Introduction:

The discussion forum topic is an assignment to be submitted for a grade.  This is the second of ten discussion forum topics to be submitted during the semester.  Read the directions carefully and read the Grading Rubric, which can be viewed by clicking the three vertical dots in the upper right hand corner of the assignment, and then by clicking the words Show Rubric, then compose your response and submit your response by clicking Reply.     

Directions: 

You have learned about five theoretical perspectives in which to view life span psychology.  Now it is time to discuss the theoretical perspectives.  Although one theoretical perspective is not sufficient to fully explain life span development, which theoretical perspective seems like the one that is best suited to explain development across the human life span, from birth to old age?  With the concepts learned from Chapter 2 in mind, complete the following Tasks. 

Theoretical Perspectives:

Psychoanalytic perspective

Learning perspective

Cognitive perspective

Contextual perspective

Evolutionary/Sociobiological perspective

Tasks: 

1. State which of the five theoretical perspectives from Chapter 2 seems to be the best one to use to study human lifespan development.
2.  Explain why you think the theoretical perspective that you chose is the best one to study human lifespan development.
3.  Describe one drawback, meaning limitation, also meaning something that is not good, that you perceive about the theoretical perspective that you chose.
4.  Write one question that you would ask the pioneer of that perspective, if you could have a conversation with the pioneer of the theoretical perspective that you chose.
5. Reply to two classmates’ responses by asking a question, answering a question, offering a suggestion, giving praise, agreeing, politely disagreeing, providing encouragement, sharing a story, or offering a comment.    

How to Complete the Assignment: 

Read the five task items, and then compose a response to each of the five task items in the order in which they appear.  Be as specific as possible.  The responses should show that you have an understanding of the concepts being addressed. 

How the Assignment will be Scored: 

The assignment will be scored using the Grading Rubric for the assignment, which can be viewed by clicking the three vertical dots in the upper right hand corner of the assignment, and then by clicking the words Show Rubric.  The Grading Rubric is based on the Task items, which are aligned with the Learning Objectives of the chapter, which are aligned with the Course Objectives that are on the Syllabus, and which are aligned with the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for the course that are on the Syllabus.  If a response meets the criterion set forth in the Grading Rubric, then the response will earn 1 point.  If a response does not meet the criterion set forth in the Grading Rubric, then the response will not earn 1 point.  Each assignment is scored independently from previous assignments and each assignment is scored independently from future assignments.  

Where to Access the Score:  

The score for the assignment will be visible in the Grades area.  To view how the score was derived, you can view the points earned on the Grading Rubric by clicking the word Show Rubric in upper right hand of the page in the Grades area for this specific assignment.  If there is individual feedback on the assignment, then there will be individual feedback in the Assignment Comments area, which is right hand side of the page. 

Student Success Tip: 

Two Samples of Good Work are provided for students to use as a guide for how to gear their responses.  One sample is in a paragraph format and the other sample is in a numbered format.  Either format is acceptable to use when submitting your response.      

Samples of Good Work: 

Sample 1

The learning perspective is the best theoretical approach to use to study human life span development, because people learn, grow, and develop based on reinforcement of behavior and from watching others and copying what other people do.  One drawback, or limitation of this theoretical perspective  is that it does not account for an individual’s personality that influences behavior.  A question on my mind for the pioneer of this theoretical perspective is:  Is it possible for learning to occur between two people, if they live across the country and have never met each other in person and therefore have not had an opportunity to physically see each other in person, in order to be influenced by one another’s behavior? 

Sample 2

1.   The best theoretical perspective in which to view human life span development is the psychoanalytic perspective.
2.   The reason that the psychoanalytic perspective is the best theoretical perspective to use to study human life span development is because the theory relies heavily on social and emotional factors of a person.
3.   The psychoanalytic perspective is limited in the sense that it does not focus on behaviors that reinforce a person’s actions. 
4.   One question for the pioneer of the psychoanalytic perspective is how do you think using the Internet affects a person’s unconscious mind?    

Alignment of Assignment to the Course:

This discussion forum topic ties into Student Learning Outcome (SLO) 1:

Student Learning Outcomes 1.  Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical constructs among the 4 main areas of human development (Physical, Cognitive, Social, and Emotional) throughout the lifespan.

This discussion forum topic ties into Course Objective 1:

Course Objective 1.  Discuss the classical theoretical approaches to understanding human development across the lifespan.    

This discussion forum topic ties into Learning Objective 1 for Chapter 2: 

Learning Objective 1.   Discuss the theoretical perspectives used to study life span development. 

Rationale for the Assignment:

The purpose of the discussion forum topic is to apply the course material to the real world and to your own life by giving examples that are from evidence-based research and that are meaningful to you, and to show an understanding and mastery of the material.  This is due by Sunday night at 11:59 p.m.  Please see the Grading Rubric for the Discussion Forum Topic, by clicking the three vertical dots in the upper right hand corner of the assignment, and then by clicking the words Show Rubric.   

Life Span Psychology is one of the most interesting topics in the discipline. It does not just teach us theories; it leads us to look closely at human existence and