By going through these Maharashtra State Board Class 11 Psychology Notes Chapter 4 Human Development students can recall all the concepts quickly.

Maharashtra State Board Class 11 Psychology Notes Chapter 4 Human Development

Introduction:

  1. The term ‘Human Development’ means a progressive series of changes that occur as a result of maturation and experience.
  2. Hereditary factors, as well as physical and social environment, determine development.
  3. Development occurs at an appropriate time in physical, cognitive, emotional as well as social aspects.

Characteristics of development:

  • Development follows a specific pattern.
  • Development takes place in specific direction.
  • Development is continuous.
  • Development proceeds from general to specific.
  • There are individual differences in development.
  • The rate of development is different for different body parts.
  • Development leads to integration.
  • Certain behavioural problems are normal for a particular stage.
  • Development is predictable.
  • The child develops as a unified whole.

Maharashtra Board Class 11 Psychology Notes Chapter 4 Human Development

Growth maturation and development:

  • Growth refers to physical changes as the age advances.
  • Maturation refers to a natural unfolding of the genetic potential at the appropriate time,
  • Development is qualitative change and it includes physical as well as mental changes.
  • The concepts of growth, maturation and development are parallel, i.e. an individual grows, matures and develops simultaneously.

Developmental Stages:

  1. Human life proceeds in stages.
  2. Broadly, human development can be classified into prenatal and postnatal stages.
  3. A period between conception till birth is called prenatal period while period after birth till death is called postnatal period.
  4. The stages in prenatal period are germinal stage, embryonic stage and fetal stage while post-natal period consists of neonatal stage, early childhood, late childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, late adulthood and old age.
  5. Each stage is associated with a different set of characteristics and problems.