Human Growth and Development Essay Example for Free

Human Growth and Development Essay Within the Hispanic culture, the generations that have come before us have struggled to keep traditions alive and thriving. Putting emphasis on proper traditions and celebrations is important. Our elders believe that it will keep our heritage strong. For example, there are two holidays that I would like to discuss, that are important to the Hispanic culture. These two holiday celebrations are Christmas and Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. Both of these holidays are celebrated enthusiastically, with food, family, music, and fun. My family takes pride in celebrating both of these holidays. The Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 1 and November 2 of each year, is a joyful holiday celebration, despite its morbid name. Death, particularly of a loved one, is celebrated as a new stage of life. Families decorate the graves with offerings such as toys, flowers, and small items that belonged to the deceased. This holiday is celebrated to honor the spirits, and life, of those who have died. One major cultural tradition that is celebrated during Christmas, other than Christmas itself, is Posada. This tradition is celebrated during the nine days before Christmas Eve. The travel of Saint Joseph and a pregnant Mary to Bethlehem is reenacted. Two statues, one of Saint Joseph and one of Mary, are carried to three predetermined house where the residents are asked for shelter. Two of those houses refuse shelter for the family. The third house accepts the plea for shelter, representing the Inn Keeper who helped the family. A Novena, a prayer with the rosary, then occurs. After the prayer there is a party. The last day of Posada is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The two cultural traditions described above have influenced not only my own development, but they have also helped the society develop. Within my own development, the environmental exposure, combined with more modern traditions, has helped me develop my sense of self and my own morals. The culture, as taught by our elders, has showed me the importance on the family in fostering the development of others. Within the society, the Hispanic culture, as with any culture, has helped to broaden the knowledge of others. This has helped children understand that there are differences between people; not every person is the same. Question 2: Explain the difference between an experiment, a study, and a quasi experiment, using detail. An experiment is used to determine a person’s behavior and/or development by altering different characterizations of the environment. The dependent variable would represent the behavior and/or development that is expected from the experiment. The independent variable represents the measures that would be taken by the experimenter, and also represents the cause in a ‘cause and effect’ relationship. For example, if a researcher was testing treatments to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis, the type of treatment would be called the independent variable, while the lesion scans would be called the dependent variable. There are a few factors that have to be considered before considering an experiment: the control group must consist of members that are randomly selected and equal to the experimental group; the object(s) of the experiment must be accurately categorized; and all experiments must be legal. A study consists of one group or person. There is no need for a control group or experimental characteristics. The function of a study is to provide information that is collected and analyzed. Observing, testing, and interviewing are all techniques used in a study. A study can spark an interest in experimentation. A study can help form a hypothesis that can be used for experimentation. Many of the early development information were derived from using a study on individuals. The information that was gained from such studies lead to experiments changing variables, which in turn gave way to much of the information we now have published regarding human development. A quasi experiment is similar to a regular experiment except for a few details: While a normal experiment uses random selecting and control groups, the quasi experiment uses a matching technique. Quasi experimenting uses elaboration – the process of sub-classifying or reclassifying variables. Quasi experimenting also involves narrowing down the dependent variable, known as specification. Question 3: Some developmental theorists focus on culture (Bronfenbrenner and Vygotsky) and others focus on individual history and experience (Skinner and Freud). Compare and contrast these theorists’ influences and how we see human development today while referring to their theory’s strengths and weaknesses. Freud’s believed that a person’s emotions and drives are influenced by the subconscious mind. Each person is unaware of the reasons by which they strive to fill their biological needs. For example, a woman may overeat as a way of subconsciously substituting food for frustration. Bronfenbrenner believed that a person’s development was centered around their environment. The interaction between a person’s biology, family, and society determines the development of that person. Any changes in a person’s environment could also change that person’s development. Skinner used operant conditioning, which theorized that a specific behavior could be changed through reinforcement or punishment. Skinner believed that human development depended on the person’s learning experience. This theory believed that a behavior could be changed or removed with either positive or negative reinforcement. Vygotsky stressed the importance of social interaction as a fundamental role of development. Full social interaction would engage cognitive development. Vygotsky’s theory was that of a social development theory, similar in comparison to Piaget. Question 4: Nature vs. Nurture. Discuss the gene/environment debate in terms of the interaction of genetics, biology, maturation, learning, society, and culture. Nature and nurture†¦one uses our environment as a determining factor for development, while the other uses human biology as a determining factor for development. Using nature as a determining factor theorizes that human development is left to what is encoded into human DNA. With this factor, humans have no control over their own development. Using nurture theorizes that the environment controls human development. With this factor, if the environment is changed, development can also be changed. This will always be a constant debate among the psychological community because of the fact that no two people are the same, and therefore, no two people develop the same.