My Journey through Human Development

Development is defined as a pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through one’s lifespan (Santrock, 2018). In this paper I will discuss my observations on five different stages of human development. These five stages include a six-month-old, a two-year-old, a ten-year-old, a seventeen-year-old, a forty-nine-year-old mother, and an eighty-four-year-old. I have applied the knowledge gained in my Psychology 211 course to each developmental stage. To keep their identities confidential, I will refer to each person as Subject A, B, C, D, E, and F.

Six-Month-Old Child

Subject A was a six-month-old boy. I had the chance to compare how he socially and emotionally interacted between myself (someone he just met), and his mother. While I was a new face to him, he still displayed positive emotions. He was happy and smiling when first meeting me. He even stayed content when his mother placed him in my arms. He let me hold him and continued to smile and giggle as I held him and talked to him. While Subject A cannot talk like you and I, he was able to communicate in other forms. He was able to ‘coo’ and ‘babble’ when he got excited during a game of peek-a-boo. He also displayed non-verbal communication. When he wanted to be picked up, he would reach his arms up to his mother and begin to fuss. Once his mother picked him up, the fussing stopped, and he was happy again. Also, when I left, he was able to wave goodbye. At one point, his mother left the room to get a snack for him. Subject A showed secure attachment to his mother, because as she was no longer in his sight, he began to cry for her. He was easily soothed when she returned to the room. During my visit, I did not witness any child directed speech towards Subject A. I was able to use Cheerios to see if Subject A would pass the A-not-B error test. While he was in his highchair, I took one Cheerio and hid it under my left hand on his tray; I also placed my right hand on the tray with nothing under it. Subject A knew the Cheerio was gone, but he did not seem to understand or attempt to move either of my hands. This is consistent with a study done that found infants younger than seven months may have too weak of an active memory trace to perform an A-not-B error test (Clearfield, Diedrich, Smith, & Thelen, 2006). Overall, Subject A displayed positive social referencing and emotional regulation. He had an easy temperament and quickly adjusted to new situations.

Two-Year-Old Child

Subject B was a two-year-old girl. When I first met Subject B, she was playing with a five-piece wooden puzzle. While she was able to match the pictures on the pieces, to the placement on the puzzle, she easily got frustrated when she could not get the pieces to successfully fit in their designated spots. After several failed attempts, she was able to rotate the pieces to fit properly without any help. Subject B did show signs of egocentrism. Egocentrism is defined as “a child’s inability to see any point of view other than their own” (Surtees & Apperly, 2012). This was displayed when her mother was in the kitchen and asked if Subject B wanted a snack. While Subject B shook her head up and down, her mother was unable to see it being she was in another room. Ultimately, her mother came back into the room and asked again. This time when Subject B shook her head up and down, her mother explained to her to use her words, because she cannot see her shaking her head while in another room. While Subject B was eating her snack, she showed signs related to Vygotsky’s theory. She took a napkin off the table and placed in the collar of her shirt, as if she was making a bib for herself. Her mother quickly explained that sometimes when they are out at restaurants, she will tuck a napkin inside her collar to keep Subject B’s clothes from getting messy. This shows that through interaction, Subject B has learned the skill of putting a napkin on whenever she is eating. Subject B also showed a big interest in snowman, or ‘noman’ as she would call them. She could show me each snowman ornament and decoration, on their Christmas tree. This shows Subject B is in Piaget’s pre-operational stage; she can understand that three round shapes stacked on top of each other with arm like structures symbolizes a snowman. Overall, Subject B seemed to be on track with her motor skills for two years of age. She was able to walk, talk, complete an age-appropriate puzzle, get in and out of a chair, and feed herself.

Ten-Year-Old Child

Subject C was a ten-year-old boy. I knew Subject C enjoyed cooking, so I decided to test his concrete operational stage of development. I asked him if he could take the dry measuring cups and separate them from cups, teaspoons, and tablespoons. He was able to easily perform this task, showing a high level of seriation. While we were in the kitchen, he asked if I wanted him to teach me how to make a box of Velveeta shells. He successfully explained how to measure out and boil the water, how to cook and drain the shells, and how to fold in the cheese sauce. Subject C showed high levels of metacognition when cooking. He expressed to me that sometimes the recipes he follows don’t always turn out. I asked him how he feels when this happens, and he stated he gets upset but he continues to try to improve his skills to get better each time. He even referred to the saying ‘practice makes perfect’. When it came to gender roles, Subject C did not show any signs of gender stereotyping. He showed comfortability of crossing gender lines, because he stated he plays feminine video games with his friends that are girls, he also will play dolls with his little cousin. When I told him how society sometimes views gender roles, he said he believes men and woman are equal and are equally capable of doing anything regardless if it comes to a sport or a job. Overall, Subject C seemed well advanced in his development, especially when it came to his cognitive abilities of thinking.

Adolescent

Subject D is a seventeen-year-old senior and is enrolled in the Vo-Tech program offered at his high school. Growing up, Subject D knew he wanted a career that was ‘hands on’. Most of Subject D’s role models growing up had jobs that involved working with their hands and he has always wanted to follow in their footsteps. In today’s society, there are many jobs that require training that college degrees are usually too broad to address. In turn, this requires many graduates to complete additional vocational-education after already completing a degree (St-Esprit, 2019). The Vo-Tech program allows Subject D to graduate with a certificate of completion in his trade of study, and gives him the opportunity to move straight into the workforce following graduation. During my observation with Subject D, personal fable and imaginary audience were never present. For one to display personal fable or imagery audience, they would have to think of themselves as the center of attention and believe that they are held to a certain level of uniqueness (Santrock, 2018). Subject D did not portray any of those characteristics. He was very confident for his future and has set a strict academic plan to reach his career goals.

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Parent of a Middle School Student

Subject E was a forty-nine-year-old mother of middle school twin boys. Subject E has a background in education. She studied early childhood education and obtained a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. Since she is well versed in principle models of education, she has chosen to place her children in the public-school system. She believes the public-school system provides a very well-rounded education. All subject matters are addressed, socialization is prominent, her children are developing normally and she feels that she is giving them a very good foundation of education.

She does not feel it necessary to attend a private or home-school; however, she does understand there is no right or wrong way to educate a child. This is especially true if a child renders medical needs that cannot be met in the public-school setting. Many parents that have children with a chronic illness elect to homeschool their children. This allows more flexibility for a child that cannot physically perform regular school tasks. It exposes the child to less germs and allows the child to be taught in a safe and comfortable environment (Johnson, 2015).

Since both Subject E’s children are male, she does not raise them differently. She is very open and up front with her children. Both her and her husband began holding an open-door policy with the boys, meaning they can approach their parents with anything. So, as her boys got older and entered puberty, both she and her husband can answer questions and guide them through any confusing times. Overall, Subject E is proud of how her boys are maturing. She is understanding of their development and continues to provide a good home and nurturing environment for them.

Senior Citizen

Subject F was my 84-year-old grandmother. Since she lives relatively close, I can spend time with her quite often. She thoroughly enjoys putting together 1,000-piece puzzles, and with the help of others she can complete five to six of these a year. She also enjoys watching ‘Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune’ every night. A few years ago, my grandmother was very active. She used to walk a mile a day, attend the gym, and was even a member of the local garden club. While her life used to show evidence of the activity theory, after numerous surgeries and my grandfather's diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, she is becoming more disengaged. While doing puzzles she has a hard time staying focused on that one task. She has begun to show signs of short-term memory loss, while holding a conversation; she is very repetitive, especially when it comes to asking questions. She may repeat the same question four or five times. Disengagement is also evident when it comes to her concept of time and event. Even with a detailed calendar, she has a hard time remember appointments and birthdays. To help our aging population, an article published in the Health Encyclopedia at the University of Rochester Medical Center recommends trying to keep the elderly’s independence and confidence as long as possible by establishing a regular routine, being patient and flexible with them and making it easier for them to remember new information (Hanrahan & Shelat, n.d.).

Conclusion

After taking several college courses, including two in psychology and one in sociology, it is evident that development is versatile. While sociology is the study of humans in society, in relation, psychology studies the cognitive, emotional and social means of individuals and how they grow in their environment. Working in the medical field is very diverse; it has taught me that each culture accustoms to different societal norms. What I may think is socially acceptable may not be true for a person from a different cultural background. Psychology has helped me gain a better understanding of the human mind, especially when it comes to emotions and behaviors. I will be able to take the knowledge gained specially in this course, when treating patients of different ages. By knowing the different developmental stages, as well as certain genetic disabilities, it gives me a better understanding of patients ranging from infants to elderly adults. Both courses have taught me to build positive relationships with patients in my career.

References

1. Clearfield, M., Diedrich, F., Smith, L., & Thelen, E. (2006). Young Infants Reach Correctly in A-not-B tasks: On the Developments of Stability and Perseveration. Infant Behavior & Development, (29), 435–444. doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2006.03.001.
2. Hanrahan, J., & Shelat, A. (n.d.). Helping Someone with Memory Loss. In University of Rochester Medical Center Health Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=1&contentid=2862
3. Johnson, J. L. (2015, June). Is It Time to Homeschool Your Chronically Ill Child? IG LIVING. Retrieved from http://www.igliving.com/magazine/articles/IGL_2015-06_AR_Parenting-Is-It-Time-to-Homeschool-Your-Chronically-Ill-Child.pdf
4. Santrock, J. (2018). A Topical Approach to Life-Span Development (9th edition). New York; McGraw-Hill.
5. St-Esprit, M. (2019, March 6). The Stigma of Choosing Trade School Over College. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/03/choosing-trade-school-over-college/584275/
6. Surtees, A. D. R., & Apperly, I. A. (2012). Egocentrism and Automatic Perspective Taking in Children and Adults. Child Development , 83(2), 452–460. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01730.x.