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Lifespan Development

Decent Essays

Life is a series of continuous ebbs and flows. Life span development goes through the cycles and stages of infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early or emerging adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood; it is the definitive culmination to the end of life (Berger, 2008). Lifespan development focuses on human development. Although there are develop mentalists who study the course of development in nonhuman species, the vast majority examines growth and change in people. Some seek to understand universal principles of development, whereas others focus on how cultural, racial, and ethnic differences affect the course of development. Still others aim to understand the unique aspects of individuals, looking at the traits …show more content…

If an infant is surrounded by neglect, he or she may experience lasting damage as a result of the lack of affection and care. Infants need an adequate amount of care, affection, attention and intellectual stimulation to develop properly. The caregiver’s level of involvement in a child’s life not only influences the child’s psychological development but can also affect the child’s biological development (Belsky, 2008). If an infant is not properly stimulated for an extended period, he or she may experience difficulty developing sensations, motor skills, and perceptions, at a proper level. Just as an adult cannot learn something new without being taught, the same important principle also applies to infancy and early childhood development. Early childhood ranges from the age of two years old to six years old. Intellectual and social stimulation affect a child’s cognitive development. Early childhood education is typically the first time in a child’s life, in which they are exposed to a learning atmosphere that is both socially and intellectually stimulating. During this time period children develop a lot, and they become increasingly aware of the mind frame of the people around them. As early as two years old, children " spontaneously use words that refer to people's desires and …show more content…

That age, however, is notable only because it marks the end of the teenage period. In fact, for many people, such as those enrolled in higher education, the age change from 19 to 20 has little special significance, coming as it does in the middle of the college years. For them, more substantial changes may occur when they leave college and enter the workforce, which is more likely to happen around age 22. Furthermore, in some non-Western cultures, adulthood may be considered to start much earlier, when children whose educational opportunities are limited begin full-time work. In short, there are substantial individual differences in the timing of events in people’s lives. In part, this is a biological fact of life: People mature at different rates and reach developmental milestones at different points. However, environmental factors also play a significant role in determining the age at which a particular event is likely to occur. For example, the typical age of marriage varies substantially from one culture to another, depending in part on the functions that marriage plays in a given

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