Human Development &

Learning
Momina Khan
Clinical Psychologist
Lecturer
FSS&H,HU
Course Objectives:
Course Objectives:
 Demonstrate an understanding of theories, methods and
research findings of life-span psychology.

 Describe how people change in terms of their cognitive,

physical, social & emotional development.

 Compare and contrast the major developmental theorists

and discuss what each brings to or adds to the study of
human development.

 Summarize and evaluate the research on the relative

contributions of heredity (nature) versus environment
(nurture) to various aspects of development.
Course Objectives:
 Identify some of the factors that put people
at increased risk for developing
psychological problems at each stage of the
lifespan.

 To think critically about each of the

developmental theories and research.

 Apply basic principles of developmental

psychology to one’s own life experiences.
What is Human Development???
 Is growth and development the same???
Growth
 Growth can be defined as increase of a
person in age, height, weight, etc.

 Growth is considered as an increase in the

size of an organ or cell.

 Growth can be called as the fundamental

function of the body.
 Development
 Development is defined as the process
wherein a person develops in relation to
physical, environmental, and social factors.

 In terms of children, the development of a

child depends upon several factors like
physical, nutritional, genetic, and
environmental.
GROWTH DEVELOPMENT
Growth is defined as the development of a person in weight, age, On the other hand, development is defined as the process wherein a person's
size, and habits. growth is visible in relation to the physical, environmental, and social factors.

Growth is a process that focuses on quantitative improvement. Development focuses on both qualitative and quantitative refinement. For
For instance, a child visibly grows in weight and height. instance, a child's IQ increases with the growing age.

Growth is limited to a certain level, i.e., a person's height grows On the other hand, a person is developing every single day in terms of his/ her
till a certain age. habits, maturity level, IQ, etc.

Growth depends upon the cellular changes, i.e., a child grows Development is basically dependent upon organizational growth, i.e., the
into an adult. The child undergoes many changes throughout his/ environment in which a child lives or studies affect them immensely. The
her childhood to adulthood. skill-set of a child changes in such an environment. For instance, a child
develops reading habits or acquires an interest in the abacus.

Growth can be considered as physical growth that is seen from On the other hand, development is considered as a gradual change in skill-
one stage to another. sets, behaviour, habits, etc.

Growth is an external process. Development is an internal process.

Growth changes the physical changes of a person. On the other hand, development changes the character of a person.

Growth is limited, i.e., it happens till a particular point in time. Development takes place throughout life, i.e., it doesn't depend upon time or
age.
Growth focuses on only one aspect, i.e., an increase in the child's Development focuses on various aspects like interpersonal skills,
size. intelligence, etc.

Growth is structural. Development is considered as functional.

Human Development
 human development, the process of growth
and change that takes place between birth
and maturity.
Developmental Psychology
 Developmental psychology is defined as a
scientific approach to explaining growth,
change, and consistency throughout a
lifetime.
 It uses various frameworks to understand

how people develop and transform

throughout their lives.
 The goals of developmental psychology are to

describe, explain, and optimize development

to improve people’s lives.
Developmental Psychology
 In the real world, developmental psychology is
used in the study of physical, psychological,
emotional, social, personality, and perceptual
development.
Human Development

Nature or Nurture???
 One more key element of human growth and
development is genetics.

 Genetics influences the speed and way in which

people develop, though other factors, such as
parenting, education, experiences, and
socioeconomic factors, are also at play.

 The multiple genetic factors that affect human

growth and development include genetic
interactions and sex chromosome
abnormalities.
Genetic Interactions
 Genes can act in an additive way or sometimes conflict
with one another.

 For example, a child with one tall parent and one

short parent may end up between the two of them, at
average height.

 Other times, genes follow a dominant-recessive

pattern.
 If one parent has brown hair and the other has red
hair, the red hair gene is the dominant gene if their
child has red hair.
Gene-Environment Interactions
 Humans’ genetic information is always
interacting with the environment, and
sometimes this can impact development and
growth.
 For example, if a child in uterus is exposed to

drugs, the child’s cognitive abilities may be

impacted, thus changing the developmental
process.
 In addition, even if a child’s genes would

indicate a tall height, if that child experiences

poor nutrition as children, it may impact their
height.
Sex Chromosome Abnormalities
 Chromosome
 Chromosomes are thread-like structures located
inside the nucleus of animal and plant cells.
 Each chromosome is made of protein and a single
molecule of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
 Passed from parents to offspring, DNA contains the
specific instructions that make each type of living
creature unique
Sex Chromosome
 A sex chromosome is a type of chromosome
involved in sex determination. Humans and
most other mammals have two sex
chromosomes, X and Y.
 Two of the chromosomes (the X and the Y

chromosome) determine your sex as male or

female when you are born.
 Females have 2 X chromosomes. Males have

1 X and 1 Y chromosome.
Sex Chromosome Abnormalities
 Sex chromosome abnormalities are a group
of disorders that affects the number or the
structure of the X and Y chromosomes.

 Sex chromosome abnormalities impact as

many as 1 in 500 births.
 Sex Chromosome Abnormalities
 Examples of sex chromosome
abnormalities that can impact
development:
 Klinefelter syndrome is the
presence of an extra X
chromosome in males, which can
cause physical characteristics such
as decreased muscle mass and
reduced body hair and may cause
learning disabilities.
Sex Chromosome Abnormalities
 Fragile X syndrome is caused by a mutation in
X chromosome making it appear fragile.

 It can cause intellectual disability,

developmental delays, or distinctive physical
features such as a long face.
Sex Chromosome Abnormalities
 Turner syndrome happens when one of the X
chromosomes is missing or partially missing.
 It only affects females.
 Turner syndrome can cause a variety of

medical and developmental problems,

including short height, failure of the ovaries
to develop and heart defects
 Sex Chromosome Abnormalities
Down Syndrome
 Down syndrome is another common example of how
genetics can impact development.

 This chromosomal disorder may cause some

individuals to experience physical or intellectual
development differences.

 Down syndrome occurs at the 21st chromosomal site,

in which people with Down syndrome have three
chromosomes rather than two.
 Sex Chromosome Abnormalities
Down Syndrome
 Those with Down syndrome often have

different physical characteristics and may be

prone to physical problems like heart defects
and hearing problems.
 Most individuals with Down syndrome have

intellectual impairment, but the degree of this

impairment varies from person to person.
Why Do We Study Human Growth and
Development?
Why Do We Study Human Growth and
Development?
 The study of human growth and development

offers a wealth of value for personal and

professional growth and understanding.
 Many reasons exist for why we study human

growth and development.

Why Do We Study Human Growth and
Development?
Common benefits include the following:
 To gain a better understanding of one’s own life
experiences. This can help people personally reach an
understanding of what childhood events shaped their
adulthood.
 To gain knowledge of how social context impacts
development. This knowledge can be invaluable for
professionals like teachers as they gain a deeper
understanding of their students.
 To help others understand and contextualize the ups and

downs of life. This helps therapists and psychologists better

aid their clients in self-discovery.
 Why Do We Study Human Growth and
Development?
 To understand how societal change can support
growth and development.
 This understanding helps decision-makers in schools
change the educational culture for the better.
 To 
become a more effective researcher, teacher, or leade
r
 in many different industries.
 Understanding human development deeply and in
context has many professional benefits that can lead
to greater insight.
Why Do We Study Human Growth and
Development?
 To support the physical and mental health of
individuals throughout their life span.

 Students may choose to study human growth and

development because of its array of applications across many
professional fields.

 For example, students who want to become elementary

school teachers may take courses on the stages of human
development to understand cognitive development and how
children’s brains grow and change.
Why Do We Study Human Growth and
Development?
 Human development is a wide-reaching and
ever-changing discipline.
 knowledge of human development can be

invaluable to people personally as they

continue to learn and grow throughout their
lives and professionally as they learn to apply
what they’ve learned to their careers.