Lifes_Timeline

Life’s Timeline Yvonne T Scott Grand Canyon University Timeline Children from the ages of birth to two years of age develop in leaps and bounds. They identify familiar voices within a few days of life, focus on objects and learn to recognize and interact with different moods and expressions (Psychology and your Life pg. 295). Babies can triple their birth weight within their first year and can double in height (pg.296). Neurons grow increasingly thick links, insulated with layers of myelin, and enabling faster and more efficient message transmissions to the brain.[i] Babies start to develop social skills and bonds that broaden throughout their life. Their ability to develop trust is explained in the trust-versus-mistrust stage by Eric Erikson. If a baby’s needs are physically and mentally met on a regular basis a baby will learn to trust and the opposite if the needs are ignored (Erikson, pg 302). Jean Piaget’s research of cognitive development for this age range is called sensorimortor stage (Piaget, pg 303). Babies learn through their senses. Sight, touch and manipulation of objects are sensory stimulants that help a baby learn, recognize and become aware of their world. Cognitively babies learn to associate crying and other noises they make with getting attention from their caregivers. During their first couple of years they learn to turn those noises into single words and then into simple sentences by age two. Through the years of two through nine children go through many changes. Their brain develops 90% of their adult weight by around the age of five but slows down considerably[ii]. Their communication skills increase and they use more advanced thinking for problem solving. They become more aware of the world around them and use that knowledge in their imaginations. They become more interactive with their peers and are more aware of gender roles. Puberty sets in around the age of 10 on. Girls and boys start to develop physically. Memory increases, along with the development of logical and abstract thinking (Piaget, pg.303). A better understanding of proper behavior in group gatherings increases. Awareness of gender differences becomes more evident and cliques between peers develop.[iii] Relationships and friendships come and go as adolescents start learning about love and sex and trying to figure out their personal identities (Erikson, pg 313). During early adulthood people continue to go through the steps of building relationships (friendship and/or sexual ones). They focus on their careers, which helps identifies with themselves by who they are (pg. 320). They meet spouses, marry, and have children of their own, maybe divorce. Their bodies slow down, they gain weight and changes of hair loss, color, wrinkles start to occur, even though minor. Their capacity for short term memory peaks out but their perception and skills begin to develop.[iv] Middle adulthood (ages 45 to 65) then sets in with increase of changes in physical appearances. You tend to feel more aches and pains due to your body’s decrease in strength and resilience. Women start menopause which leads to infertility, however men go through no such changes. Men’s sperm count decreases significantly but are still able to reproduce late in life. Cognitively your reflexes start to slow up but memory short and long remain in good working order. People are content for the most part with their life. They are in the mindset of raising their children, their careers and marriage (pg. 320). The next transition is late adulthood which targets the ages of 65 and on. Your body undergoes many physical and sensory changes. You lose hair and/or color more rapidly. Not only does your body shrink but your brain does as well which causes it to function more slowly.[v] Your short term memory declines but you still retain your long term memory unless you are stricken with a disease such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Also your ability to organize your thoughts and process them slow down significantly.[vi] Your overall sense of well being due to a full-filling life, family and friends can remain high. However you will suffer losses of life (friends, spouse or family member) but hopefully learn to deal with death. Aging is inevitable and death is at the end. “Preparing for death is one of our most crucial developmental tasks” (pg. 326). ----------------------- [i] http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/development/0_2.html [ii] http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/development/2_6.html [iii] http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/development/10_12.html [iv] http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/development/20_40.html [v] http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/development/65.html [vi] http://www.learner.org/discoveringpsychology/development/65.html