Introduction to Human Development
INTRODUCTION
“The human being… the most sophisticated, amazing and wondrous creation in this earth.
If one would take a peek at what’s inside his human body, he’ll be amazed to see hundreds of bones, miles of blood vessels and trillions of cells, all working together so he could be healthy and in perfect shape. Each organ, each body part, each a miracle… Each a piece of evidence of God’s mighty providence.”
This lesson familiarizes you with the principles and stages of human growth, maturation and development. It discusses how humans grow, develop, change and adapt to their environment throughout their life span.
Warm-Up
Did you know that there are 26 billion cells in a new born baby and about 50 trillion cells in an adult? Cells are responsible for supplying you with the energy you need, transporting oxygen around your body and moving your body parts. Indeed, every single cell in your body helps you maintain vitality and life.
BASIC CONCEPTS
1. Human Development refers to the biological and psychological development of the human being throughout the lifespan. It consists of the development from infancy, childhood, and adolescence, adulthood to old age.
2. Development refers to the qualitative, progressive series of changes in an orderly and coherent fashion leading to maturation
3. Growth refers to quantitative changes in an individual as he progresses in chronological age.
4. Maturation is the process by which heredity exerts its influence long after birth.
5. Genetics is the science of heredity. It originated with the discovery by Gregor Mendel that hereditary characters are determined by factors transmitted without change and in predictable fashion from one generation to the next.
6. Heredity is the passing on of physical or mental characteristics from parents to offspring through the genes.
7. Gene is a unit of heredity; a segment of the DNA which contains the instructions for the development of a
“The human being… the most sophisticated, amazing and wondrous creation in this earth.
If one would take a peek at what’s inside his human body, he’ll be amazed to see hundreds of bones, miles of blood vessels and trillions of cells, all working together so he could be healthy and in perfect shape. Each organ, each body part, each a miracle… Each a piece of evidence of God’s mighty providence.”
This lesson familiarizes you with the principles and stages of human growth, maturation and development. It discusses how humans grow, develop, change and adapt to their environment throughout their life span.
Warm-Up
Did you know that there are 26 billion cells in a new born baby and about 50 trillion cells in an adult? Cells are responsible for supplying you with the energy you need, transporting oxygen around your body and moving your body parts. Indeed, every single cell in your body helps you maintain vitality and life.
BASIC CONCEPTS
1. Human Development refers to the biological and psychological development of the human being throughout the lifespan. It consists of the development from infancy, childhood, and adolescence, adulthood to old age.
2. Development refers to the qualitative, progressive series of changes in an orderly and coherent fashion leading to maturation
3. Growth refers to quantitative changes in an individual as he progresses in chronological age.
4. Maturation is the process by which heredity exerts its influence long after birth.
5. Genetics is the science of heredity. It originated with the discovery by Gregor Mendel that hereditary characters are determined by factors transmitted without change and in predictable fashion from one generation to the next.
6. Heredity is the passing on of physical or mental characteristics from parents to offspring through the genes.
7. Gene is a unit of heredity; a segment of the DNA which contains the instructions for the development of a