MODULE 1.

INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

Module Objectives:

1. define the nature of developmental psychology and its origin

2. distinguish the major precepts of developmental psychology and
3. identify periods of development and its significance to human formation

TAlK BaCk
Reflective exercise:

LESSON 1. Understanding Developmental Psychology

 Developmental psychology is the scientific study of changes

that occur in human beings over the course of their life span.

 The pattern of change that begins at conception and

continues through the life cycle.

 Developmental psychology, a broad area of study

exploring the development of humans over time, involves the
examination of the ways people develop over the course of their
lifespan as well as the evolution of cultures as a whole.

 Developmental psychology is the study of psychological

phenomena that change at any point in the life span.

 Early adulthood is not the endpoint of development; rather,

 no age period dominates development. Researchers increasingly study the experiences
and psychological orientations of adults at different points in their lives.

Concept of Development

The ‘concept of development’ refers to the criteria (if any) for

differentiating change from development. This concept varies
across approaches to developmental psychology. For
example, there is disagreement about whether developmental
changes can or should be universal (i.e., occurring to all
individuals), irreversible (i.e., not naturally reversible or even
immune to intervention), qualitative (i.e., stage-like rather
than step-like and gradual), or goal directed (related or unrelated to a possible end state).

Legitimate, but contrasting, developmental psychologies rest on dissimilar conceptual

assumptions concerning the extent of the difference, if any, between change and development
(e.g., Harris 1957).

The guiding assumptions of developmental psychology

(a) the developmental perspective, or the notion that current behaviors are linked to past and
present conditions and processes;
(b) that developmental research methods must direct attention to individual change; and
(c) that important developmental changes may occur throughout the life span.

THE MAJOR PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENT

1. Development is Multidimensional

 Whatever your age, your body, your mind, your emotions, and your relationships are changing
and affecting each other.

 Development consists of biological, cognitive, and socioemotional dimensions.

 Even within a dimension, there are many components for example, attention, memory,
abstract thinking, speed of processing information, and social intelligence are just a few of the
components of the cognitive dimension

2. Development is Multidirectional throughout Life

 Some dimensions or components of a dimension expand, and others shrink. For example,
when one language (such as English) is acquired early in development, the capacity for
acquiring second and third languages (such as Spanish and Chinese) decreases later in
development, especially after early childhood (Levelt, 1989).

 During adolescence, as individuals establish romantic relationships, their time spent with
friends may decrease.

 During late adulthood, older adults might become wiser by being able to call on experience to
guide their intellectual decision making, but they perform more poorly on tasks that require
speed in processing information (Baltes,2009; Baltes & Kuntzman, 2007; Salthouse, 2009)

3. Developmental Science is Multidisciplinary

Psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, neuroscientists, and medical researchers all

share an interest in unlocking the mysteries of development through the life span. How do
your heredity and health limit your intelligence? Do intelligence and social relationships
change with age in the same way around the world? How do families and schools influence
intellectual development? These are examples of research questions that cut across
disciplines.

BIOLOGICAL, COGNITIVE & SOCIOEMOTIONAL PROCESSES OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

We defined development as the pattern of change that begins

at conception and continues through the life span. The
pattern is complex because it is the product of biological,
cognitive, and socioemotional processes.

Biological processes produce changes in an individual’s physical nature

 Genes inherited from parents, the development of the brain, height and weight gains,
changes in motor skills, the hormonal changes of puberty, and cardiovascular decline are all
examples of biological processes that affect development.

Cognitive processes

 These refer to changes in the individual’s thought, intelligence, and language. Watching a
colorful mobile swinging above the crib, putting together a two- word sentence, memorizing a
poem, imagining what it would be like to be a movie star, and solving a crossword puzzle all
involve cognitive processes.
 biological process

cognitve socioemotional
process process

Socioemotional processes

 They involve changes in the individual’s relationships with other people, changes in emotions,
and changes in personality.

 A child’s response to a parent’s touch, a toddler’s aggressive attack on a playmate, a school-

age child’s development of assertiveness, an adolescent’s joy at a party, and the affection of an
elderly woman all reflect the role of socioemotional processes in development.

Biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes are inextricably intertwined

(Diamond,2007)

Consider a baby smiling in response to a parent’s touch. This response depends on biological
processes (the physical nature of touch and responsiveness to it), cognitive processes (the
ability to understand intentional acts), and socioemotional processes (the act of smiling often
reflects a positive emotional feeling and smiling helps to connect us in positive ways with
other human beings). In many instances, biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes
are bidirectional. For example, biological processes can influence cognitive processes and vice
versa.

Periods of Development
The interplay of biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes produces the periods of
the human life span. A developmental period refers to a time frame in a person’s life that is
characterized by certain features.

 The prenatal period is the time from conception to birth. It involves tremendous
growth—from a single cell to an organism complete with brain and behavioral
capabilities—and takes place in approximately a nine-month period.

 Infancy is the developmental period from birth to 18 or 24 months. Infancy is a

time of extreme dependence upon adults. During this period, many psychological
activities—language, symbolic thought, sensorimotor coordination, and social learning,
for example—are just beginning.

 Early childhood is the developmental period from the end of infancy to age 5 or
6. This period is sometimes called the ―preschool years. During this time, young
children learn to become more self-sufficient and to care for themselves, develop
school readiness skills (following instructions, identifying letters), and spend many
hours in play with peers. First grade typically marks the end of early childhood

 Middle and late childhood is the developmental period from about 6 to 11 years
of age, approximately corresponding to the elementary school years. During this
period, the fundamental skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic are mastered. The
child is formally exposed to the larger world and its culture. Achievement becomes a
more central theme of the child’s world, and self-control increases.

 Adolescence is the developmental period of transition from childhood to early

adulthood, entered at approximately 10 to 12 years of age and ending at 18 to 21 years of
age. Adolescence begins with rapid physical changes—dramatic gains in height and
weight, changes in body contour, and the development of sexual characteristics. At this
point in development, the pursuit of independence and an identity are prominent.
Thought is more logical, abstract, and idealistic. More time is spent outside the family.

 Early adulthood is the developmental period that begins in the early twenties
and lasts through the thirties. It is a time of establishing personal and economic
independence, career development, and, for many, selecting a mate, learning to live
with someone in an intimate way, starting a family, and rearing children.

 Middle adulthood is the developmental period from approximately 40 years of

age to about 60. It is a time of expanding personal and social involvement and
responsibility; of assisting the next generation in becoming competent, mature
individuals; and of reaching and maintaining satisfaction in a career.

 Late adulthood is the developmental period that begins in the sixties or

seventies and lasts until death. It is a time of life review, retirement, and adjustment to
new social roles involving decreasing strength and health. Late adulthood has the
longest span of any period of development; the number of people in this age group has
been increasing dramatically. As a result, life- span developmentalists have been
 paying more attention to differences within late adulthood (Scheibe, Freund, & Baltes,
2007).

 A major change takes place in older adults’ lives as they become the ―oldest-
old, on average at about 85 years of age. For example, the ―young-old‖ (classified as
65 through 84 in this analysis) have substantial potential for physical and cognitive
fitness, retain much of their cognitive capacity, and can develop strategies to cope with
the gains and losses of aging. In contrast, the oldest-old (85 and older) show
considerable loss in cognitive skills, experience an increase in chronic stress, and are
more weak (Baltes & Smith, 2003).

 Considerable variation exists in how much the oldest-old retain their

capabilities. Thus, Baltes and Smith concluded that considerable plasticity and
adaptability characterize adults from their sixties until their mid-eighties but that the
oldest-old have reached the limits of their functional capacity, which makes
interventions to improve their lives difficult

Conceptions of Age

Chronological age—number of years elapsed since person’s birth. Many developmentalist’s

argue that chronological age is not very relevant to understand a person’s psychological
development.  A person’s age does not cause development. Time is a crude index of many
events and experiences and it does not cause anything.

Biological age—age in terms of biological health.

 Determining biological age involves knowing the functional capacities of a person’s vital
organ system.  The younger the person’s biological age, the longer the person is expected to
live, regardless of chronological age.

Psychological age—individual’s adaptive capacities compared to those of other individuals of

the same chronological age.

 Thus older adults who continue to learn, are flexible, are motivated, control their emotions,
and think clearly are engaging in more adaptive behaviors than their chronological age mates
who do not continue to learn, are rigid, are unmotivated, do not control their emotions, and do
not think clearly.

Social age—social roles and expectations related to person’s age.

 Consider the role of a mother and the behaviors that accompany the role. In predicting an
adult woman’s behavior, it may be more important to know that she is the mother of a 3-year-
old child than to know whether she is 20 or 30 years old.

Developmental Issues

Nature and Nurture Extent to which development is influenced by

nature and by nurture.

Stability and Change Degree to which early traits and

characteristics persist through life or
change.

Critical and Sensitive Periods the presence of certain kinds of

environmental stimuli are necessary for
development to proceed normally.

Continuity-Discontinuity Extent development involves gradual,

cumulative change (continuity) or distinct
stages (discontinuity).

Nature & Nurture

 The nature-nurture-issue revolves around the idea that both nature and nurturing
may play a role in the growth and development of an individual. Some argue the tabula
rasa theory, that every person's mind is a blank slate at birth, while others believe that
some traits are inborn. Some researchers place a great deal of emphasis on the
nurturing a child receives during his or her formative years, believing this nurturing
results in the formation of traits and characteristics in an individual.

Stability & Change

  Whether the early traits and characteristics in life continue throughout the individual's
life, or change. Some researchers believe that’ stability in traits is the result of
heredity, or early-life experiences. Contrarily, researchers who lean more towards
change believe that experiences later in life can lead to change.

Continuity-Discontinuity

 One of the important issues facing developmental psychologists is whether

development proceeds in a continuous or discontinuous manner. Continuous change
refers to changes that are gradual, subtle with achievement at one level building on
those of previous levels. Continuous change is quantitative. The underlying
development process remains the same over the lifespan. In continuous change,
changes are a matter of degree, not kind. According to some experts, changes in
individual thinking abilities are also continuous as these build on gradual improvements
rather than developing entirely new processing capabilities. Discontinuous change:
Development is also viewed as discontinuous. Discontinuous change occurs in distinct
stages. Each stage brings about behavior that is assumed to be qualitatively different
from behavior at earlier stages. For e.g., cognitive development experts have pointed
out that our thinking changes in fundamental ways as we develop. It not only changes
quantitatively but also qualitatively.

Critical and Sensitive Periods

 Another important issue related to development is that of critical and sensitive

period. A critical period is a specific time during development when a particular event
has its greater consequences. Critical periods occur when the presence of certain
kinds of environmental stimuli are necessary for development to proceed normally.
Critical period is more important for physical development rather than social or
personality development. In sensitive period, organisms are particularly susceptible
to certain kinds of stimuli in their environments. In contrast to a critical period,
however, the absence of those stimuli during a sensitive period does not always
produce irreversible consequences.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

1. What happen to those with developmental disorders and how will it affect the process
of biological, cognitive and socio-emotional development?
2. What is the importance of knowing the different developmental issues?
3. What is the most critical developmental phase and why is it so???

ASSESSMENT: