PSY 3200 Childhood Development

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PSY 3200 Childhood Development Each of us develops partly like all other individuals, partly like some other individuals, and partly like no other individuals, most of the time our attention is directed to an individual’s uniqueness. But as humans, we have all traveled some common paths (Santrock 2011). Biological Processes Biological processes produce changes in an individual’s physical nature. Genes inherited from parents, the development of the brain, height and weight gains, changes in motor skills, nutrition, exercise, the hormonal changes of puberty, and cardiovascular decline are all examples of biological processes that affect development (Santrock, 2011). In early to late childhood we can begin with the most obvious of the…show more content…
Boys will experience a change in genital size as well as the growth of pubic hair. Girls will experience the growth of breasts the widening of her hips and the onset of their menstrual cycle. This is the point when the boys will catch up and exceed the height of the girls. These biological changes are brought on by a flood of hormones these hormones are testosterone a hormone associated in boys with the development of genitals, an increase in height, and a change in voice. And estradiol a type of estrogen; in girls it is associated with breast, uterine, and skeletal development. In one study, testosterone levels increased eighteen-fold in boys but only twofold in girls during puberty; estradiol increased eightfold in girls but only twofold in boys. Physical performance peaks between 19 and 26 and in early adulthood is the first time that we see a decrease in physical activity. Changes in the physical appearance in middle adulthood includes, aging spots and wrinkles, a decrease in height and an increase in weight. In late adulthood we see the same changes as we did in middle adulthood only more intensive. A general slowing of function in the brain and spinal cord begins in middle adulthood and accelerates in late…show more content…
Their developing minds and social experiences produce remarkable advances in the development of their self, emotional maturity, moral understanding, and gender awareness (Claessens, 2012). At this point children know that they are a person all their own, and they begin to discover what kind of person they will become. Children at this age identify hugely with their parents who they view as powerful and beautiful. At this age children also gain a deeper understanding of self and others. Children often describe themselves by things that they do or own, they find differences in one another by such things as color of hair and height. Young children usually have unreasonably optimistic self-descriptions; this is because the children have not yet learned to distinguish between what they are and what they want to be. As these children start to describe themselves in psychological traits they also begin describing those around them in the same

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