Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Growth
•Growth occurs during gestation,
childhood and adolescence.
•Growth rate = change in size per unit time.
•Growth curve = when growth rates are
plotted graphically.
•Humans have two growth spurts, one
between 0-2 years called the infant growth
spurt and one during puberty known as the
pubertal growth spurt.
Growth
Investigating Growth and
Ageing
Senescence is the deterioration of bodily functions and the
appearance of features associated with old age. It is usually
investigated by one of the following techniques – which are
also used to investigate growth
Childhood During childhood boys and girls grow at the same rate this
growth is controlled by hormones. The hormonal control is
the same as in the infant period.
➨ Growth of brain and head very rapid in early years, which enables
scope for greater learning in childhood. This allows development of
complex types of behaviour because the extended childhood allows
longer period of learning
➨ There is no need for reproductive organs to develop until
adulthood. Reproductive organs develop slowly until puberty (12/13
years), when development is faster. Growth of reproductive organs
at puberty allows reproductively mature individuals to be
distinguishable. Reproductive organs are developing when the body/
person is mature enough to rear children
Ageing
Main Physiological effects of ageing