Shiner and Shriner (2014) state that “…development involves a combination of stability and change, nature and nurture, and continuity and discontinuity… [it is a] combination of genetics and the environment that shapes us into the individuals that we become” (Chapter 1, section 1.1).

• Analyze what you believe this to mean in association with your life. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your reasoning.
• Give a personal, real-life example for each of the following:

  A non-normative life event
  A personal quality you believe is genetically based

  Explain why you believe this to be true.

  A personal quality you believe is experientially based

  Explain why you believe this to be true.

  Summarize your beliefs about how we develop. Use the week’s readings in the course textbook to guide your understanding, and be sure to cite it within your writing.

H-M

Shriner and Shriner (2014) state that “…age, the body, mind, emotions, and relationships will change, and those changes will affect one another. Development includes various dimensions, such as biological, cognitive, and social/emotional dimensions (Chapter 1, section 1.1).

• Evaluate a time in your life, or a life of which you have knowledge, when development was multidimensional. What domains of development were interacting with other domains? Describe these interactions.

  Example: Sue’s mother passed away (social/emotional) which subsequently had a negative effect on her ability to focus and concentrate (cognitive) on her school work.

• Estimate how often you believe these types of interactions occur in a person’s life and explain what your belief is based on?
• Explain how multidimensional development in one’s life affects others.

Share only information that you are comfortable with, or you may use another’s experiences or a fictitious example.

N-S

Apply Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model to your life, or a life of which you have knowledge. (See Chapter 1, section 1.2 in the course textbook.) Share only information that you are comfortable with, or you may use another’s experiences or a fictitious example.

• First, describe the people in your microsystem.
• Then, explain why you believe Bronfenbrenner suggests that in the mesosystem, quality of interrelationships is more important than the quantity.
• Describe a hypothetical interaction within your exosystem that has an impact on you.
• Describe a macrosystemic process that affects your day-to-day life.
• Finally, describe how the chronosystem has affected you and your online learning.
• Evaluate the factors you have listed. Which ecological area do you believe has been more dominating in your life?

T-Z

• Take the Conducting Scientific Studies interactive activity in Chapter 1, section 1.3 in the course textbook.

• Describe how familiar you were with the content of the activity.
• Explain why you believe you were successful (or struggled) with the activity.
• Explain the importance of understanding research methods as a student studying human development, including a practical commentary on the implications if a student does not understand differing methods and ethical implications.
• Analyze the following scenario and address the questions posed: Dr. Jack Keet is developing a research project about the effects of adult PTSD on teenage children. What does the course textbook (section 1.3) suggest is important to consider to prevent potential ethical issues of bias? How could Dr. Keet include this perspective in his design?

Peer Responses: Review several of your classmates’ posts. Provide a substantive response to at least two of your peers, at least one of whom was assigned a different content area than yours, in a minimum of 300 words (each reply), by Day 7 (Monday). Based on your understanding of the reading, add important information to the conversation. Are there additional things that should be discussed about this content? How does this content support our understanding of human development?

Instructor Responses: Review any instructor feedback on your postings. Often feedback is shared to help you to elevate your level of critical thought or make corrections. Reply based on this feedback to advance your understanding of the content addressed.

Observe the following guidelines for all responses:

• Remember that discussion forums should be conversations; dialogue is encouraged throughout the course.
• Provide a courteous and interactive learning environment.
• Continue to monitor this discussion through 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Day 7 of the week and reply to anyone (instructor or classmate) who has chosen to respond to your original post.
• Your grade will reflect the quality of your initial post, the depth of your peer replies, and your active support of forum dialogue.
• Your responses should demonstrate that you have read the existing replies on the board. (In your response, mention information and viewpoints already expressed by existing responses to the same post.)