1/23/2012

1/23/2012THE JOURNEY OF ADULTHOODBarbara R. BjorklundChapter 1INTRODUCTION TODEVELOPMENTWho is an adult?In this course, adults arepeopleFromEmergingadulthoodToEnd of life1

1/23/2012Basic Concepts in the Study of AdultDevelopment Stability and change Continuous and discontinuous change Inner and outer changeWhat influences of adult developmentresult in change? Normative age-graded influencesNormative history-graded influencesNon-normative life eventsLet’s take a closer look at each of these!Normative age-graded influencesinclude: Biology Shared experience Internal change processes2

1/23/2012Biological Influences andDevelopment Some are universal (e.g., loss of muscle tone). Sequence of physical changes is highlysimilar. Rate of physical changes varies greatly fromone individual to another. Direct and indirect effects of biologicalchange occur.The Time of Our Lives: SharedExperiences Social clock produces shared changes bydictating timing and sequence of normal adultexperiences. Age stratification is prominently seen inpatterns of experience associated withmarriage and family life.Internal Change Processes At deeper level, shared inner changes mayresult from responses to biological and socialclocks.Can you think of any examples?3

1/23/2012True or false?Shared developmental changes based onthe social clock are much less likely tobe universal than those based on thebiological clock.Normative History-Graded Influences Culture CohortsA Bit About Cultures Social environment in which change takesplace. Vary enormously in expected life patterns. Significant variations in adult life experiencesfrom one generation to the next within a givenculture.4

1/23/2012What is a Cohort?Group of persons born within some narrowband of years.– Possess similarity in attitudes, values, skills, orlife experiences of individuals within the samegeneration and differences in these dimensionsacross generations.– Help differentiate between apparent age-relatedchange and real developmental change.– Influence developmental research (cohort effect)If a visitor from another country cameto class, how would you explainYOUR cohort?Can you fill in the blanks?A. refers to a group of people whoshare a common historical experience at thesame stage of life.B. refers to the large socialenvironments in which development takesplace.C. refers to a group of people who sharea common historical experience for around20 years.5

1/23/2012What do YOU remember? Check out Table 1.1 to see which decade ofevents is the most salient to you. Think about the ways in which people whoare younger or older might respond.Why might responses be the same as ordifferent from yours?In addition to change, adultdevelopment is characterized byperiods of stability: Different types of stabilityBiology at birthSurrounding environmentClassic nature-nurture dichotomyBiological FactorsFACT: Heredity is a source of stability.QUESTION: Can you think of ways a personremains the same from infancy to old age?FACT: Evidence about biological factors isgleaned primarily from twin studies.QUESTION: What have we learned from theSwedish Twin Study (international databaseon twins)?6

1/23/2012Are you a sage about “Age”?Fill in the blanks and see.A. age number of years since birth.B. age physical condition.C. age ability to deal with theenvironment.D. age timing of taking on adult roles.E. age how well a person isfunctioning.What do you think? Is it possible for people in their 70s to makedevelopmental gains? Do people in their 20s experiencedevelopmental loss?Theory before research Broad approaches presented in text Life-span developmental psychologyapproach Bioecological model of development7

1/23/2012Life-span Developmental PsychologyApproach Development is lifelong, multidimensional,plastic, contextual, and multiple causalBioecological Model of Development People develop within context of multiple,interacting environments that change overtime. Development must be studied in context.Can you find each system on thefollowing slide? Bronfenbrenner’s theory and temMesosystemChronosystem8

1/23/2012Bronfenbrenner’s ModelAll research begins with questions.Can you think of a question that:- Deals with basic research methods?- Addresses research measures?- Focuses on research analyses?- Points to overall conclusions?Choosing the appropriate researchdesign is essential to the scientificstudy of development: Cross-sectional Designs Longitudinal Designs Sequential Designs9

1/23/2012Cross-Sectional Designs: Include different groups of subjects atdifferent ages. Inform about potential age differences. Do not provide direct information regardingage-related changes. Are limited by cohort effects.Cross-sectional DataCross-sectional Designs: Advantagesand DisadvantagesAdvantages:- Relatively quick- Highlight possible age differencesDisadvantages:- Age and cohort are confounded.- Cannot draw conclusions about individualconsistency and change over time.10

1/23/2012Longitudinal Designs: Solve many problems of cross-sectionalstudies. Follow the same subjects over time.Model of Longitudinal StudyGalambos’ Longitudinal Study11

1/23/2012Longitudinal Designs: AdvantagesAdvantages:- Age and cohort not confounded.- Changes seen can be inferred to be realchanges.- Non-change reflects real stability.- Enable researcher to look at change or stabilitywithin individual.Longitudinal Designs: DisadvantagesDisadvantages:- Selective attrition can weaken findings.- Weakened by time-of-measurement effects.- Often have smaller samples.Sequential Designs: Family of research designs involving eithermultiple cross-sectional comparisons ormultiple longitudinal comparisons, or both. Used to mitigate cohort and time-ofmeasurement effects.– Time-Lag Design– Time-Sequential Design– Panel Studies12

1/23/2012Model of Sequential StudySequential Designs: Advantages andDisadvantagesAdvantages:- Can analyze age changes and theirvariations.- Separate the impact of unique cohortexperiences from that of more enduringdevelopmental patterns.Disadvantages:- Complex, expensive and time-consuming.Knowledge of strategies for collecting andanalyzing data is important to understandresearch on adult development: Subject SelectionData CollectionData AnalysisStudy Type13

1/23/2012Subject Selection Goal is sample that enables depth andgeneralizability of findings. Small samples increase depth of study butlimit generalizability. Larger samples (if representative) canincrease generalizability, but often limit depthdue to practical considerations (time, expense,etc.).Data Collection ObservationInterviewsQuestionnairesStandardized TestsData Analysis The two most common ways of looking atresults of studies of adult change andstability:– comparison of mean scores– correlational analysis14

1/23/2012Comparison of Means Means (averages) analyzed to look fordifferences or continuities. Comparison of means can highlight possibleage changes, but cannot determine stability orchange within individuals.Correlational Analysis Correlation indicates extent to which two setsof scores covary. Correlations (r) can range from 1.00 to –1.00. Positive correlation shows high scores on thetwo dimensions occur together. Negative correlations indicate high scores onone dimension go with low scores on theother.Study Type Correlational Studies Experimental Studies Quasi-Experimental Studies15

1/23/2012Study TypeCorrelational Studies: Shows relationship; does not prove causality.Experimental Studies: Tests if independent variable caused changein dependent variable.Study TypeQuasi-Experimental Studies: Conducted as if true experiments, but norandom assignment of groups. Can provide valuable information, but cannotprove factor of interest causes change independent variable.Other DesignsDescriptive research– Informs current state of participants on measureof interest– Lacks high level of experimenter control16

1/23/2012Other DesignsQualitative research– Research without numbers– Case studies, interviews, participant observations,direct observations, and exploration ofdocuments, artifacts, and archival records– Requires time, precision, objectivityChapter Review1. Developmental psychology includes thestudy of and over time duringchildhood, adolescence, and adulthood.2. The study of adult development covers thetime from emerging adulthood to the end oflife and is based on research.Chapter Review3. Sources of change in adulthood are classifiedinto three types: normative age-gradedinfluences are linked to and happens tomost people as they grow older.4. influences are factors that only affectsome people or groups.17

1/23/2012Chapter Review5. are unique to the individual and causedevelopmental changes not shared by many.6. Sources of stability include andinfluences and the interaction between thetwo.Chapter Review7. Developmental psychologists rarely dependon age alone. Most use age groups orstages in life.8. The text uses the tenets of and the.Chapter Review9. studies gather data on a group of peoplerepresenting different age groups.10. studies follow the same people over along period of time, gathering data at severalpoints along the way.18

1/23/2012Chapter Review11. studies combine the precedingmethods by combining two longitudinalstudies during different time periods.12. Some of the most common methods indevelopmental research include personalinterviews, survey questionnaires, andtests.Chapter Review13. involves computing the means of themeasurement scores for each group and thenstatistically testing for significant differences.14. compares scores for severalmeasurements to see if there is a relationship.Chapter Review15. combines data from previouslypublished studies on the same researchquestion.16. designs include true experiments, preexperiments, and quasi-experiments.19

1/23/2012Chapter Review17. follows an inductive research processand involves the collection and analysis ofnon-numerical data to search for patterns,themes, and other features.20

What influences of adult development result in change? Normative age-graded influences Normative history-graded influences Non-normative life events Let’s take a closer look at each of these! Normative age-graded influences include: