PSİKOLOJİ

Human development starts with a dramatic increase during the first two years of life, and it continues through other stages like childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

Multidimensional component: Human development is multidimensional; that is, it includes many different aspects which can influence one another. Thinking patterns, emotional states, perception on relationships, etc., might change with age, and any change in one area might affect another change in another area. F

Developmental scientists have been trying to enucleate how much plasticity human beings have in different aspects of development in different stages of life.

Cognitive Processes: Cognitive processes arise from the mental state of an individual, such as thought, memory, attention, language acquisition, etc., Whatever an individual does during mental processing can affect the change in cognitive processes, and, in turn, human development. For example; memorizing names, solving Sudoku puzzle or any other cognitive task, using cognitive map on the roads as a taxi driver influence the change in cognitive processes.

Middle adulthood is the period from 40s to 60s and is about maintaining and improving what is gained from early years.

Adolescence is the period from 10-12 years to 18-21 years of age and starts with the signs of puberty. In this period dramatic changes in hormones and physiology take place. These changes include voice, growth of facial and pubic hair and breasts. Psychological development also consists of visible changes such as, becoming more independent from parents and spending lots of time with friends. This period is valid also for identity development.

Nature vs Nurture: This topic of debate might be the oldest issue of developmental psychology. It is concerned with whether human development is affected by nature (genetic makeup) or nurture (environment), and with the extent to which aspects of development are affected by nature and by nurture. According to the nature part of the debate, humans’ genetic background determines a kind of biological program for each human being. This is unique to a person and influence a person’s individual tendency and growth potential for a certain aspect of development15. In contrast with the nature part, the nurture part of the debate emphasizes the importance of environmental experiences and influences on human development. From this perspective, human beings are born with a tabula rasa (a blank state) and gain developmental aspects through exposure to the environment across the years.

Psychosocial Theory was developed by Erik Erikson (1902-1994). Erikson proposed that human development follows a process based on psychosocial stages rather than psychosexual stages. Contrary to Freud’s theory, Erikson suggested that the basic motivation of humans is being social and associating with other human beings, beyond sexual instincts. Freud considers early life experiences as the main determinants.

Puberty is a process that starts in early adolescence. It results from the changes in the brain-neuroendocrine system and it triggers rapid physical changes.

In terms of cognitive changes, one of the most popular topics that has been studied in middle adulthood is memory. While some researchers propose that memory capacity declines during this term, other researchers emphasize that there is no or minimal decline in memory capacity and performance. The basic conclusion of this topic is that more scientific research needs to be conducted in order to have an inference. In terms of other cognitive tasks, expertise has an influence on success. Expertise occurs usually in middle adulthood rather than early adulthood since being an expert on something needs lots of time, lots of practice and experience, and effort.

Here are the components of human development from lifespan perspective:

The correct answer is E.

Plasticity is described as the ability to change, to be shaped, and to be developed. The correct answer is B.

The longest period of human life is late adulthood. It begins in 60s and goes until death.

The correct answer is D.

Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson developed psychoanalytic theories while Cognitive Developmental theory was developed by Jean Piaget. The correct answer is C.

According to Piaget’s theory, children follow these developmental stages:

The correct answer is A.

According to Psychosexual Theory, developed by Sigmund Freud, the main challenge of phallic stage is sexual identity.The correct answer is D.

Assimilation takes place when a child encounters with new information and uses his/her already existence schemes to handle this incoming information. The correct answer is A.

Personal fable is the feeling of uniqueness and invulnerability. The correct answer is C.

Amygdala is responsible for emotions and emotional reactions. The correct answer is E.

Prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision making, logic and reasoning. The correct answer is A.