A2 GCE Health and Social Care

Revision Schedule [April 2012 update]

Unit 11: Understanding human behaviour and development [F920]

Topic / Details / Completed
Overview / Identify life stages – infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, later adulthood.
Identify PIES – physical, intellectual, emotional and social aspects of development.
Nature/Nurture / Identify the main aspects of the nature/nurture debate.
Which factors affecting human behaviour and development relate mainly to ‘nature’/biological/inherited influences, which relate mainly to ‘nurture’/environmental/upbringing influences and which relate to an interaction of both ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’?
Which theories of human development relate mainly to ‘nature’, which relate mainly to ‘nurture’ and which relate to an interaction of both?
Factors influencing
human development / Identify the following categories offactors which influence human development
  • genetic influences
  • socio-economic influences
  • influences of the physical environment
  • psychological influences

Genetic influences / Identify and give examples ofgenetic influences and the physical, intellectual, emotional and social effects they could have on human behaviour and development at different life stages.
It should be remembered that some genetic influences will have greater effect on physical development than others, some will have greater effect on intellectual development and some will have greater effect on social and emotional development, therefore you should have an understanding of a range of genetic influences.
Socio-economic influences / Identify and give examples of socio-economic influences and how they could affect physical, intellectual, emotional and social development and behaviour at different life stages.
Influences of the physical environment / Identify and give examples of influences of the physical environment and how they could affect physical, intellectual, emotional and social developmentand behaviour at different life stages.
Psychological
influences / Identify and give examples of psychological influences and how they could affect physical, intellectual, emotional and social development and behaviour at different life stages.
Interaction of influences / You should be able to identify, describe, explain, evaluate and analyse how the different influences interact, e.g. the effects of living in poor housing on an individual’s self-concept; the effects of income differences on access to health services; how noise pollution can cause anxiety etc. They should also be able to relatethem to PIES and life stages, e.g. the effect of nutrition on physical development in later adulthood, the effects that housing conditions can have on intellectual development in childhood, etc.
It should be remembered that the effects of influences could be positive/advantageous/beneficial ornegative/ disadvantageous/harmful to individuals at the different life stages, or could have some aspects of both. Where you are required to ‘evaluate’ you must be able to address both positive and negative aspects and come to a conclusion.
Theories of human
development / Identify one theory from each psychological perspective and outline the main features of each theory. Explain how each theory relates to the nature/nurture debate.
Relate each theory to the different life stages and areas of development as appropriate, e.g. the constructivist perspective relates specifically to the intellectual development of infants and children; the psychodynamic perspective relates mainly to social and emotional development of all life stages whilst the humanist perspective can relate to all aspects of development at all life stages.
How useful is each theory to the people who work in the different settings, i.e. why the theory might be useful in practice and why it might not be useful in a particular setting?
Application of theories / For each of the care settings listed in the specification identify:
  • the clients’ age group/life stage the setting applies to
  • whether the clients have any special needs/requirements
  • whether residential or sessional/day care is provided
  • special aspects of the setting e.g. the underlying philosophy of the hospice movement
  • theroles of the people who work in the settings.
How could each theory be used in each setting – how useful is each theory to people who work in the settings?
How mightclient groups in each setting benefit from practitioners having an understanding of appropriate theories?
Language development / Identify the main stages of language development.
Outline the main theories of language development - how do these relate to the nature/nurture debate?
Identify how neglect and deprivation can affect language development.

Please note: the GCE H&SC revision schedules cover the content of the unit; they in no way attempt to predict or cover the types of questions learners will be expected to answer when sitting the exam itself.

V3 May 2012