Lifespan development - Assignment Example

Lifespan development The old-age nature vs. nurture controversies Nurture and nature are especially at old-age is a very controversial topic in psychology that attempts to explain the differences between environmental influences or genetic composition and their implication on behavior, personality, ability, development, and intelligence. The controversy between nurture and nature is often considered conflicting idea that affects the psychological composition through psychological theories. There are different beliefs with respect to how nurture and nature affects our character and personalities especially at old age.

According to some school of thought, our way of life is highly influenced by the genetic compositions of an individual and other biological factor. The second school of through is founded on the ideology that our environment plays a fundamental role in determining our ways of life. The third group of psychologists believes asserts that our behavior, character, and personalities are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. The differences in the intelligence and the level of IQ are determined by both social and environmental factors and the nurture.

This state is described by Shaffer, & Kipp (2010) when he writes “in spite of a growing emphasis on genetic factors in shaping who we are, the pendulum that swings between the extreme positions in the nature vs. nurture debate still has plenty of momentum”. The contribution of the genetics and nurture in the development of personality and intelligence is expressed by Jackson (2012), that “Learning is a biologically detailed, regulated and frequently narrowly limited process, and therefore human beings cannot be unlimitedly malleable”.

Therefore, there is strong link between biological make-up and personality. Longitudinal, cross-sectional, and sequential designs and their limitationsLongitudinal design involves selection of the specimen or sample study within the desired population. The selected sample is then continuously observed with respect to variables under investigation. Such variables may include the variation in the degree of intelligence or personality. The sample is regularly monitored in order to observe any change in the personal traits identified.

Through such studies, it is possible for the researcher to identify the changes in the normative distribution of the attributes. One major strength of longitudinal design is that it is highly reliable and accurate. However, this design is limited since it is time consuming and its accuracy depends on the sample size (Shaffer, & Kipp, 2010). Unlike longitudinal design, cross-sectional design is a non-repeated study popularly described as a one observation method. This implies that the research information obtained from the study is recorded without any manipulation.

This method has the advantage of being economical and time saving since no repetition is required. However, cross-sectional design is not very accurate due to lack of continuity. Sequential designs on the hand are a combination of both longitudinal and cross-sectional designs. Under this design, perfect traits of the two are merged to enhance the accuracy of the research. It therefore entails continuous survey within the selected sample. This design has an advantage over the two since it gives room for the determination of the cohort effects in the samples size (Shaffer, & Kipp, 2010).

The main weakness of this design is ‘Poor Causational Analysis’ where environmental factor manipulation is not possible.How affluence and poverty negatively affect developmentThe development and growth capacity of the society is highly influenced by the extent of resource endowment. The inequality in the distribution of affluence results to poverty which limits the capacity of the nation to explore its production potential and capacity. Therefore, societies that live in poverty have limited resources at their disposal hence restricted or constraint growth and development.

On the other hand, the affluent group within the society has excess resources to meet their daily needs thereby increasing their ability to develop and grow economically (Jackson, 2012).ReferencesJackson, S. L. (2012). Research methods and statistics: A critical thinking approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2010). Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.