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Lifespan Development

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Lifespan Development

Lifespan Development

A child can always brighten a room, the inquisitive look in a child’s eyes as he or she gazes upon their new surrounding, and the joy they get from everyday objects that adults take for granted because adults have seen and touched these objects. This paper will attempt to describe how certain surroundings and traditions can affect ones personality from aspects in their childhood. Over a lifespan the human body develops, and at different ages the body changes. What factors affect physical development? Physical development starts when we are born, the genetic make-up from our parents may decide on how fast or slow our motor skills are developed. Another factor that plays in our early development is the environment we are born into, or in some bigger families the place we are born into can be a factor in our development. According to child psychologist, Dr. Richard Woolfson a first born child may learn at a faster rate than a second or third born. First born children are surrounded by adults, so speech may come quicker where as a child born with siblings may develop motor skills at an accelerated rate often copying, or mimicking siblings. The environment that the child is exposed to is probably the most important factor in the child’s development, what children are exposed to, or not exposed to, may decide how their speech or personality are developed. A child exposed to violence, abuse and foul language may grow up thinking it is proper to act and speak in the same mannerism. A child exposed to an environment filled with cheerful, well spoken, educated adults may develop skills that will accelerate the development of their speech and motor skills.

What factors affect cognitive development? According to Carpenter (2008), “Just as a child's body and physical

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