18 Part 1 Foundations of Human Development
Critical Thinking
1. Determine. At which age are you at
your prime in life? Why?
2. Analyze. Do reality television shows
harm participants?
3. Predict. How do you predict that you
will grow and change between now
and when you are age 30?
4. Identify. If you could choose any age to
be today, what age would you choose?
Why?
5. Draw conclusions. Observe a teacher
who uses the andragogy teaching
method. Why do you think this method
was chosen?
6. Evaluate. Do you think that people of
different ages can be close friends? If
not, why not?
7. Assess. Which aspect of development is
most important to overall growth and
development?
8. Compare and contrast. Choose one
year from your life as a child and
another from your teen years. How are
you the same? How are you different?
9. Make inferences. Make a photo picture
collage of a celebrity or someone
you know from infancy to present
age. What factors may have affected
the visible growth and development
changes? What invisible changes do
you assume?
10. Cause and effect. How might eating
the same unhealthy meal for lunch and
dinner for the next fi ve years affect
your development?
Summary
The study of human development
encompasses all the aspects of human
growth from birth through old age. These
include the progressive changes seen in
physical growth, intellectual or cognitive
abilities, and socio-emotional development.
Development occurs in an orderly and
gradual manner. Every person’s rate and
timing of development is unique. No two
people develop exactly the same, although
similarities can be seen throughout stages
of life.
A lot is known about human
development, but there is still much
more to learn. Today, debates continue
about several prominent issues. How
much of development can be attributed
to genetics? How much can be attributed
to environment? This is the nature versus
nurture debate. Whether development
occurs slowly over the lifespan or is a
result of abrupt changes is also debated.
Lastly, whether development is directed by
the person or a caregiver continues to be
pondered. In all three of these issues, the
answer is both. What is not yet answered is
how much?
Vocabulary Activity
Write each of the terms on a separate
sheet of paper. For each term, quickly write
a word you think relates to the term. In
small groups, exchange papers. Have each
person in the group explain a term on the
list. Take turns until all terms have been
explained.