WestCoast PSYC290 2021 November Discussions Latest (Full)

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 1 Discussion

DQ1 The concept of life span development is relatively new. For many years, child psychology was studied, but it was understood that by the beginning of early adulthood most, if not all, of one's important development had occurred. In other words, psychologists thought the important changes that come with age were completed by the end of adolescence.

Why do you believe that psychologists now study the whole life span? How does realizing that important developments occur throughout our whole lives affect our lives in general?

Next, describe the scientific methodology and typical research designs used in life span psychology (refer to your text). Which methodology and research design do you think produces the best results in the study of life span development? Why?

DQ2 Cross-sectional developmental research has discovered that various generations have been labeled by popular culture to describe trends in behavior commonly seen among individuals born to each generation. Study the chart below, and discuss whether or not you agree with the labels given and the rationales provided. Explain your answers.

Next, given the knowledge you have gained in this section about the influence of nature and nurture (biological and contextual influences), are there other reasons besides those listed in the chart that could influence general trends in behavior across generations? Support your reasoning with information from the text and other course materials.

 

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 2 Discussion

New parents often seek advice for tips and advice about raising a new infant. There are so many conflicting views and perspectives about parenting that new parents receive from family members, healthcare providers, and Internet searches. Using scholarly sources such as your textbook and or journal articles, answer the questions below as if a friend were asking you to provide advice:

What is infant sleep training? Is it safe? How do new parents know if their baby needs them, or should they let the baby cry it out? Are there attachment issues new parents should be concerned about when a baby cries for too long?

Should parents wake a baby who has been sleeping for more than four hours to feed them?

What books, toys, or videos should parents give a baby to give them an intellectual advantage? Are there ways parents can facilitate a higher level of intelligence in a child?

Siblings are often very different in temperament. What does that mean? Why does that happen?

 

 

 

 

 

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 There is debate among developmental theorists as to what influences thoughts and behavior related to gender. For example, what influences a child to play with a doll versus a truck, or what influences a child to engage in active play versus passive play? Is gender identity more heavily influenced by biological or social factors? Be sure to support your position with material from your text.

DQ2 Some experts emphasize the importance of adult reinforcement of early speech (nurture) and others suggest that language learning is innate and biologically wired (nature). Reflect on this week's video, "Out of the Mouth of Babes." Which language development theory does this video emphasize, and how can you tell? To support your answer, provide an example of one of the experiments and explain how it fits in to the learning theory process you identified.

 

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 4 Discussion

According to the text, there are three important characteristics of thinking: executive function, critical thinking, and creative thinking. Choose one and describe how a parent or teacher could foster either executive function, critical thinking, or creative thinking in 10–13-year-old children.  Provide at least two unique activities to support this type of thinking.

 

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 5 Discussion

Helping adolescents develop their identity can cause stress as teenagers want independence and begin to pressure their parents for more control.

What is identity development (e.g., social, gender)? Using Erikson’s fifth stage of development, explain these different types of identity. Explain the factors adolescents consider when addressing the question, “Who am I?”

 

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 6 Discussion

Finding a partner is one of the most important things an individual focuses on during early adulthood. How do you think today's lack of social contact is affecting this aspect of life? Explain social exchange theory of mate selection in your own words and include information about Bowlby’s attachment theory.

 

 

 

 

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 7 Discussion

Respond to this week's discussion prompts.

Watch:

https://youtu.be/_2OzLREwHtI (Links to an external site.)

As you can see from the video, women return to being comfortable in their bodies during midlife, making it one of the happiest life stages. This feeling is hard to imagine when you are a young adult.

Discuss why you think menopause has traditionally been viewed as negative (and may still be by some groups) even though the research suggests it is not a negative time for women. Think about who benefits from the negative stereotype of menopause (e.g., cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies that make products for women of this age).

Is there a menopause version in men? How is it similar to women’s physiological changes? How are they different in terms of the socioemotional aspect?

 

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 8 Discussion

According to the CDC, the current average life expectancy is 78.7 years old (Links to an external site.), although some people live much longer, even up to 120 years. Based on the CDC fact sheet above and other sources for evidence, what factors contribute to those who live well beyond the average age? Consider lifelong healthcare regiments, attitudes, cultural factors, and behaviors. Are these factors in agreement with what psychologists find to be common among those who live a long life? Support your reasoning with information from the text and other course materials.

 

PSYC290 Life Span Psychology

Week 9 Discussion

Review the information in the textbook about grieving and prolonged grief. Include a discussion about the importance of a person’s ability to talk therapeutically to someone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Identify appropriate statements to make to someone who is grieving and explain the goal of the statements. You may apply this information to your own personal experiences if you care to do so.