Introduction to

Developmental Psychology
Chapter 1 - Week 1
What is Developmental Psychology?
• Developmental Psychology, or Lifespan Development, is the
scientific study of how humans grow, change, and stay the same
across their entire lives—from conception to death.
• It explores physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains,
providing insights into the forces shaping who we are.
The Lifespan Perspective
• Paul Baltes introduced a lifespan perspective to capture the
complexity of human development. Let’s break this down into six
principles:
1.Development is Lifelong:
1. Every stage of life matters. From a baby’s first steps to a senior’s
reflections on life, every phase contributes uniquely to personal growth.
2. Example: A teenager might focus on identity formation, while a retiree
may emphasize life satisfaction and legacy.
The Lifespan Perspective
2. Development is Multidirectional:
• Growth and decline occur simultaneously. For instance, older
adults may lose speed in cognitive processing but gain wisdom
and emotional stability.
The Lifespan Perspective
3. Development is Multidimensional:
• Changes occur across:
• Physical domain: Growth in height, sensory abilities, and motor skills.
Example: Infants learn to grasp objects, while older adults may
experience sensory decline.
• Cognitive domain: Includes memory, problem-solving, and language
skills. Example: A child learns new words rapidly, while an adult builds
expertise in a career.
• Psychosocial domain: Involves emotions, relationships, and self-
perception.
Example: A middle-aged adult may strengthen family bonds but
experience a social role shift as their children leave home.
The Lifespan Perspective
4. Development is Multidisciplinary:
• The study draws from biology, sociology, anthropology, and
psychology.
• Example: Neuropsychologists explore brain plasticity, while
sociologists examine cultural influences on aging.
The Lifespan Perspective
5. Development is Characterized by Plasticity:
• Humans are adaptable. Brain injuries, for instance, can lead to
rewiring as other areas take over lost functions.
• Engagement Opportunity: Research a famous figure who
overcame challenges through resilience or adaptability.
The Lifespan Perspective
6. Development is Multicontextual:
• Influences include:
• Normative Age-Graded Influences: Shared experiences like starting
school or retirement.
• Normative History-Graded Influences: Events like 9/11 or the COVID-19
pandemic.
• Example: Millennials uniquely shaped by the rise of social media.
• Non-Normative Life Events: Individual experiences like losing a parent
young or winning a lottery.
Conceptions of Age
• Age isn’t just a number! Developmentalists break it into:
• Chronological Age: The number of years since birth.
• Biological Age: A measure of how your body is aging.
• Example: A 40-year-old marathon runner may have the biological age of a
30-year-old.
Conceptions of Age
• Psychological Age: How emotionally or cognitively mature
someone is. Example: A 25-year-old managing a company may
have a higher psychological age than peers.
Conceptions of Age
• Social Age: Expectations based on societal roles. Example: A
college student who becomes a parent might feel “off-target”
socially.
Periods of Development
• Development is categorized into distinct stages:
• Prenatal (Conception–Birth): Rapid physical growth and vulnerability.
• Infancy and Toddlerhood (0–2 years): Significant physical, sensory, and motor
development.
• Early Childhood (2–6 years): Language and social independence emerge.
• Middle and Late Childhood (6–12 years): Focus on academic skills and self-
concept.
• Adolescence (12–18 years): Puberty and identity exploration.
• Emerging Adulthood (18–29 years): Transition to independence and exploration of
life paths.
• Established Adulthood (30–45 years): Consolidation of career and relationships.
• Middle Adulthood (45–65 years): Generativity and reflection on achievements.
• Late Adulthood (65+ years): Coping with physical decline and reflecting on life.
Key Issues in Development
• Nature vs. Nurture: What shapes us more, our genes or our
environment? Example: Athletic ability may be inherited, but
practice and coaching play significant roles.
• Continuity vs. Discontinuity: Does development occur gradually
(e.g., learning a skill) or in stages (e.g., puberty)?
• Stability vs. Change: Do our personalities remain constant, or do
they evolve over time?
Historical and Contemporary Theories
1. Historical Theories:
• Preformationism: Children as "mini-adults."
• John Locke: Tabula rasa or "blank slate" shaped by the
environment.
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Development follows a natural,
biological timetable.
Historical and Contemporary Theories
2. Contemporary Theories:
• Freud’s Psychosexual Theory: Personality shaped by early
experiences.
• Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory: Eight stages of development, each
with a psychosocial crisis.
• Behaviorism: Learning through reinforcement (Skinner) and modeling
(Bandura).
• Piaget’s Cognitive Development: Four stages of how thinking evolves.
• Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory: Role of social and cultural
interaction in development.
• Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory: Interaction of multiple
environmental systems.
Historical and Contemporary Theories
• Freud’s Psychosexual Theory: Personality shaped by early
experiences.
Historical and Contemporary Theories
• Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory: Eight stages of development,
each with a psychosocial crisis.
Historical and Contemporary Theories
Historical and Contemporary Theories
• Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory: Interaction of
multiple environmental systems.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory
Historical and Contemporary Theories
• Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory: Role of social and cultural
interaction in development.
• Scaffolding - process in which a more skilled learner gives help to
a less skilled learner, reducing the amount of help as the less
skilled learner becomes more capable.
• Zone of proximal development (ZPD) - Vygotsky’s concept of the
difference between what a child can do alone and what that child
can do with the help of a teacher.
Historical and Contemporary Theories
• Piaget’s Cognitive Development: Four stages of how thinking
evolves.
 PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS
Original Sin

Augustine of Hippo
▪ Humans are born selfish and must seek spiritual rebirth.
Developmental Outcomes
▪ Individuals struggle to overcome immoral actions.
PHILOSOPHICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ROOTS
Innate Goodness

Jean-Jacques Rousseau
▪ Emphasis on children and the basic
goodness of human nature
▪ Nurturance and protection needed
Developmental Outcomes
▪ Children’s environment interferes or
encourages
PHILOSOPHICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ROOTS
The Blank Slate

John Locke
▪ Empiricism
▪ Children as passive recipients of environmental experiences
Developmental Outcomes
▪ Individual differences due to experience
EARLY SCIENTIFIC THEORIES
Charles Darwin

First Organized Study of Human Development

Evolution
▪ Interplay of genetics and environmental
adaptation
Baby Biographies
▪ Detailed records of his own children’s early
years
EARLY SCIENTIFIC THEORIES
G. Stanley Hall

First Scientific Study of Child Development

▪ Psychologist
▪ Emphasis on norms or average ages at which
developmental milestones occur
▪ Coined the phrase “storm and stress” to refer
to adolescence
EARLY SCIENTIFIC THEORIES
Arnold Gesell

Systematic Description of Children across

Domains, Particularly in the First Five Years of
Life
▪ Maturation occurs “naturally” as a result of a
genetically programmed sequence.
▪ Used movie cameras, one-way mirrors
Research Methods
• Descriptive Studies: Case studies, naturalistic observation, and
surveys.
• Correlational Studies: Examines relationships but cannot
determine causation.
• Experimental Studies: Tests hypotheses by manipulating
variables.
• Research Designs: Includes cross-sectional, longitudinal, and
sequential methods.
 Longitudinal Design

Tested at 1 year Again at 4 years Again at 7 years

(Time 1) (Time 2) (Time 3)

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Saundra K. Ciccarelli • J. Noland White All rights reserved.
 Longitudinal Design

Compare Compare

Tested at 1 year Again at 4 years Again at 7 years

(Time 1) (Time 2) (Time 3)

Same Participants

Different Times Different Times Different Times

Psychology, Third Edition Copyright ©2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Saundra K. Ciccarelli • J. Noland White All rights reserved.