Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

4-25-2025

Keywords

adolescence, aging adulthood, Alzheimer's disease, approach, autism spectrum disorder, beneficial aspects, brief overview, changes, child development, childhood, cognitive and social development, decline trajectories, dementia, development, developmental changes, early childhood experiences, early signs, individual differences, infancy, influences, information-seeking, gerontology, good schooling, growth trajectories, lifespan, lifespan development, lifespan developmental approach, lifespan stages, lifespan theories, methods, middle-age, Montessori education, negative effects, older adults, older adulthood, positive effects, preschoolers, prominent lifespan theories, reading impairments, researchers, sequential stages, socioemotional well-being, text entry, toxins, young adulthood

Disciplines

Developmental Psychology

Abstract

The human lifespan consists of several sequential stages: infancy, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle-age, and older adulthood. Because salient changes typically occur at each stage, many researchers have tended to specialize in one area, such as child development or gerontology. However, it is also important to study development across the lifespan, not just within lifespan stages. Some researchers utilize a lifespan developmental approach by studying how early childhood experiences, such as exposure to toxins or good schooling, might lead to positive or negative effects in aging adulthood. Other researchers investigate early signs of later-diagnosed disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder or reading impairments. Recently, more aging researchers have started investigating how beneficial aspects in early childhood experiences, such as Montessori education for preschoolers, may be adapted for older adults, especially those with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. This entry will provide a brief overview of four prominent lifespan theories focusing on information-seeking and socioemotional well-being, three types of influences that account for individual differences in growth and decline trajectories across the lifespan, and methods for investigating lifespan effects.

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