HUMAN

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HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
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Physical Development
Age plays a very important role in our everyday
lives. Think about how many things in our lives
hinge on a number.
Chronological Age Skeletal Age
Developmental Age
Age determined by maturity of skeleton measured
by an X-ray
Age measured in years, days, months standard use
of term
Age expressed in ones ability to complete a skill
So which of the above descriptions should be the
one we use when discussing age in Kinesiology?
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As we age, our bodies develop, sometimes changing
dramatically. While you may have resembled your
friends when you were young, you may now look
very different. All bodies can be categorized
into one of three key body types based on
appearance and physical structure.
Morphology
(Somatotyping)
Ectomorph thinner body, characterized by long
limbs and narrow hips later to maturity
Endomorph thicker body parts and more fatty
tissue
Mesomorph athletic body, characterized by
stocky, heavily muscled, and broader bodies
earlier to mature
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It must be noted that very few bodies fall into
just one category, but are rather a combination
of the different types.
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Physical Growth and Development
-takes place at different rates during different
points of life -males and females develop at
different rates and in varied ways -4 basic
stages ? ages are just a guideline
1. Infancy/Toddler (0-3 years)
Infancy birth to 1 year, greatest rate of
growth (triple weight), considerable development
of heart, brain (75 of adult), lungs, and muscle
Toddler large gains in body length, develop
huge range of motor skills walking, running, and
using a spoon and fork.
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2. Childhood (4-10 years)
-growth still great, but slows considerably
compared to infancy -stabilizing period bone and
muscle grow together to allow grounding of motor
skills -adopt the skills necessary for sport (age
range to start organized sport)
3. Puberty/Adolescence (11-18 years)
-growth ramps up again (growth spurt) -pituitary
gland ? physical and psychological changes ? 2
sex characteristics, hormones -females 12-13
boys 13-14 -adolescence growing into body
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4. Adulthood (18 years ?)
-most of growth complete (esp. height) -lots of
changes weight, blood pressure, HR,
deteriorations of muscle, joint movement, etc WHY?

• getting older
• ignoring
• Exercise
• Diet
• Nutrition
• increased stress

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Use your textbook to define the
following Cephalocaudal sequence Proximodistal
sequence
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Factors Affecting Physical Growth
All these changes and age ranges are averages
But what can affect these averages?

• Hormones
• Heredity
• Nutrition/Diet
• Physical Activity
• Sociocultural

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Cognitive Development
The changes that take place in a persons
ability to interpret and process information,
alterations in emotional development, and the
establishment of a persons self-concept.

• cognitive changes are more subtle
• Foremost researcher in this field was JEAN PIAGET
  (1896-1980)

-Swiss psychologist -studied thousands of
children -laid out 4 progressive steps centred
around a persons ability to adapt to his/her
environment
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Piaget's 4 Stages of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years)
-intelligence by means of motor activity without
use of symbols -crawl but not read -knowledge
based on immediate experiences -memory to recall
objects/events ? no real understanding -some
language near end
Pre-Operational (2-7 years)
-intelligence through use of symbols -recognize/r
eproduce letters, numbers and pictorial
representations -Significant growth of language,
memory, and imagination -Linear thinking think
through -Egocentric ? no other point of view
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Concrete Operational stage (7-11 years)
-logical thinking develops -solve hands-on
concrete problems, mathematical operations,
classify objects into lists -understand
sequences in reverse -develop empathy
Formal Operational (11-15 years)
-abstract and increasingly complicated problem
solving skills -often a return to egocentric
thinking -how issues affect own
identity -appearance
Some researchers argue only 30 of adults would
fit into the formal stage Piaget does not explain
why the stages occur
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Social Development
Socialization the ways in which humans form
attachments to each other
Indeed, the single best childhood predictor of
adult adaptation is not school grades, and not
classroom behaviour, but rather, the adequacy
with which the child gets along with other
children. Children who are generally disliked,
who are aggressive and disruptive, who are unable
to sustain close relationships with other
children, and who cannot establish a place for
themselves in the peer culture, are seriously at
risk.
(Hartup, W., Having friends, making friends and
keeping friends. ERIC Digest, 1992, EDO-PS-92-4)
It is up to you to have an understanding of the
Individual, Social Skill, and Peer Relationship
attributes found in your textbook (pg. 255)