour,
and the development of sexual characteristics such as enlargement of the breasts,
development of pubic and facial hair, and deepening of the voice. Pursuit of
independence and identity are prominent. Thought is more logical, abstract and
idealistic. More time is spent outside of the family.

6. Early Adulthood (from late teens or early 20s lasting through the 30s)- it is a
time of establishing personal and economic independence, career development,
selecting a mate, rearing to live with someone in an intimate way, starting a family and
rearing child.

7. Middle Adulthood (40-60- years of age)- it is a time of expanding personal and

social involvement and responsibility, of assisting the next generation in becoming
competent and mature individuals; and of reaching and maintaining satisfaction in a
career.

8. Late Adulthood (60s and above)- it is a time for adjustment to decreasing strength
and health
life review, retirement, and adjustment to new social roles (Santrock, 2002, cited by
Corpuz et al,
2015
Now, let us compare them those listed by Havighurst himself.
Infancy and Middle Adolescence Early Middle Later Maturity
Early Childhood (13-18) Adulthood Adulthood (61 and over)
Childhood (6-12) (19-29) (30-60)
(0-5) 1. Achieving 1. Adjusting to
1. Learning new and more 1. Selecting a 1. Achieving decreasing
1. Learning to physical skills mature mate adult civic and physical
walk necessary for relations with 2. Learning social strength and
2. Learning to ordinary age-mates of to live with a responsibility health
take solid games both sexes marriage 2. Establishing 2. Adjusting to
foods 2. Building 2. Achieving a partner and retirement
3. Learning to wholesome masculine or 3. Starting a maintaining an and reduced
talk attitudes feminine family economic income
4. Learning to toward oneself social role 4 Rearing standard of 3. Adjusting to
control the as a growing 3. Accepting children living death of a
elimination of organism one's 5. Managing 3. Assisting spouse
body wastes 3. Learning to physique a home teenage 4. Establishing
5. Learning get along and using the 6. Getting children to an explicit
sex with age-mates body started in an become affiliation with
differences 4. Learning an effectively Occupation responsible one's age
and sexual appropriate 4. Achieving 7. Taking on and happy group
modesty masculine or emotional civic adults 5. Meeting
6. Forming feminine independence responsibility 4. Developing social and civil
concepts and social role of parents 8. Finding a adult leisure obligations
learning 5. Developing and other congenial time activities 6. Establishing
language to fundamental adults social group 5. Relating satisfactory
describe skills in 5. Preparing oneself to physical living
social and reading, for marriage one's arrangement
physical writing, and family life Spouse as a
reality and calculating 6. Preparing person
7. Getting 6. Developing for an 6. Accepting
ready to read concepts economic and adjusting
necessary for career to the
everyday living 7. Acquiring a physiologic
7. Developing set of values changes or
conscience, middle age
morality, and a and an ethical 7. Adjusting to
scale of system as aging
values a guide to parents
8. Achieving behavior
personal developing an
independence ideology
9. Developing 8. Desiring
attitudes and achieving
toward social socially
groups and responsible
institutions behavior
 ANALYSIS
After placing your personal attributes on the heredity/environmen venn diagram above, answer the following questions

1. The personal attributes that you placed on the left side of the Venn are part of your nature? How would you define nature? On the
right is your nurture. What is nurture?
Nature refers to genetics and all the factors that are inherited. Our genes define our physical and personality qualities, regardless of where
we were born and raised. Nurture refers to the variables of the environment which are things that you get from the world around us after we
are born. For example, early childhood experiences, the things people teach me, the things I observe, and because of the different
situations I am in.
2. Where did most of your attributes fail? On the nature or nurture side, or both? What does this tell you?
Nurture side. This means that my personality or attributes are the result of nurture.My brain grows is strongly affected by my experiences
with other people and the world around me which means the environment or my nurture side has made a significant impact on my
development.
3. Do you believe that one of the two- nature or nurture- has a bigger influence on human development? If yes, which do you think is
the most significant in development?
In development, both nature and nurture play a significant role. However, in humans, nurture has the greatest impact. The adaptability of our
abilities, cognitive abilities, and social interests accounts for a large part of our personality. Only through our interactions with our surroundings can
we gain the flexibility that shapes and forms us. Consider bullied children; it has been stated that these youngsters grow up to be the world's
Introverts - they are fearful of human connection as a result of their experiences with other children when they were younger. According to studies,
our personality is shaped by our cultural development as well as our interactions with others and our environment as children. .

1. The stages above were proposed by Santrock (2002). How do these stages compare to
Havighurt’s developmental stages given below?
a. Infancy and Early Childhood (0-5 years)
b. Middle Childhood ( 6-12 years)
c. Adolescence ( 13-18 years)
d. Early Adulthood (19-29 years)
e. Middle Adulthood ( 30-60 years)
f. Later Maturity ( 61 onwards)
Santrock’s and Havighurst’s development stages mainly differ on the number of stages.
Santrock used eight while Havighurst used six. Havighurst disregarded the pre-natal stage and
combined infancy and early childhood into one stage. Santrock divided human life into eight
periods while Havighurst identified six age-specific human life stages wherein each stage
requires a discrete set of developmental tasks based on physical maturity, personal values, and
pressures of society.
2. The descriptions you made form part of the tasks that are expected of you for each
developmental stage. These are known as developmental tasks. How would you define
developmental tasks?
Developmental tasks, as the name says, are tasks needed to be accomplished to usher in
development. Unlike games where you level-up and instantly learn new skills accompanied with
the leveling up, clearing these developmental tasks will catalyze growth and development that
will lead to better tackling of the developmental task for the next stage.
Growing Up: My Timeline
1. Pre-natal stage – I couldn’t do anything much in this stage. I get my nourishment through the
placenta via the umbilical cord.
2. Infancy – I get my proper nourishment through breast milk. I was slowly introduced to various
kinds of food and drinks. I learned how to walk and talk in this stage
3. Early Childhood – Here, I learned more stuff about life, about things, and about language. I
learned by copying the people surrounding me.
4. Middle and Late Childhood – I started going to school at this stage and pretty much learned
stuff from school. I was able to learn some new tricks and skills. I remember that I was very
interested regarding experiments and learning science knowledge.
5. Adolescence – Underwent puberty at this stage. Liked and disliked it at the same time
because I was always angry and had mood swings. I was excelling academically, particularly
sciences, and I experienced new adventures. I could do things which I couldn’t do when I was
too young. This is where I learned to love the profession of teaching and made up my mind to
pursue education.
6. Early Adulthood – I imagine myself excelling through my university life and excelling through
my chosen degree program. I imagine myself teaching students and seeing in them the same
passion I had when learning about the Sciences. I imagine myself getting my license on time
and immediately embark on getting better credentials through post-graduate school. Hopefully I
get my PhD when I reach my 30s.
7. Middle Adulthood – I imagine myself becoming a full-blown science professor and a
renowned science educator here. I imagine having a family and living in a safer environment,
with enough financial capability to sustain the future of my family.
8. Later Maturity – Retired on a modernized farm or maybe a beach and just enjoying life. My
children would have become successful and having families of their own. My husband and I
would be happily living the rest of our days in peace and safety.