Lifespan development explores how we change and grow from conception to death. Quantitative change is an alteration in the amount, frequency, magnitude, or amplitude of a developmental variable or process. Others, such as the behaviorists, Vygotsky, and information processing theorists, assume development is a more slow and gradual process known as continuous development. There are no intermediate steps by which the persons weight gradually moved from one level (amount) to the next. Let's go back to that mountain that you want to climb. But on the other hand, the lines are blurred between the stages, and it would appear the child is gradually progressing rather than suddenly displaying the characteristics of the concrete operational stage. As the experimenters question the children about what occurred, the subjects answers help psychologists understand at what age a child begins to comprehend that the volume of liquid remained the same although the shapes of the containers differs. Consider, for example, a childs physical growth: adding inches to Biological milestones, such as puberty, tend to be universal, but social milestones, such as the age when children begin formal schooling, are not necessarily universal; instead, they affect most individuals in a particular culture (Gesell & Ilg, 1946). The child is making their way through the distinct stages at approximately the ages suggested, supporting discontinuous development theories. - Types, Classification & Examples, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, Describe two major theories of development: continuity and discontinuity theories, Explain how each theory contributes to the nature versus nurture debate. Think of continuous development to mean consistency. As she learned to use language, psychologists were able to compare how her language acquisition abilities differed when occurring in her late-stage development compared to the typical acquisition of those skills during the ages of infancy through early childhood (Fromkin, Krashen, Curtiss, Rigler, & Rigler, 1974; Curtiss, 1981). This approach asks, What is normal development? In the early decades of the 20th century, normative psychologists studied large numbers of children at various ages to determine norms (i.e., average ages) of when most children reach specific developmental milestones in each of the three domains (Gesell, 1933, 1939, 1940; Gesell & Ilg, 1946; Hall, 1904). With puberty, however, a new drive emerges (or, at least, emerges in a mature form)the sex drive. The characteristics of emergence and gappiness are needed to describe qualitatively discontinuous changes in development; on the other hand, the characteristic of gappiness (abruptness) alone seems to suffice for characterizing quantitatively discontinuous changes. He has given us the conceptual means with which to discriminate between quantitative continuity-discontinuity and qualitative continuity-discontinuity in developmental change. Over 10 million students from across the world are already learning smarter. Is Development Continuous or Discontinuous? Scaffold: the assistance and support a child receives that enables them to progress to higher levels of thinking. Hence, if at time 1 we can be represented by 10 oranges and at time 2 we can be represented by a motorcycle, we cannot reduce our time 2 motorcycle status to our time 1 orange status. The point is that on the basis of adherence to a particular theory of development (e.g., what has been termed, in the scholarship of Gilbert Gottlieb, a predetermined epigenetic, or natural one), qualitative changes are believed to characterize ontogeny, and because of this, discontinuous explanations of change are needed. (Wordsworth, 1802). Lifespan Development Overview & Examples | What is Multidirectional Development? WebThe difference between continuous and discontinuous development is that continuous development views development as a slow and continuous process. discontinuous transition optimal For example, the nature view considers a great basketball player to be great because they were born taller than their counterpart and have inherent basketball skills. These sequences may happen at varying speeds for everyone, but everyone passes through each stage in the same order. Food for thought: In terms of language acquisition, we often encounter a child with a limited vocabulary one day but then find that same child with an exponentially larger vocabulary shortly thereafter. This is why educators should consider continuity vs discontinuity in the classroom. Lev Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural developmentcan be considered a _____________ theory of development. Alternatively, descriptive continuity or descriptive discontinuity may beexplained by different ideas, such as by discontinuous explanatory principles. Alternatively, the childs change in weight could have been gradual. She then develops gross motor skills, crawls, stands, walks, runs and eventually develops fine motor skills. While this research approach provides a glimpse into how children behave in their natural settings, researchers have very little control over the types and/or frequencies of displayed behavior. - Definition and Examples, Agents of Socialization: Family, Schools, Peers and Media, Functions of School: Socialization, Cultural Transmission, Integration & Latent Functions, Gender Differences: The Nature Versus Nurture Debate, Evolutionary Theory's Applications to Learning, Gottlieb's Epigenetic Psychobiological Systems Perspective: Concepts & Definitions, Research Methods and the Study of Life Span Development, Theoretical Foundations for Life Span Developmental Psychology, The Impact of Genetics in Human Development & Psychology, Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood, Psychosocial and Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood, Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood, Psychosocial Development in Early Childhood, Physical and Psychosocial Development in Middle Childhood, Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood, Physical and Sexual Development in Adolescence, Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood, Psychosocial Development in Early Adulthood, Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood, Psychosocial Development in Middle Adulthood, Psychosocial and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood, Death and Dying: Stages and Psychological Impact, DSST Lifespan Developmental Psychology Flashcards, Intro to Psychology Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Psychology 103: Human Growth and Development, Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Grades K-6 (5622) Prep, PLACE School Counselor Exam: Practice & Study Guide, DSST Substance Abuse: Study Guide & Test Prep, GACE School Psychology (605): Practice & Study Guide, Introduction to Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Human Growth and Development: Help and Review, Illinois Economy: Influences & Development, Professional, Ethical & Legal Standards for School Psychologists, Carl Lange and Psychology: Theory, Overview, Paired Association: Definition & Explanation, Behavioral Disorders in Children: Definition & Symptoms, What Is Paranoia? Our development can be seen as taking place in specific steps or stages, as opposed to the other way around. Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, June Wai See Leung, Natalie Boyd, Annie Rey. . Development is the process of growth and change that everyone experiences. Later in this chapter, you will learn about several experiments in which toddlers and young children observe scenes or actions so that researchers can determine at what age specific cognitive abilities develop. Discontinuous development emphasizes the different stages and changes that happen will follow the stages in sequence. succeed. (1972). On the other hand, the discontinuity theory says that development occurs in a series of distinct stages. Consider, for example, a childs physical growth: adding inches to their height year by year. Before entering kindergarten, high-income children score 60% higher on achievement tests than their low-income peers (Lee & Burkam, 2002). Pubertal Growth Spurt Overview, Signs & Symptoms | What is a Growth Spurt? WebContinuous development views development as a cumulative process, gradually improving on existing skills ( [link] ). We grow from pre-school to old age continuously, almost as if life were an elevator that never stopped. Quantitative discontinuity on the other hand, appears to be sufficiently defined by the second characteristic. The description and explanation of intraindividual change involves the concepts of developmental continuity and discontinuity, whereas the description and explanation of interindividual differences in intraindividual change involves the concepts of stability and instability. On one hand, the continuity theory says that development is a gradual, continuous process. Continuous change refers to a process of adding on to what we are, what we know, and what we can do. discontinuous continuous theories Some researchers such as Albert Bandura and John Watson think that development is gradually changed while others such as Freud and Jean Piaget believe it as a series of stages. To what extent is a child fundamentally different from the adult he grows up to be? Naturalistic observations involve observing behavior in its natural context. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 In contrast, theorists who view development as discontinuous believe that development takes place in unique stages: It occurs at specific times or ages. 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