PSYC 211

Human development in a socio-cultural

context
Study Unit 1:
Basic Concepts of Development &
Theoretical perspectives
• OUTCOMES:
• Explain the different domains of human development
• Differentiate between stages of the life span
• Discuss 4 developmental issues
• Name and discuss theoretical perspectives on development
Goals of child psychology
• To describe the changes that occur from conception to 18 years old
• To explain what causes these developmental changes
• To predict behaviour
• To improve well-being

Why do we divide development into stages?

It provides a good indication of:
When children are ready for school
When they should be allowed to make important decisions
Whether a child's development is below or above the norm
Stages of development
• Prenatal stage (foetal periods)
• Neonatal stage (2-4 weeks)
• Infancy ( 0-2 years)
• Early childhood (2-6 years)
• Middle childhood (6-12 years)
• Adolescence (puberty-adulthood)

• According to the Constitution of South Africa, the legal definition of a

child is a person under the age of 18 years.
Domains of human development

1. Physical Development
2. Cognitive Development
3. Personality Development
4. Social Development
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Physical development
• Changes in the child's body (weight/height)
• Development of the brain
• Effect of factors such as heredity, hormones & nutrition
• Motor Development
• Motor = Movement
• Child's gradual development concerning body movements
• Sitting, crawling, walking, grasping etc.
PHYSICAL
Cognitive DEVELOPMENT
development
Cognition:
• How we acquire info about the world by means of our senses
• How we process and interpret such info
• How we store, retrieve and use knowledge to direct our behaviour

Cognitive Development:
• How children come to know and understand their world
• Includes perception, learning, memory, thinking, decision-making, imagination, creativity,
language, intelligence
• Intelligence ≠ Cognition
• Intelligence is a subdivision of cognition
• Intelligence: the ability to solve problems and to adjust effectively to the environment
• IQ: persons score in an intelligence test
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Personality development
• Specific paradigm
• Paradigm: specific theoretical orientation of a person
• Totality of a person's psychological , social, moral and physical
characteristics.
• Unique to a specific individual
• The Self: core of person's personality / most important
characteristics
• Self-concept: person's evaluation of themselves
• Identity: the way a person identifies themselves in relation to others
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Social development
• Development of the individuals interaction and relationships with other
people.
• Influence of society and significant others
• Includes: attachment, expansion of interpersonal relationships, modeling of
behaviour, relationships between the sexes
• Social development ≠ Socialisation
• Socialisation: aspect of social development where the individual acquires
socially acceptable behaviour through social interaction with others
• Moral Development: individuals views concerning what is right and wrong.
• Religion & Spirituality are learned in social contexts
Issues in child development:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Nature vs. Nurture
• Nature: biological determinants, genetic, neurological, hormonal
• Nurture: environmental factors, social and physical environment
• The Big Debate:
• Political & Religious reasons (eg: homosexuality)
• Behaviours that support both views (eg: motor development)
• Cause of behaviour which is difficult to prove (eg: trauma & depression)
• Cause-effect issue: if two factors co-exist, it is not easy to determine which factor
caused which (eg: drugs & intelligence)
• NB: How each of these factors contribute to specific behaviours, situations and
individuals
• Interaction between heredity and environment
• Most cases: heredity sets the limits and the environment determines to what extent a
specific characteristic will develop between these limits.
• Ted Bundy? Jim fallon? Brain of a serial killer?
Issues in child development:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Continuity vs. discontinuity
• Continuous: gradual (tree)
• Discontinuous: abrupt / stages (caterpillar  butterfly)
• Both are correct depending on type of behaviour.
• Continuous: gradual way in which children learn to talk and the way they devlop
cognitively
• Discontinuous: sudden hormonal changes that lead to sexual maturation
• Not easy to predict human behaviour
• Past and present behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour-but this does not
imply that it is fully reliable.
Issues in child development:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Passive vs. active involvement
• Are children at the mercy of the environment or do children play an active role in their
development?
• John Locke? Blank slate?
• The unique way in which children cognitively and emotionally interpret and process
their experiences have a significant influence on their development.
• To what degree are children able to shape their own development?
• Which factors are responsible for a child's unique interpretation of the world>
Issues in child development:
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Universality vs. cultural context
• Are developmental pathways the same or are there clear differences culturally?
• Universality: existing worldwide
• Western cultures: individualistic
• African cultures: collectivistic
• Culture: beliefs , norms, customs, and general way of life of a specific group of people ,
which are passed on from generation to generation
• Context: refers to a setting or specific environment in which development occurs
• culture influences development by ensuring children acquire the appropriate cognitive,
communicative, motivational and socio-emotional attributes that will make them
competent adults
• Human development is a cultural process
• Parental practices in the socialisation of children are an important cultural influence
Theoretical Perspectives
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT on Human
Development
• What is a child- developmental theory?
• Provide the WHY of development
• Organised set of ideas that is designed to explain and make predictions about
development
• What is the function of a theory?
• Summarises and explains known facts
• Predict future behaviour
• Theories of development:
1. Biological perspective
2. Psychodynamic perspective
3. Learning theory perspective
4. Cognitive – developmental perspective
5. Contextual perspective
Questions