Life Span
Development
Basics and Methods
Psychology, Unit 6
1.
2.
3.
4.
Today’s Objectives
Apply developmental psychology
Explain the 3 themes of
developmental psychology.
Distinguish the 3 major methods
of study in developmental
psychology
Evaluate the pros and cons of
each method of study in
developmental psychology
Developmental Psychology
The study of human development
from conception to death
3
major themes: 1. individual
characteristics vs. shared human
traits 2. stability vs. change 3.
heredity vs. environment (nature
vs. nurture)
Methods in Developmental Psych
 Cross-sectional:
study changes by
comparing people of different ages at
the same time
Cohort: people born during the same
period of time
 Longitudinal study: study the same
people over time
 Biographical/retrospective study: study
thru interviews and infer the effects of
past events on current behavior
Cross Sectional Studies
PROS:
inexpensive, takes little
time, low drop-out rate
CONS: different age groups
aren’t necessarily alike,
differences across age groups
may be due to cohort
differences rather than age
Longitudinal Studies
 PROS: generates details info about
individuals, allows for study of
developmental change in great detail,
eliminated differences due to cohorts
 CONS: expensive and time
consuming, potentially high drop-out
rate, differences over time may be
due to differences in assessment tools
rather than age
Biographical/Retrospective Studies
PROS:
generate rich detail about
one individual’s life, allows for indepth study of one individual
CONS: individual’s recall is often
untrustworthy, can be very time
consuming and expensive
Exit Ticket
Describe what a developmental
psychologist studies.
2. Explain the 3 themes of
developmental psychology.
3. Distinguish the 3 major methods
of study in developmental
psychology
4. Evaluate the pros and cons of
each method of study in
developmental psychology
1.