Biology is the most important factor in determining how people develop and change across the lifespan

Option A

‘Biology is the most important factor in determining how people develop and change across the lifespan’. Discuss this claim, drawing on material from Book 2, Chapter 16 ‘Ageing and the brain’, and Chapter 18 ‘Exploring development and change across the lifespan’.

Word limit: 1500 words.

Weighting: 100% of the EMA mark.

Before you choose which option you will complete, you need to make sure you understand exactly what the question requires. This means identifying and understanding the process and content words.

Process and content words

In this question, there is one process word: ‘discuss’. This word asks you to consider and explain key aspects of a debate about a topic or argument. You will need to use evidence to make a case for or against a research topic/argument.

For Option A, ‘discuss’ requires you to explore whether biology is the most important factor in determining how people develop and change across the lifespan.

You should consider the evidence in relation to arguments that either support or challenge this claim. This means that you need to present:

Some examples that support the claim that biology is an important factor in determining how people develop and change across the lifespan.

Some examples which illustrate the importance of factors other than biology, such as psychological, social or life-style factors, that determine how people develop and change across the lifespan.

An evaluation of the quality of the relevant evidence and research. This means considering the usefulness of the evidence from your chosen examples.

The implications of the issues discussed (i.e. what this evidence means, and why this is important).

The content words are: ‘Biology is the most important factor in determining how people develop and change across the lifespan’.

Therefore, Option A requires you to:

• explain and provide evidence which shows that biology is an important factor in determining how people develop and change across the lifespan
• explain and provide evidence which shows the importance of other factors in determining how people develop and change across the lifespan
• evaluate the quality of the relevant evidence and research
• consider the implications of the issues discussed.

Relevant material

The essay question is very specific about the material that you should draw on for EMA Option A: Book 2, Chapter 16 ‘Ageing and the brain’, and Chapter 18 ‘Exploring development and change across the lifespan’. While these materials will contain a lot of information relevant to the question, when it comes to selecting examples you may find the following guidance helpful:

Chapter 16: Ageing and the brain

The Introduction brings in the ‘biopsychosocial’ approach to studying age-related changes that will be useful in helping you consider the claim in the question.

Section 1 discusses biological changes, such as the shortening of telomeres, and their role in age-related changes.

Section 2 explores changes to the brain as people age and the role of the hippocampus in memory. Section 2.3 highlights the association between brain changes in dementia and the rate of cognitive decline.

Section 3 discusses the role of genetics in how fast people age. This section also introduces the role of epigenesis in ageing. Epigenesis suggests that alterations to gene function are a result of interactions between internal and external (environmental) factors. Section 3.1 discusses the lifestyle factors that impact cognitive decline with age.

Section 4 highlights the importance of considering biological, psychological and social factors when researching how happiness changes with age.

Chapter 18: Exploring development and change across the lifespan discusses how to think more broadly about development, including the experiences of change.

Section 1.1 outlines some of the well-known developmental theories in psychology, including those that consider biological drives (Freud), and those that emphasise social and cultural aspects (e.g. Bandura and Vygotsky).

Section 1.2 challenges the assumption of ‘normal’ development as a natural and biological process.

Section 1.3 discusses Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model and non-biological factors that impact development and change across the lifespan.

Section 2.1 discusses attachment theory and the assumption that attachment to the mother is a biological drive, before examining the role of other factors (such as major life changes) that can play a role in children’s emotional and social development.

Section 3.1 discusses adverse childhood experiences and social and economic inequalities and their impact on development and change across the lifespan.

Section 3.2 discusses the physiological and psychosocial processes involved in stress responses, including the role of social and environmental factors.

Section 3.3 explores the overlapping social, structural and racial inequalities which impact health outcomes, which have implications for considering change and development across the lifespan.

Additional guidance

In the links listed below, you will find tips for writing this essay, but before you start working on it, you should make sure that you have completed the online activities relevant to this task. Even if you have previously completed these in the relevant weeks, you may wish to revisit them as part of your preparation for the EMA.

Week 27, Section 2 on preparing for the EMA. This section offers advice on how to complete the final assignment, including how to choose which option to answer and how to develop an argument in the essay.

Week 25, Section 4 on essay writing. You may find it valuable to revisit this section to help create an essay plan for the EMA.

Week 26, Section 2 on synthesis. This section deals with how to present material in an assignment in a logical and coherent way so that it addresses the question.

Week 2, Section 1.2, on evaluating studies and Week 10, Section 1.1. These sections introduced you to the PROMPT criteria which is designed to help you evaluate research. Remember that although the process word in the EMA is ‘discuss’, rather than ‘evaluate’, the answer should include an evaluation of the claim made in the question.

Importantly, before you begin to plan your essay, review the feedback you received from your tutor for the essay in TMA 03 to see if there is any advice about structure or content, and so on, that you could apply to this essay.

It is also important in this EMA that you include in-text citations throughout the main body of your text, and a reference list at the end of your essay.