UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN CITY

Biglang Awa St., Corner Cattleya St., EDSA, Caloocan City

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

CHILD AND ADULT DEVELOPMENT

SUBJECT CODE: TC 001

TOPIC OR LESSON: Issues on Human Development Tasks
WEEK: 4th Week
SUB-TOPIC/S: Key Issues in Human Development

OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC

This module will help us understand the different issues on human

development. Each of us has his/her own informal way of looking at our own and
other people's development. This paradigm of human development, while
obviously lacking in scholastic vigor, provide us with a conceptual framework for
understanding ourselves and others.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

a. Define developmental issues;
b. Describe the different issues related to developmental tasks; and
c. Discuss one’s role as a facilitator of learning in developmental tasks.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the lesson, students can:

a. Understand that the development is due to genetics or environment
b. identify that the development is occur slowly and smoothly; and
c. reflect that childhood experiences have the greatest impact on
development and the later events is equally important

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 ENGAGE
s

1. Which has a more significant influence in your development, your

biological make-up and inheritance or your environmental experiences?
Why?
2. Do you think your development is gradually growing in existing skills and
capacities, or your growth entails stages of transformations in your abilities,
and capabilities? Why?
3. What your first experience made you, or you developed into someone
different from you were at an earlier point in time?

EXPLORE

Can you explain what the picture is saying?

1.

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2.

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EXPLAIN

Issues on Human Development

1. Nature vs Nurture
A significant issue in developmental psychology is the relationship between the
innateness of an attribute (whether it is part of our nature) and the environmental effects
on that attribute (whether it is influenced by our environment, or nurture). This is often
referred to as the nature vs. nurture debate, or nativism vs. empiricism.
• A nativist (“nature”) account of development would argue that the processes in
question are innate and influenced by an organism’s genes. Natural human
behavior is seen as the result of already-present biological factors, such as genetic
code.
• An empiricist (“nurture”) perspective would argue that these processes are
acquired through interaction with the environment. Nurtured human behavior is
seen as the result of environmental interaction, which can provoke changes in brain
structure and chemistry. For example, situations of extreme stress can cause
problems like depression.

The nature vs. nurture debate seeks to understand how our personalities and traits are
produced by our genetic makeup and biological factors, and how they are shaped by
our environment, including our parents, peers, and culture. For instance, why do
biological children sometimes act like their parents? Is it because of genetic similarity, or
the result of the early childhood environment and what children learn from their parents?

Interaction of Genes and the Environment

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Today, developmental psychologists rarely take such polarized positions (either/or) with
regard to most aspects of development; instead, they investigate the relationship
between innate and environmental influences (both/and). Developmental psychologists
will often use the biopsychosocial model to frame their research: this model states that
biological, psychological, and social (socio-economical, socio-environmental, and
cultural) factors all play a significant role in human development.
We are all born with specific genetic traits inherited from our parents, such as eye color,
height, and certain personality traits. Beyond our basic genotype, however, there is a
deep interaction between our genes and our environment: our unique experiences in
our environment influence whether and how particular traits are expressed, and at the
same time, our genes influence how we interact with our environment (Diamond, 2009;
Lobo, 2008). There is a reciprocal interaction between nature and nurture as they both
shape who we become, but the debate continues as to the relative contributions of
each.

Heritability refers to the origin of differences among people; it is a concept in biology that
describes how much of the variation of a trait in a population is due to genetic
differences in that population. Individual development, even of highly heritable traits
such as eye color, depends not only on heritability but on a range of environmental
factors, such as the other genes present in the organism and the temperature and
oxygen levels during development. Environmental inputs can affect the expression of
genes, a relationship called gene-environment interaction. Genes and the environment
work together, communicating back and forth to create traits.

Some concrete behavioral traits are dependent upon one’s environment, home, or
culture, such as the language one speaks, the religion one practices, and the political
party one supports. However, some traits which reflect underlying talents and
temperaments—such as how proficient at a language, how religious, or how liberal or
conservative—can be partially heritable.

This chart illustrates three patterns one might see when studying the influence of genes
and environment on individual traits. Each of these traits is measured and compared
between monozygotic (identical) twins, biological siblings who are not twins, and
adopted siblings who are not genetically related. Trait A shows a high sibling correlation
but little heritability (illustrating the importance of environment). Trait B shows a high
heritability, since the correlation of the trait rises sharply with the degree of genetic
similarity. Trait C shows low heritability as well as low correlation generally, suggesting that
the degree to which individuals display trait C has little to do with either genes or
predictable environmental factors.

2. Continuity vs Discontinuity
Think about how children become adults. Is there a predictable pattern they follow
regarding thought and language and social development? Do children go through
gradual changes or are they abrupt changes?

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Normative development is typically viewed as a continual and cumulative process. The
continuity view says that change is gradual. Children become more skillful in thinking,
talking or acting much the same way as they get taller.

The discontinuity view sees development as more abrupt-a succession of changes that
produce different behaviors in different age-specific life periods called stages. Biological
changes provide the potential for these changes.

We often hear people talking about children going through “stages” in life (i.e.
“sensorimotor stage.”). These are called developmental stages-periods of life initiated by
distinct transitions in physical or psychological functioning.
Psychologists of the discontinuity view believe that people go through the same stages,
in the same order, but not necessarily at the same rate.

3. Stability vs Change
Stability implies personality traits present during infancy endure throughout the lifespan.
In contrast, change theorists argue that personalities are modified by interactions with
family, experiences at school, and acculturation.

This capacity for change is called plasticity. For example, Rutter (1981) discovered than
somber babies living in understaffed orphanages often become cheerful and
affectionate when placed in socially stimulating adoptive homes.

APPLICATIONS OF DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS

Change is inevitable. As humans, we constantly grow throughout our lifespans,

from conception to death. Developmentalist strive to understand and explain
how and why people change throughout life. While many of these changes are
normal and expected, they can still pose challenges that people sometimes
need extra assistance to manage.

The principles of normative development help professionals to spot potential

problems and provide early intervention for better outcomes. Developmentalist
can work with people of all ages to address roadblocks and support growth,
although some choose to specialize in a specific age group such as childhood,
adulthood, or old age.

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 ELABORATE

Direction: Answer the following questions:

1. Create infographics to answer how do genetics and environment interact to

influence development?

Rubrics

RUBRIC FOR EVALUATION SCORE

3 – The 2 – The 1 – The 0.5 – The 0–
explanation is explanation is explanation is explanation is not Has no
directly relevant relevant to the quite relevant to clear and has a explanation
RELEV to the topic. topic. Most of the topic. Only few very rough
Every detail the details of the details transition of idea.
ANCE points toward contribute to contribute to the The details are
the topic. the development of not relevant to
development of the topic. the topic.
the topic.
3 – The 2 – The 1 – The 0.5 – The 0–
explanation explanation explanation shows explanation Has no
EVIDE shows at least 9 shows at least 6 at 3 to 5 shows at most 2 explanation
NCE/ correct/valid to 8 correct/valid correct/valid
ARGU evidences to correct/valid evidences to evidences to
MENT support his/her evidences to support his/her support his/her
answer. support his/her answer. answer.
answer.
2 – The 1.5 – The 1 – The 0.5 – The 0–
explanation is explanation is explanation is explanation is not Has no
clear, has a very clear, has a somewhat clear clear and has a explanation
CLARI good flow of good transition, and has a rough very rough
TY discussion, every most of the transition from one transition of
detail is details are idea to another. ideas.
connected to connected to
each other. each other.
2 – The 1.5 – The 1 – The 1.5 – The 0–
TECHN explanation has explanation has explanation has 3 explanation has Has no
I- no error in 1 to 2 errors in to 4 errors in at least 5 errors in explanation
CALIT grammar, grammar, grammar, spelling, grammar,
Y spelling, and spelling, and and punctuations. spelling, and
punctuations. punctuations. punctuations.
OVERALL SCORE:

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 EVALUATE

DIRECTIONS: In this, you will be asked to answer different sets of questions which is a
combination of different types of objective examination (multiple choices, identification,
short response, true or false or alike, and so on.)
Note that in this part you are encouraged to remember the topic/s discussed.

This will be provided on the platform identified in the syllabus and course guide.

REFERENCES

References
The Child and Adolescent Development Learners and Learning Principles
Brenda B. Corpuz,PhD
Ma. Rita D. Lucas, PhD
Heidi Grace L. Borabo, PhD
Paz I. Lucido, PhD

Theodore (2021) “Havighurtst Developmental Theory” retrieved from: Havighurst's

Developmental Task Theory - Practical Psychology (practicalpie.com)

PREPARED BY:

PROF. CATHERINE DG. SANTOS DR. BECKY MOLETA

PROF. JULIENE JOY CABUNGCAL PROF. MARJORIE L. TIU

DR. MARILYN M. MIRAFLOR PROF. FRANCIS LOUIE SEVILLA

PROF. JEMMALYN SEBASTIAN

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