Lifespan Development. Tara L. Kuther

       Marita Andreassen, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences

       Linda Aulgur, Westminster College

       Stephen Baker, Saint Francis University

       Jamie Borchardt, Tarleton State University

       Ashley Cosentino, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

       Barry Davis, Augustana University

       Christine Weinkauff Duranso, California State University–San Bernardino

       Robert Gall, Grace University

       Theresa Garfield, Texas A&M University–San Antonio

       Jerry Green, Tarrant County College

       Erin Harmeyer, Louisiana State University

       Crystal Harris, Governors State University

       Janice Hartgrove-Freile, Lone Star College

       Jerry Haywood, Fort Valley State University

       Jeff Kellogg, Marian University Indianapolis

       Cynthia Jacox, Alamo College

       Benjamin Jeppsen, University of Nevada, Reno

       Lakitta Johnson, Jackson State University

       Staci Simmelink Johnson, Walla Walla Community College

       Cristina Jose-Kampfner, Eastern Michigan University

       Nancy Lamphere, Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute

       Robyn Long, Baker University

       Robert Martinez, Alamo College

       Robert Martinez, University of the Incarnate Word

       Geraldine Lotze, Virginia Commonwealth University

       Maribeth Palmer-King, SUNY Broome

       Melanie Palomares, University of South Carolina

       Kathy Phillippi-Immel, University of Wisconsin Colleges

       Gary Popoli, Stevenson University

       Martha Ravola, Alcorn University

       Mary Schindler, Sonoma State University

       Brittney Schrick, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

       Patrick Smith, Virginia Community College

       Brooke Spangler-Cropenbaker, Miami University

       Tara Stoppa, Eastern University

       Marcia Tipton, Milwaukee Area Technical College

       Debra Tower, University of Oklahoma

       Bridget Walsh, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service

       Shauna Nefos Webb, Milligan College

      About the Author

      Tara L. Kutheris professor of psychology at Western Connecticut State University, where she has taught courses in child, adolescent, and adult development since 1996. She earned her BA in psychology from Western Connecticut State University and her MA and PhD in developmental psychology from Fordham University. Dr. Kuther is a fellow of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (American Psychological Association, Division 2), has served in various capacities in the Society for the Teaching of Psychology and the Society for Research on Adolescence, and is the former chair of the Teaching Committee for the Society for Research in Child Development. Her research interests include social cognition and risky activity in adolescence and adulthood. In addition to the award-winning Lifespan Development: Lives in Context, Dr. Kuther has authored over a dozen books in developmental psychology and student development. She is interested in promoting undergraduate and graduate students’ professional development and helping them navigate the challenges of pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology.

      Part I Foundations of Lifespan Human Development

       Chapter 1: Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories

       Chapter 2: Biological and Environmental Foundations

       Chapter 3: The Prenatal Period, Birth, and the Newborn

      Development is a lifelong process. We experience many dynamic changes in biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes that interact over time. For example, brain development, a biological change, permits more sophisticated thinking, or cognitive development, which influences socioemotional development, including how children understand emotions and how they interact with other people.

      All throughout life, we are embedded in multiple contexts that influence, and are influenced by, us. The specific contexts and the relative importance of each shift over time. In infancy, the family context is most pertinent because an infant spends all of its time with its caregivers. As the child develops and enters school, peer and school contexts become increasingly important. In adolescence and adulthood, the work context emerges.

      All of the contexts in which we are embedded interact, influencing each other. Interactions at home with parents and siblings influence interactions at school and in the peer group. We are also embedded in a larger neighborhood context, with a more distal influence on us, through factors such as the availability of parks and playgrounds, after-school programs, and feelings of safety. We and our ever-changing contexts are also embedded in a culture that influences our values, attitudes, and beliefs throughout our lives.

      Images: ©iStock.com

      1 Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories

      Tara L. Kuther

      Oleksiy Maksymenko Photography / Alamy Stock Photo

      Think back over your lifetime. How have you grown and changed through the years? Do your parents describe you as a happy baby? Were you fussy? Do you remember your first day of kindergarten? What are some of your most vivid childhood memories? Did you begin puberty early, late, or at about the same time as others your age? Were your adolescent years a stressful time? What types of changes do you expect to undergo in your adult years? Where will you live? Will you have a spouse? Will you have children? What career will you choose? How might these life choices and circumstances influence how you age and your perspective in older adulthood? Will your personality remain the same or change over time? In short, how will you change over the course of your lifespan?

      Learning Objectives

       1.1 Outline five principles of the lifespan developmental perspective.

       1.2 Explain three theoretical controversies about human development.

       1.3 Summarize five theoretical perspectives on human development.

       1.4 Describe the methods and research designs used to study human development.