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Prenatal Development, Huda Abu-Suwa, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Prenatal Development, Huda Abu-Suwa, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Prenatal refers to the period of time between conception and birth. As such, prenatal development is the process in which a fetus develops in its mother’s womb. This period typically lasts nine months. Prenatal development can be divided into three stages: the germinal stage, the embryonic stage, and the fetal stage (Lally & Valentine-French, 2019).


Midlife Stress, Kimberly Diah, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Midlife Stress, Kimberly Diah, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Midlife stress occurs naturally through the aging process but can be the result of an external psychological stressor due to loss or change such as occupational stress, health concerns, parental bereavement and divorce. Coping with the psychological suffering associated with these stressors brings challenges throughout all stages of life, but when it occurs during midlife it can be complicated by heightened or unique feelings of bewilderment. For men, recognition of their own mortality and sense of purpose in life can drive the experience of midlife stress. For women, this experience may be derived from feelings of emptiness and sadness, physical …


Lifespan Perspective, Leila Eikevik Apr 2025

Lifespan Perspective, Leila Eikevik

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Psychologists who study human development have adopted the lifespan perspective, which maintains that important changes occur during every period of development and that these changes must be interpreted in terms of the culture and context in which they occur (Boyd and Bee, 2009). Prior to this understanding, the subject of development was limited to childhood. This view has shifted because it is evident adults continue to experience major life changes and there has been a significant increase in age expectancy. Therefore, all stages of life are equally important. Lifespan development begins at the time of conception and continues up until …


Marriage, Kim Fitzgibbon Apr 2025

Marriage, Kim Fitzgibbon

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Official legislation on the touted “fundamental right” of marriage dates back to the 1800s in the United States, showing the prominence and important that the concept of marriage has on society. Changes in laws and policy have increased the opportunity for marriage to a larger population and as such, research on the construct, its benefits, challenges and statistics has become an area of significant interest. The legal and financial implications of a marriage contract have also encouraged researchers due to the serious and long-lasting implications such a contract can have. Reasons to marry are endless, are highly individualized and can …


Naïve Theories, Ethan Fleuchaus, Heidi Kloos Apr 2025

Naïve Theories, Ethan Fleuchaus, Heidi Kloos

Essays in Developmental Psychology

While the idea of the mind as a blank slate has long been abandoned, the question of what exactly a “non-blank slate” might look like is still debated. In this entry we discuss the claim that children are equipped with naïve theories—primitive, incomplete, or otherwise ill-formed, but nevertheless systematic, mental representations of cause-effect relations. Other terms that reflect this idea include ‘misconceptions’, ‘naïve beliefs’, ‘prior theories’, ‘alternative conceptions’, or ‘intuitive theories’. Their main characteristic is that they interfere with an open-minded exploration of the surrounding. The unfortunate result of such biased exploration is that children ignore evidence that conflicts with …


Heinz Werner, Ethan Fleuchaus, Katie Cunningham, Heidi Kloos Apr 2025

Heinz Werner, Ethan Fleuchaus, Katie Cunningham, Heidi Kloos

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Heinz Werner (February 11, 1890 – May 14, 1964) was an Austrian psychologist who played an active role in defining the field of developmental psychology at the start of the 20th century. While initially seeking to become a composer and music historian, he changed his mind after listening to a lecture on Immanuel Kant at the University of Vienna. Werner became engrossed in topics of philosophy and psychology (which were combined at the time), and he wrote his dissertation on the psychology of aesthetic experiences. Subsequently he worked at the University of Hamburg, where he published the first edition of …


Patriarchal Violence, Fallon Flowers, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Patriarchal Violence, Fallon Flowers, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Patriarchal violence has been described as a pattern of behavior by men perpetuated against women in order to maintain control over women and their behavior. Ultimately, it is meant to oppress them; resulting in women being relegated to a lower position in society. The need for men to exert control over women via Patriarchal violence has roots in one’s cultural, societal, and moral beliefs. Such beliefs pertain to what is considered appropriate and what is considered inappropriate in a cultural context.  One of the burgeoning examples of this form of violence against women is the “honor killing”, the killing of …


Adolescent Death, Kim Fitzgibbon, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Adolescent Death, Kim Fitzgibbon, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

According to recent statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately 9,500 adolescent deaths per year in the United States, as defined by mortality rates for individuals aged 15-19. CDC statistics also show that the leading causes of death for American adolescents were unintentional accidents and injuries, suicide and homicide. Furthermore, according to David Balk’s Handbook of Adolescent Death and Bereavement, gender and racial differences contribute to disproportionate mortality rates, with African American and Hispanic males finding themselves significantly more likely to be killed by homicide than Caucasian counterparts.


Marriage In Old Age, Nicole M. Fornalski, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Marriage In Old Age, Nicole M. Fornalski, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

As closely interactive cohorts throughout their adult lives, husbands and wives have been seen to become even closer confidants and partners in older age.  These changes may predominate after retirement and the loss of daily work practices and professional systems.  Older couples have frequently shared a considerable quantity of time with one another, and subsequently are able to call forth collective memories and years of intercommunications.  In addition, older adult couples usually report less conflicts, and appear to acquire more meaning out of their spousal relationships.  They also report less psychological distress and rates of illness than older singles.  These …


Role Transitions, Nicole M. Fornalski, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Role Transitions, Nicole M. Fornalski, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

A role can be defined as one’s position in a relationship or social structure, whereas a role identity consists of the behavioral expectations that are included in that role. While some individuals may view their roles through a fixed set of social standards, others rely on their own subjective perceptions and interpretations of these positions through flexible guidelines.  Through the process of a role transition, the literature identifies two types defined as a macro role transition or micro role transition.  A macro role transition consists of a psychological or physical change between consecutively held roles.  Examples can include career transitions, …


Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Fallon Flowers, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Fallon Flowers, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are diseases that can be passed from one person to another via sexual contact. Some STDs can be treated and cured, while others, once contracted, remain for a lifetime. Chlamydia is one of the more common STDs that both women and men are susceptible to. It is the result of exposure to a bacteria called Chlamydia Trachomatis. In women, the infection can occur in the cervix, throat, or rectum, while men who are infected experience the infection inside the penis (urethra), throat, and rectum. With regard to transmission, Chlamydia can be transmitted from one person to …


Formal Operational Period, Katie Cunningham, Heidi Kloos Apr 2025

Formal Operational Period, Katie Cunningham, Heidi Kloos

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Consider the following prompt: “If you hit a glass with a feather, the glass will break. Ann hit a glass with the feather. What will happen to the glass?” To answer correctly, one would have to first learn the rule about how the feather will affect the glass. The second step then is to apply the learned rule in a logical fashion. The mental activity needed to carry out these steps is known as hypothetico-deductive reasoning. It is required for counter-factual thinking, transitive inferences, and hypothesis testing. Jean Piaget postulated that this type of mental activity is characteristic of children …


Attachment Theory: Schaffer And Emerson, Jeffery H. Cornelius-White, Joan E. Test Apr 2025

Attachment Theory: Schaffer And Emerson, Jeffery H. Cornelius-White, Joan E. Test

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Rudolph Schaffer and Peggy Emerson’s work on the development of attachment in childhood is based on the evolutionary perspective of John Bowlby. Schaffer and Emerson (1964) defined attachment as, “The tendency of the young to seek the proximity of other members of the species” (p. 6). In their view, infants and young children seek out and find comfort in being physically close to people with whom they have formed attachments.


Physical Growth, Adolescent, Alison Datoc, Vijay Bajnath, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Physical Growth, Adolescent, Alison Datoc, Vijay Bajnath, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Adolescents experience a period of substantial growth between puberty and adulthood. This growth spurt typically occurs between ages 12 and 18, and is associated with various physical changes due to fluctuations in hormones. These changes are manifested in an individual’s height, weight, and sexual characteristics, and there is considerable variation between each individual for when these changes occur.


Longevity, Alison Datoc, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Longevity, Alison Datoc, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Longevity, defined as the length of an individual life, is a topic that has been explored by the scientific community as well as across cultures for decades. Health professionals repeatedly encourage individuals to eat more vegetables, exercise more, lose weight, and engage in other health-related behaviors to live a long and healthy life; however, recent literature suggests predictors of extending life are more complex than these recommendations. While there is no specific formula to guarantee a long life, it is well-established that a multitude of factors contribute to an individual’s longevity. These factors ultimately break down into three categories- genetics, …


Programmed Cell Death, Skyler Coetzee, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Programmed Cell Death, Skyler Coetzee, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Programmed cell death (PCD) is cellular death that is deliberately induced via an intracellular program. There are two main mechanisms of PCD, apoptosis and autophagic cell death. The most common form of PCD in multicellular organisms, including humans, is apoptosis.


Nursing Homes, Julian Garcia, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Nursing Homes, Julian Garcia, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Nursing homes are a type of residential care that typically provide continual nursing care for elderly people. Residential care refers to long-term care given to either adults or children who stay in a residential setting rather than their own home. Individuals who benefit most from nursing homes are those who do not need to be in a hospital but cannot live independently or be cared for at home. While nursing homes are most typically associated with the elderly, younger adults with different physical or mental disabilities may also benefit from them. The services at nursing homes often vary depending on …


Dependent Care, Michael Galobardi, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Dependent Care, Michael Galobardi, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

The term dependent care is an umbrella for several types of care regarding family members. One can be the caretaker for disabled children, disabled adult children, or elderly parents. It is expected of parents to perform a supportive role to make sure that children get the services they need from the appropriate health care professionals.  Caring for children is only made more difficult when the child, or one of the children has a disability. It is becoming common practice for children with disabilities to be cared for at home in developing countries. Where the complex medical and physical needs of …


Love, Kelsey Grodner, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Love, Kelsey Grodner, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Many have sought to understand the mystifying concept of love including psychologists, philosophers, and theologians. Most research on love focuses on the early bonding between a mother and her infant, and uses this as the exemplar for how any love relationship is formed and maintained throughout the life span. Early in development, the first understanding of love is gathered through the warm connections, nurture and affection experienced through the interaction between the child and parents or caregivers. Many theorists have suggested that the type and success of this early interaction informs how future emotional bonds and relationships are molded throughout …


Binge Drinking, Kayla Theberge, Eric A. Goedereis Apr 2025

Binge Drinking, Kayla Theberge, Eric A. Goedereis

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Binge drinking occurs when a person consumes a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time. Because men and women metabolize alcohol at different rates, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking specifically as having five or more drinks in two hours or less for men and four or more drinks in two hours or less for women. Per these guidelines, one standard drink of alcohol is defined as containing 0.6 ounces of “pure” alcohol. By this definition, each of the following is considered one standard drink: 1.5 ounces of 80-proof hard liquor, 5 …


Adolescent Sexuality, Casey T. Tobin Apr 2025

Adolescent Sexuality, Casey T. Tobin

Essays in Developmental Psychology

During adolescence, significant physical changes of a person’s life occur as they transition from childhood bodies into fertile, adult bodies via the process of puberty, the beginning of adolescence. Puberty leads to both reproductive and sexual maturation occurring over the course of several years. The ages of the stages of puberty vary between the sexes and from person to person depending on genetics, body mass index, environmental influences and hormone levels.


Sexual Harassment In Middle And High Schools, Casey T. Tobin Apr 2025

Sexual Harassment In Middle And High Schools, Casey T. Tobin

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Sexual harassment includes any sort of unwanted 1) physical contact such as hugging, touching clothing, flashing sexual body parts, stroking hair or body parts, and sexual assault; 2) verbal or written communications including suggestive comments, inappropriate jokes, requests for sexual favors, comments about someone’s body, rumor spreading, or threats of sexual contact; and 3) non-verbal actions such as staring, sharing naked photographs, or making suggestive gestures or expressions. Sexual harassment also includes nonsexual aggressions directed at a student because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. For example, if a teacher makes a comment about females being less intelligent than …


Infancy And Childhood Sexuality, Casey T. Tobin Apr 2025

Infancy And Childhood Sexuality, Casey T. Tobin

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Sex differentiation occurs while a baby is still in the womb. Before week six of the pregnancy, all fetuses have the same basic structures resembling those of a female. Between 6 and 8 weeks, gonadal differentiation occurs, starting with the SRY gene, which is located on the Y chromosome of a male, therefore is absent in females. The SRY gene stimulates the fetus to begin transitioning from its current female-like anatomy to that of a male. Because the SRY gene is absent in the XX chromosomes of a female, no signal occurs and the anatomy remains female.  By week 20 …


Developmental Disabilities, Christopher N. Tirado, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Developmental Disabilities, Christopher N. Tirado, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “developmental disabilities are a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas.” The CDC estimates that approximately one in six children aged 3 through 17 in the United States have one or more developmental disabilities, as well as, other developmental delays (Boyle, et al., 2011). The term developmental disability is associated with the conditions of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, vision impairment, and other associated developmental delays.


Psychological Development In Adulthood: Cognitions, Emotions, And Personality, Grace Sumabat Estrada, Margarita Azmitia Apr 2025

Psychological Development In Adulthood: Cognitions, Emotions, And Personality, Grace Sumabat Estrada, Margarita Azmitia

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Since the beginning of time, people have searched for the secrets of living long, meaningful, and prosperous lives. Sometimes, this search involves looking younger; in the 16th century, Juan Ponce de León, for example, went to Florida to search for the fountain of youth.  Other times, the quest is for healthy longevity—living to very old age without significant disease. Aubrey de Grey, a biomedical scientist who specializes in aging and divides his time between Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and a non-profit organization for fighting aging in Mountain View, California, has proposed that research shows that aging is a …


Senior Adult Sexuality, Casey T. Tobin Apr 2025

Senior Adult Sexuality, Casey T. Tobin

Essays in Developmental Psychology

As the body ages, some physical changes may hinder a person’s ability to engage in sexual activity. Menopause can occur between the ages of 40 and 65 and a woman’s estrogen levels will decline because she is no longer experiencing menstruation. Her internal sexual organs may decrease in size or even be removed via hysterectomy. The woman’s vagina generally becomes shorter and narrower, and the vaginal walls thin and stiffen. Often less vaginal lubrication is produced making vaginal sex more difficult and possibly painful. There are no noticeable changes that occur to the clitoris, but decreased blood circulation due to …


Forms Of Parenting, Jason Jimenez, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Forms Of Parenting, Jason Jimenez, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Parenting styles represent the different strategies that parents use when raising their children. Clinical and developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind believed there were two basic dimensions to parenting: warmth and control. Baumrind identified three parenting styles: Authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive styles based on these two dimensions. Her work was later expanded by Maccoby and Martin to include neglectful parenting.


Midlife Physical Changes, Kirsten Horne, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden Apr 2025

Midlife Physical Changes, Kirsten Horne, Lisa K. Lashley, Charles J. Golden

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Aging occurs at different rates in individuals. These rates are influenced by factors including genetics, lifestyle, and health. Midlife is considered to be the central period of one’s life, consisting of individuals who are approximately 45 to 65 years of age, although some researchers suggest midlife consists of individuals who are 40 to 65 years of age. There are a variety of changes that occur throughout life. However, a majority of the changes that occur during midlife are considered to be normative physical changes. The physical changes in midlife include but are not limited to changes in appearance, senses, muscles, …


Sexuality: Issues In Adulthood, Taylor D. Michl, Amanda Kracen Apr 2025

Sexuality: Issues In Adulthood, Taylor D. Michl, Amanda Kracen

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Human sexuality in Western cultures is generally comprised of emotional intimacy, sexual identity, and sexual behavior. Sex is understood and experienced differently by people as aspects of identity (e.g., culture, race, class, gender, ability, size, religion, sexual identity) affect sexuality. Although engaging in sex is not necessary for a fulfilling life, the majority of adults in the U.S. participate in sexual activity, and regular sexual activity correlates with improved mental health (Brody, 2010).


Bio-Physiological Development During Adulthood, Maria Boix Braga, Charles J. Golden, Lisa K. Lashley Apr 2025

Bio-Physiological Development During Adulthood, Maria Boix Braga, Charles J. Golden, Lisa K. Lashley

Essays in Developmental Psychology

Defining adulthood, and what the criteria truly is to be able to consider oneself an adult, varies from culture to culture. Biologically, adulthood can also be defined as the period in which full physical and intellectual maturity has been attained. It is a period that is defined slightly differently depending on the source, but it is agreed that it tends to be considered the life period between ages 18 and 60. However, the definition of adulthood can have varying legal and sociocultural factors as well. For example, the legal definition of an adult is a person who has reached the …