An Introduction to Development:
Fundamental Issues in
Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology
• Basic question: What shapes the way we change
over time?
• Investigate the influence of multiple factors on
development, including biological,
environmental, social, cultural, and behavioral
factors
• Every area of psychology can be looked at from this
perspective
–
–
–
–
biological development
social development
cognitive / perceptual development
personality development
What is Developmental Psych?
• Developmental psychology is the study of
how people change physically, mentally, and
socially throughout the lifespan
• At every age and stage of life, developmental
psychologists investigate the influence of
multiple factors on development, including:
–
–
–
–
–
Biological
Environmental
Social
Cultural
Behavioral factors
Continuity and Stages
• How much of behavior is continuous
and how much follows a more stage
like development?
Fundamental Issues: Is
Development Continuous?
• Development means change - change can be
abrupt or gradual
• Two views of human development
– stage theories: there are distinct phases to
intellectual and personality development
– continuity: development is continuous
• These views have been applied to social,
personal and intellectual development
DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
OF LIFE
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
PRENATAL STAGE
NEWBORN STAGE
CHILDHOOD- infancy, early & late
ADOLESCENCE-early & late
ADULTHOOD- early, mid & late
Types of Growth Patterns
Stability and Change
• What developmental traits remain
stable over time, and which change?
Changes in each stage of
Lifelong Development
• Physiological- ex.
• Cognitive- ex.
• Personality- ex.
• Social- ex.
Homework assignment- Select a favorite TV
character and Identify at least three changes in
each area of change above, during lifespan
Fundamental Issues:
Critical Periods
• Critical period - Are there periods when an individual
is particularly sensitive to certain environmental
experiences?
– Are the first hours after birth critical for parent-child bonding?
– Is first year critical for developing trust?
– Easier to learn a language before age 10?
• Are there individual differences in stages and critical
periods?
• Some aspects of development, such as prenatal
development and language development, are
closely tied to critical periods
Themes in Development:
Gradual Changes
• Typical course of human (physical,
mental, & social) development is
gradually unfolding changes.
Themes of Development:
Nature and Nurture
• How much of our behavior is due to
nature and how much is due to
nurture?
• How do nature and nurture interact in
development?
Nature vs. Nurture
• What is role of heredity vs. environment in
determining psychological makeup?
– Is your IQ inherited or determined by nutrition and early
environment?
– Is there a ‘criminal’ gene or does poverty lead to criminal
behavior?
– Is sexual orientation a choice or genetically determined?
• These are some of our greatest societal debates
• Mistake to pose as ‘either / or’ questions
Developmental Research Methods
• Cross-sectional - performance of people
of different age groups is compared
• Longitudinal - performance of one group
of people is assessed repeatedly over
time
• Sequential - combines cross-sectional
and longitudinal approaches in a single
study