Julianna Braley

PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
Early Childhood:

Before my sister could fully open her front door, I was quickly greeted with hugs and
shouts of Aunt Julie! My sister let out a sigh of relief and my nieces Britain and Charlotte,
squeezed me tight. With a big grin, my five year old niece Britain asked me to follow her to her
room to show me the tooth she had lost. While I was there to see the whole family, it was
obvious Britain wanted to be the center of attention.
Soon after, my sister and brother in-law departed to go shopping and I was left to babysit.
Britain suggested we play with play dough. While the 3 of us played, it was apparent that Britain
had a vivid imagination. While her fine motor skills didnt allow her to make anything that
looked quite discernible, she came up with ideas for her creations and names for them without
hesitation. She would go on and on and tell imaginative stories about these new characters. At
times she was difficult to understand due to her speech impediment, but when I asked her to

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
repeat herself, she demonstrated she had benefited from her speech therapy as she would repeat
the sentence over enunciating her problem sounds.
After a little while of playing, Britain told me she was hungry. So, she went to the fridge
and pulled out materials for burritos. Asking how many they wanted, Britain said two and
Charlotte followed her sister and replied two as well. Because Charlotte is only two and a half, I
figured she probably wouldnt eat much, so not wanting to upset her or waste food, I used my
knowledge of preoperational intelligence and split Charlottes in half. Charlotte was happy with
the arrangement. However, when Britain saw what I had done, she immediately pointed out that I
didnt make her two, I just cut it in half. This was evidence that Britain was moving past
preoperational thought.
We then decided to go to the living room and play with toys. It was apparent Charlotte
wanted to play by herself but Britain was eager to engage in cooperative play with me.
Throughout the time we played, she would assign us both roles. When she asked what animal
one of the toys was, I said it must be a girl lion because it was the same size, it just didnt have a
mane. Because the lion with a mane was a bit of a different color, she couldnt understand the
abstract thought that both could be lions and be slightly different colors. This demonstrated that
while her logic was improving she still had difficulty grasping ideas that didnt fit into her
known belief system.
When my sister came home, both girls were quick to hug their mommy. But when Emily
told them it was bedtime, Britain tried to make up illogical excuses. Such as, she was starving to
death. She hadnt thought about the fact that her dirty dishes were still on the table or the idea

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
that her mother knew what she had eaten already. When Emily wouldnt accept the excuses,
Britain began to throw a tantrum. It was apparent she still struggled with controlling her
emotions at times. However, when I gave her a big hug and told her all about how I love
bedtime, she seemed to settle down and went off to bed.
Adolescence:

When I first walked into the familiar house of my aunt, uncle, and cousins, I was happily
greeted by the smell of enchiladas and my bubbly aunt. I had informed her earlier that I would be
coming over to observe my 15 year old cousin. So naturally, one of my first questions was,
where is he? Oh just hiding in his room like always she chuckled, I laughed as I was reminded
of the typical antisocial teenage behavior. She yelled his name and after some negotiation, he
pounded down the stairs, I noticed he had gained quite a bit of weight and height, his appearance

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
was really starting to reflect his newfound role of football player. His baggy t-shirt hung over his
broad shoulders and I was soon engulfed with a big hug.
When we sat down to dinner, we all began to reminisce over the memories we had had
sitting at this table over the years. I had grown up with my 4 cousins, two of them now on
missions, and we had had a lot of great memories in this house. Although he had been a few
years younger than us all, he seemed to remember the stories as well as I did. At times, it was
evident that he still struggled with his stutter, an issue that hed always had along with a few
others in my family. However this didnt stop him from jumping from one story to the next,
without completing his first thought. It was apparent he also had quite a short attention span.
After dinner, we all sat down in the living room and continued our conversation. This is
when I let on that I was observing him. I told him I also needed to observe one more thing. I
grabbed a book and hurled it at him saying Think fast!, like I expected he caught it with ease,
his coordination was definitely in its prime. To demonstrate my point even further I then threw a
book at my uncle Jay repeating the same words. While I cant say that my uncle hadnt already
caught onto what I was attempting to demonstrate and adjusted his behavior accordingly, he
failed to catch the book as expected.
When I got ready to leave, he walked me out to my car. While we were alone, he
confessed to me that he had been having problems with some emotional issues, and because he
knew I had had some of the same difficulties, I believe he was seeking some sort of validation
that he was not alone in this struggle. I reassured him that it was difficult to deal with, and told
him some abstract ways of thinking that helped me. During this conversation, while it was

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
obvious he understood what I was saying, it was apparent he felt a bit uncomfortable, he shifted
back and forth not knowing how to reply and possibly feeling a bit more self-conscious than he
needed to, but I understood. His imaginary audience was likely judging him harshly at this
moment; a big football player asking for advice on anxiety. The conversation ended with a
gracious thank you and we parted with a hug.

Adulthood:

We had been house hunting all day, and my mother and I decided to go to a diner in an
attempt to nourish our hanger. We both had disagreed in many aspects of what we wanted in a
new home. She wanted an impractical home nestled in the avenues while my dad and I wanted a

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
house in the suburbs that would provide a better commute. All day we had been mumbling
snarky comments about each others opinions under our breath.
When we sat down, I really looked at her, I could see the bags under her eyes through her
thick glasses. She was overworked. You could see the exhaustion of working a high stress sales
job while managing the title of mom in her eyes. Her body had taken a toll due to the pressure
too, on top of constant pain and headaches she had had to undergo back surgery as well as knee
surgery over the course of just one year.
A few minutes of silence went by with small comments about our day, when the food
came, she thoughtfully picked at it with her delicate fingers. She began to speak, I guess I just
feel like Ive always had to put everyone elses needs before mine, and for once, Id like to come
first. When she first uttered this, I felt a bit frustrated. But as she went on I began to see what
was going on more clearly.
She recounted her life as 1 of 7 children with a poor single mother, then went on to have
4 children of her own at a young age. She was right, she oftentimes had more needs to consider
than just herself, and now at the age of 46 she had yet to feel free. She went on, I just felt like
this was finally my time to do what I wanted, thats why I decided to sell the house. I nodded as
she softly continued, I guess it was too soon, I still need to consider my family. It was evident
that as she spoke she was able to combine her feelings and logic together to come to a
conclusion; a skill people usually develop in adulthood.
While in the moment we hadnt rationally thought through our stressors, luckily our adult
brains allowed us to sit down, have a conversation, and form conclusions based off of abstract

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
ideas. As dinner wrapped up, it was evident that the conversation had greatened our
understanding for each other, and therefore the stress and frustration was lessened.

Late Adulthood:

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project

Visiting my grandfather wasnt the easiest thing to do. While I was glad to see him, his
decrepit slender appearance and inability to move out of bed tugged at my heartstrings. His fine
motor skills were degenerating, his frail hands fumbled with the remote attempting to turn off the
TV. It was obvious his body and mind were deteriorating, but the sudden grin on his face when
he saw me quickly soothed my aching heart.
When I first sat down next to his bedside he was eager to tell me all about the health
problems he had been having. He had recently come out of a nursing home and was relieved to
be back at home. While he recounted his story of all of the injuries and recoveries he had made
in the past few months, it was obvious his memory was not functioning as well as it once had. He
failed to remember I had heard these stories before. But I wasnt upset, he seemed to be enjoying
his storytelling. It was a bit hard to understand him at times, he would talk softly, then loudly,
and would stutter for what seemed like forever until I reminded him of the word he was looking
for. He also had a little difficulty hearing me, it seemed that his hearing had continued to go

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
downhill since the last time I saw him. However, he seemed to want to do most of the talking, so
this wasnt a major issue.
Towards the end of our visit, he began to ask me about my life. He was happy to hear that
I was in school and working, but he was dissatisfied that I wasnt dating anyone or planning on
getting married soon. He seemed to be stuck in his mindset that women should marry young.
Perhaps this failure to agree was due to our generational gap. Either way, he didnt seem too
open-minded when it came to the way I was choosing to conduct my life. However, we had had
these disagreements in the past and I was comforted by the familiarity of our petty arguments
that usually ended in my laughter and him shaking his head. Our conversation drew to a close
when he began to grow tired. I gave him a hug, got him situated with water and pillows, and
walked away with bittersweet tears in my eyes.
Reflection:
The experience of observing different stages of the lifespan in a scientific way was quite
eye opening to me. Not only was I able to observe the individuals in the particular stage of life
and their mannerisms, but I was able to make observations about how they interacted and
thought about the people around them. The insight I have gained in this class through reading,
reflection, and hands on observation has been particularly useful in understanding different age
groups and why they may think and act in the way they do.
While I was observing my five year old niece, I enjoyed comparing the information I had
learned about young children with her behavior. It was quite amusing to see her demonstrate
theory-theory when she would attempt to explain things such as why snow falls to my younger

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
niece. And while I didnt observe my younger two year old niece for this particular project, it
was incredible to hear the vocabulary explosion that had occurred just since the last time I had
seen her. It was also very interesting to observe how they interacted together and to recognize the
type of play each wanted to participate in. I was even able to incorporate the ideas of
preoperational intelligence to keep my niece happy while conserving food.
When I observed my teenage cousin, I also was able to observe his imaginary audience.
To an outsider, a lot of his problems seemed quite trivial. However, because I knew just how
important peers are to teens, I was able to understand why he was worried by such minor
experiences. And to help him feel a little less crazy, I was also able to tell him that often when
youre a teenager, you dont think rationally due to the fact that your amygdala (emotion part) of
the brain develops before your prefrontal cortex (thinking part) of the brain. And this often lead
to completely normal, but still, irrational thoughts. Letting him know that the logical part would
soon catch up seemed to help him feel a bit less alone.
This project also helped me understand my mother a bit better too. Just letting her speak
about her life experiences and how she felt these things shaped her, seemed to be beneficial for
her. In everyday life, I also am able to observe the developing closeness discussed in the book
about empty-nesters. My mother and fathers relationship seems to be improving now that us
kids are now grown and they have more time to spend together and are less stressed by
disagreements on parenting styles.
The knowledge I gained in this class was also helpful in lessening the sadness of seeing
my grandpa age. Knowing that many of the things I observed, such as his forgetful mind due to
the onset of dementia, was actually quite normal, made me feel a little less scared. I also was

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
able to comfort my grandpa by inspiring him to talk about religion; a topic that reduces many
older adults stress.
Overall the information I have gained in this course has made an impact on how I will
continue to interact with people throughout the lifespan. Knowing how different age groups tend
to think, how they conduct themselves, and what is most important to them can benefit me in the
future. This knowledge I have gained will help me relate better to others and therefore be better
equipped to help people in whatever field I may go into.

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project

Research: Egocentrism and the Imaginary Audience

Weve all witnessed it, adolescents appear to be obsessed with themselves. You see this in
teens that wont leave the house due to a pimple or maybe they dye their hair pink to stand out.
You also may see a teen spending hours obsessing over a 30 second conversation they had with a
crush. Teenagers spend an incredible amount of time self-evaluating. This characteristic was first
described by David Elkind in 1967 as adolescent egocentrism. Basically, adolescents believe that
everything they do is being heaving scrutinized and interpret everyone elses behavior as if it
were a judgement on them. (Berger, 2014) This egocentrism leads to the development of
something called an imaginary audience. In a teens mind this imagined audience is making
constant judgements about just about everything this particular individual says or does. This can
cause an adolescent to over exaggerate the importance of every move they make.
While this imaginary audience can cause teens to do seemingly harmless things like
spend time doing their makeup with excruciating detail, this audience can also have some
negative implications. The extent that subjects imagine (and fear) exposure of the abiding self,
they also evidence less self-esteem in general, less security in their identity, and less sense of
being worthy of love. (Ryan & Kuczkowski, 1994) If this imaginary audience can cause
adolescents to develop low self-confidence and perform perfectionistic behaviors, why would
they continue to believe in such a thing? Well, Bell and Bromnick have a different idea about this

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project
imaginary audience. They believe that there is no such thing as an imaginary audience and that
adolescents perform this behavior because there are real social consequences for not conforming
to certain ideals.
In a study they conducted they found that the same young people who have concerns
about what other people think do watch and evaluate others. This study provides strong evidence
that their concerns are rooted in social reality and are not just in their heads. (Bell &
Bromnick, 2003) This finding theorizes that this imaginary pressure teenagers put on
themselves, is for good reason. The adolescents in this study spoke of the real consequences of
not living up to societal expectations such as bullying and social isolation.
In my opinion, I can see why these researchers would attempt to reverse the idea that
these ideas are fantasy. However, I also can agree with the idea that these beliefs are perhaps
taken a little bit too far by adolescents sometimes. For example, when I observed my teenage
cousin, he had to gather up the courage to tell me that he was struggling with depression. Being
the stereotypical big 64 football player, he was afraid of telling his friends that he struggled
with anxiety and depression. You could blame this on an imaginary audience. Was he really
overreacting by keeping such a secret? Perhaps. His teammates could very well be sympathetic
to his admission. But in my opinion, he very well has good reason to not publicize his struggles
as well. If a fellow football player formed the opinion that he was mentally weak, this could
easily translate to an idea of weakness on the field as well. While this wouldnt likely ruin his
life, it could result in social consequences. Although teenage behavior can seem quite extreme in
some moments, perhaps appeasing this delusionary imaginary audience actually has a bit of
rationale behind it.

Julianna Braley
PSY 1100-405
Fall 2016
Lifespan Semester Project

References
Bell, J. H., & Bromnick, R. D. (2003). The Social Reality of the Imaginary
Audience: A Grounded Theory Approach. Adolescence Vol. 38 Issue
150, 205-219.
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to The Life Span. New York: Worth Publishers.
Ryan, R. M., & Kuczkowski, R. (1994). The Imaginary Audience, SelfConsciousness, and Public Individuation in Adolescence. Journal of
Personality, 219-238.