Discussion Prompt 1

Life Span Psychology

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, the idea was that 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? What impact does realizing that important developments occur  throughout our whole lives have on the field of psychology and our lives  in general? Next, describe the scientific methodology and typical research designs used in lifespan psychology  (refer to your text, ch 1). Which methodology and research design do  you think produces the best results in the study of lifespan  development? Why? 

Discussion Prompt 2 – See attached chart for this prompt 

Generation Labels and the Nature Nurture Debate

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.

Each Prompt should be 150 words or more