ESSENTIALS OF LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT 6e

John W. Santrock

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Chapter 1

Introduction

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Chapter Outline

• The life-span perspective

• The nature of development

• Theories of development

• Research on life-span development

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The Life-Span Perspective

• The importance of studying life-span development

• Characteristics of the life-span perspective

• Address contemporary concerns in the field

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The Importance of Studying Life-Span Development 1

• Prepares individual to take responsibility for children

• Gives insight about individuals’ lives

• Provides knowledge about what individuals’ lives will be like as they age

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The Importance of Studying Life-Span Development 2

Development

• Pattern of change beginning at conception and continuing throughout the life span

• Involves growth and decline brought on by aging and dying

Life-span perspective

• Involves growth, maintenance, and regulation

• Constructed through biological, sociocultural, and individual factors working together

• Emphasis on developmental change throughout adulthood and childhood

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Life Expectancy 1

The upper boundary of human lifespan is 122 years.

Life expectancy is 79 years.

• Prehistoric era average life expectancy was 18 years.

• People live longer in part due to better sanitation, nutrition and medicine.

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