EDF 3110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Heredity, Behaviorism, Operant Conditioning

• School: University of Florida
• Department: Education - Human Development and Organizational Studies
• Course: EDF 3110
• Professor: Melissa Gonzalez

Document Summary

Definition of developmental science: studying change and constancy through the lifespan. Theory: an orderly integrated set of statements that describes, explains and predicts behavior. Stability vs. plasticity: stability persistence of individual differences, lifelong patterns established by early experiences. Stresses the importance of heredity: plasticity development is open to life long change. Influences: age-graded events are fairly predictable in when they occur and how long they last. Prevalent in childhood and adolescence: history-graded forces unique to the particular period such as wars, periods of economic depression or prosperity and changing cultural values. This explains why some people born at the same time (cohorts) have similarities: non-normative irregular unpredicted events that happen to just one or a few people. Lifespan perspective: development is life long, multidimensional, multidirectional, highly plastic, and influenced by many interacting forces. Personality: id largest portion, unconscious present at birth. The source of biological needs and desires: ego conscious rational part of personality.