PSYC 335 Developmental Psychology I Session 1 – Introduction to Developmental Psychology Lecturer: Dr . Joana Salifu Y endork , Department of Psychology Contact Information: jyendork@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017 godsonug.wordpress.com/blog
Session Overview • Psychology has several sub-disciplines and Developmental Psychology is one of such with a unique focus. The aim of this session is to introduce students to aspects of the disciplines in terms of definition, the characteristics, domains, stages of lifespan, the concept of age and themes. Slide 2
Session Outline The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows: • What is Developmental Psychology • Nature/characteristics of development • Domains of human development • Concept of age and stages of lifespan • Themes/controversies/issues in human development • Goals of developmental psychology Slide 3
Reading List • Read Chapter 1 of Developmental Psychology: Childhood and adolescence, Shaffer & Kipp (2014); and Chapter 1 of development through the lifespan, Berk (2006) Slide 4
T opic One WHA T IS DEVELOPMENT AL PSYCHOLOGY Slide 5
What is Developmental Psychology? • Development: systematic continuities and changes in the individual that occur between conception and death (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010, 2014). • Systematic: changes are orderly, patterned, and relatively enduring • Continuities: ways in which individuals remain the same or continue to reflect our past • Development: pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through the life span (Santrock, 2011) Slide 6
What is Developmental Psychology? • Branch of psychology devoted to identifying and explaining the continuities and changes that individuals display over time (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010, 2014). • Branch of psychology devoted to studying pattern of change that begins at conception and continues through the life span (Santrock, 2011) Slide 7
T opic Two NA TURE/CHARACTERISTICS OF DEVELOPMENT Slide 8
Nature/Characteristics of development • Development is lifelong • Development is multidimensional • Development is multidirectional • Development is a holistic process • Development is Plastic • Development is Contextual • The study of development is multidisciplinary Slide 9
Nature/Characteristics of development • Development is lifelong spanning from conception to death. • Development is a continual process such that the path of developmental changes stretch ever onward until we die. • Changes are cumulative: such that changes that occur at each stage of life can have significant implications for the future. Slide 10
Nature/Characteristics of development • Development is multidirectional : Throughout life, some dimensions or components of a dimension expand and others shrink. • Eg, 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. Slide 11
Nature/Characteristics of development • Development is a holistic process : formally some developmentalists studied physical only , cognitive only or psychosocial development • Presently: a unified view that emphasizes the important interrelationships among domains of development • De ǀ el opŵeŶ t Đ aŶ’t ďe pie Đ ed out ďut ǀi e ǁ ed as a holisti Đ process encompassing cognitive, physical and psychosocial aspects and each aspect impact on the other • E.g., Popularity with peers: age of puberty + social skills + intellectual abilities Slide 12
Nature/Characteristics of development • Development is plastic : capacity for change during different stages of life and in response to positive or negative life experiences. • The course of development can change abruptly if i ŵpor ta Ŷ t aspe Đ ts of oŶe’ s life Đh a Ŷ ge . • Development is contextual : the context influence development • Context include cultural, social, geographical and historical Slide 13
Nature/Characteristics of development • The study of development is multidisciplinary : to understand development, information is integrated from different disciplines such as biology , psychology , sociology , anthropology , and medicine. Slide 14
T opic Three CONCEPT OF AGE & ST AGES OF DEVELOPMENT Slide 15
The concept age • Chronological age : number of years since birth • Biological age : describes biological health and functional capacity of vital organs, such as heart, lungs, kidneys, circulatory system • Psychological age : measure of adaptive capacities, including ability to learn, establish and maintain motivation, be flexible and think clearly Slide 16
Stages of development • Prenatal development : conception to birth. A point where single cell develop into a complete organism with complex brain and nervous system • Infancy : birth to 18-24 months. extremely dependent on adult and other older individuals. Psychological activities begin • Early childhood : 2 to 5/6 years/preschool years. Become more self-sufficient, learn school readiness skills such as following instructions and recognizing letters and colours. Slide 17
Stages of development • Middle and late childhood : 6 to 11/12 years/Elementary school years. Master skills of reading, writing and arithmetic, achievement is central theme and person shows increasing self- control • Adolescence : 10-12 to 18-22 years/transition from childhood to early adulthood. Begins with rapid physical changes, characteristic of puberty, major goals of becoming independence and developing an individual identity. Think more logical and abstract. Slide 18
Stages of development • Early adulthood : from late teens through 30 years. Establish personal, social, emotional and economic independence, beginning career development, select life partner , start family and child rearing • Middle adulthood : from early 40s until around age 60. Expands personal and social involvement and responsibility, assist next generation and reach and maintain career satisfaction • Late adulthood : from 60s and 70s until death. Time to review and reflect, retirement and adjusting to decreasing strength and health, longest span of any developmental period Slide 19
T opic Four CONTROVERSIES/THEMES/ISSUES IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT Slide 20
Controversies/Themes/Issues in human development • Nature vs nurture, • Active vs passive, • Continuous vs discontinuous/Quantitative vs qualitative; • Stability vs change Slide 21
Nature vs. nurture • Is human development primarily the result of nature (biological forces) or nurture (environmental forces)? • One group of developmentalists advanced the view that heredity and not environment is the chief maker of man. • . . . Nearly all of the misery and nearly all of the happiness in the world are due not to environment. . . . The differences among men are due to differences in germ cells with which they were born (Wiggam, 1923, p. 42). • Nature-focused Slide 22
Nature vs. nurture • E.g., cognitive developmentalists and biological theorists • Another group of developmentalists (nurture-focused) advanced the view that environment and not heredity causes development. – E.g., Watson • Currently: integrative approach • The relative contributions of nature and nurture depend on the aspect of development in question • E.g.,: Language: brain component and influence of Đ aregi ǀ er ’ s la Ŷ guage Slide 23
Active vs passive theme • Are children curious, active creatures who largely determine how agents of society treat them? Or, are they passive souls on whom society fixes its stamp? • Active-viewers opine that children are born with certain predispositions that influence how people treat them • E.g., a child with difficult temperament • Passive-viewers opine that children are extremely malleable — literally at the mercy of those who raise them • Eg. a young preteen girl who has gone through the biological changes of puberty earlier than most of her classmates and friends (passive). But her early maturity will affect how she is treated Slide 24
Continuous vs discontinuous/ quantitative vs qualitative • Do you think that the changes we experience occur very gradually? Or , would you say that these changes are rather abrupt? • Continuity theorists view human development as a continuous/additive process that occurs gradually and continuously , without sudden changes. • Discontinuity theorists view development as series of sudden changes each of which elevates the child to a new and presumably more advanced level of functioning. Slide 25
Continuous vs discontinuous Slide 26
Continuous vs discontinuous Slide 27
Quantitative vs qualitative • Quantitative changes are changes in degree or amount • Eg, grow taller and run a little faster with each passing year • Qualitative changes are changes in form or kind — changes that make the individual fundamentally different in some way than he or she was earlier • Eg, an infant who lacks language may be qualitatively different from a preschooler who speaks well • Continuity theorists view developmental changes as basically quantitative in nature, whereas discontinuity theorists view development as a sequence of qualitative changes Slide 28
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