This video gives a nice overview of the series (through the lens of a film analysis about what makes it so successful and engaging). In this section, we’ll learn about development through the lifespan perspective, which emphasizes the multidimensional, interconnected, and ever-changing influences on development.

Much more appropriate for a 100 level introductory course, or even a high school course, than for a 300 level university course. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s theory stressing the importance of studying a child in the context of multiple environments, or ecological systems.He believed, based on Locke’s environmentalist position, that human behavior can be understood in terms of experiences and learning. So much of what developmental theorists have described in the past has been culturally bound and difficult to apply to various cultural contexts. For instance, why do biological children sometimes act like their parents—is it because of genetics or because of early childhood environment and what the child has learned from their parents? There are many theorists that have made, and continue to make, a profound contribution to this area of psychology, amongst whom is Erik Erikson who developed a model of eight stages of psychological development. Of course, there is a certain discomfort in thinking about death, but there is also a certain confidence and acceptance that can come from studying death and dying.

How much is due to genetics and how much is due to environmental influences and experiences (both within our personal control and beyond)? It describes cognitive development through four distinct stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete, and formal. So while both an 8-month-old and an 8-year-old are considered children, they have very different motor abilities, cognitive skills, and social relationships.Contrast this with some developing countries where menstruation is not publicly addressed, or where girls on their period are forced to miss school due to limited access to feminine products or unjust attitudes about menstruation. There are also emotional and social changes involving regulating emotions, interacting with peers, and possibly dating. Dating, romance, cohabitation, marriage, having children, and finding work or a career are all parts of the transition into adulthood.

Interactions with primary caregivers (and others) undergo changes influenced by possible separation anxiety and the development of attachment styles. Psychosocial development continues across adulthood with similar (and some different) developmental issues of family, friends, parenting, romance, divorce, remarriage, blended families, caregiving for elders, becoming grandparents and great grandparents, retirement, new careers, coping with losses, and death and dying.A theory is a simplified explanation of the world that attempts to explain how variables interact with each other. Brofenbrenner’s ecological theory emphasizes the influence of microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, and the macrosystems on an individual. A theory is a well-developed set of ideas that propose an explanation for observed phenomena that can be used to make predictions about future observations. Some theories are difficult to test but are still useful in stimulating debate or providing concepts that have practical application.