Who are we? How did we become the people we are today? There have been numerous ways to explain and understand the human experience. To begin our exploration, we must identify what human development is and understand its evolution as a discipline. Human development is a field of study that examines the factors that influence change across the lifespan. In this textbook, we will focus on the period known as childhood, starting from conception through adolescence.

This chapter will address the different developmental stages people progress through in their early lives. Growth will be looked at using eight domains of development: adaptive, cognitive, identity, language, moral, physical, sexual, social, and emotional. Additionally, a brief timeline of human development approaches will be discussed along with historical perspectives. It is imperative to acknowledge how history impacts communities and their ability to support their youngest citizens.

Perhaps you have wondered why some children progress easily through the ages and stages of development while others struggle. There are many factors that can influence development. Social and environmental factors, or social determinants like race and class, are clearly connected to the disparities, or differences, seen within child development. Further, systemic inequalities, or biases within systems of society, lead to advantages for some groups and disadvantages for others.

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you will be able to do the following:

1. Summarize the rise of human development as a discipline and how historical context has impacted views on human development.
2. Describe the developmental lifespan through the foundational principles of equity and inclusion.

Key Terms

Throughout this chapter, you will be introduced to important key terms that will help deepen your understanding of human development.

• Adaptive development: a process by which children learn skills and behaviors that allow them to engage in developmentally appropriate self-care and life tasks
• Cognitive development: a process by which children acquire and process information and then learn how to use it in their environment
• Developmental domain: a broad area of development that encompasses a range of skills and abilities
• Developmental milestones: skills and behaviors used to evaluate age-related progress within a given domain
• Developmental justice: the belief that children are deserving of respect, equal rights, and access to the optimal conditions needed to thrive in their lives
• Equity: an ideal aimed at achieving fairness and justice by providing the conditions needed for people to thrive in their environments
• Gender identity development: the construction of one’s understanding of their gender
• Human development: the study of how humans change and grow over their lifespan
• Intersectionality: the interconnected relationship between systemic privilege and oppression, social identities, and the impact on one’s experiences in society
• Language development: a process by which children acquire and process language and learn how to use it to communicate with others
• Moral development: a process by which children process their understanding of right and wrong as related to their social and environmental contexts
• Physical development: a process in which children’s brains and bodies grow to help them engage with and thrive in their environment
• Privilege: advantage and opportunity based on social identity, which can be earned or unearned
• Oppression: a form of systemic injustice based on social identity resulting in social disadvantages and barriers to individuals and groups
• Sexual development: a biological and physiological process by which children develop awareness of their bodies leading to sexual maturation, sexual identity, and awareness of oneself as a sexual being
• Social construction: a concept or idea that is assigned a specific meaning or value in a society
• Social determinants: the physical and social circumstances, shaped by larger societal forces, that can substantially influence individual and group outcomes
• Social determinants of health: the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes
• Social and emotional development: a process by which children gain understanding of themselves, their emotions, and the connections between themselves and others
• Social justice: the belief that all people are deserving of equal rights, protections, and opportunities in society
• Systemic inequalities: biases and practices embedded within systems of society that lead to advantages for some groups in society and disadvantages for others

Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives

“Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives” by Christina Belli, Esmeralda Janeth Julyan, and Terese Jones is licensed under CC BY 4.0.