47-501 Applied Human Development

Take Home Exam II

Fall 2004

· Please use any and all resources—except consultants—though your class readings should be sufficient to answer all questions.

· Remember that your answers must go beyond the undergraduate Feldman book.

· I am looking for theoretical support and critique as well as empirical evidence.

· Unsupported opinion is not appropriate.

· Type and double-space your answers.

· Be succinct. Answer the questions directly.

1. One popular myth about adolescence is that parents have no influence. Using Steinberg’s results, what would you tell parents of younger children who were in a parent support group in preparation for adolescence?

2. Discuss the extent and causes of adolescent suicide using a developmental model (i.e., what is it about adolescent development that makes it so different from childhood or adulthood with respect to suicide?).

3. What is the relation between Identity development (using Erikson’s model) and social class?

4. Describe and compare the Erikson’s and Levinson’s theories of adult development. Critique them from the perspective of Wilson’s Jobless Ghettos.

5. What type of cognitive capacity would you encourage in a program for young adults that would best prepare them for a successful adaptation to middle and later age (see Elder and recall Rutter), and what advice would you give to help people prevent a decline in his intellectual abilities during their later years?

6. Integrate Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages in the process of adjusting to death and Elder’s perspective on lifespan development in discussing the impact of experiencing the death of a partner in early vs. later adulthood.