Developmental Psychology

1
Developmental Psychology

• Steve Croker
• Room C009
• Ext. 2081
• s.croker_at_derby.ac.uk

2
Outline

• What is Developmental Psychology?
• History of Developmental Psychology
• Aims of Developmental Psychology
• Examples of developmental research
• Conclusion and Learning Outcomes

3
What Is Developmental Psychology?
Cognitive
Social
Health
Abnormal Counselling
Personality Individual Differences
Biological Basis of Behaviour
Learning Conditioning
4
What Is Developmental Psychology?
Cognitive
Social
Health
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Abnormal Counselling
Personality Individual Differences
Biological Basis of Behaviour
Learning Conditioning
5
What is developmental psychology? (2)

• ANSWER
• The study of the development of psychological
  processes

6
The History of Developmental Psychology

• Pre-19th century much written (e.g. Shakespeare)
  but no empirical investigation
• e.g. 18th Century Philosophical speculation,
  John Lockes tabula rasa
• 19th Century empirical research
• 1877 Biological Sketch of an Infant by Charles
  Darwin

7
The History of Developmental Psychology (2)

• 20th Century founding of developmental
  psychology by G. Stanley Hall (1846-1926).
• Hall influenced by Sigmund Freud
• adult behaviours originate in childhood
  experiences
• gt rapid increase in developmental research
• 1905 Alfred Binets I.Q. tests
• 1920s Arnold Gesell

8
Charles Darwin G. Stanley Hall
9
The History of Developmental Psychology (3)

• Mid 20th Century
• Rise of most influential psychologists
• JEAN PIAGET
• Modern Developmental Psychology
• LEV VYGOTSKY and JEROME BRUNER
• role of culture and social interaction

10
Jean Piaget Lev Vygotsky
11
Aim of Modern Developmental Psychology

• Understand the development of psychological
  processes by
• Researching development of behaviour in different
  domains. E.g.
• social
• cognitive
• biological

12
Aim of Modern Developmental Psychology (2)

• Debating main issues
• ascertaining the role of nature and nurture and
  how they interact
• researching whether developmental events are
  universal or dependent on certain environments
• researching the pattern of development
• do some developments have to occur before others
• does development proceed slowly day by day or are
  there times in the life cycle when we develop
  quicker than others

13
Examples of Developmental Research

• Social Development
• Attachment Experiments (e.g. Harlow)
• The role of play (Mary Parton)
• Cognitive Development
• Object Permanence Experiments (Piaget)
• Dyslexia

14
(No Transcript)
15
Reading words and non-words in normal and
dyslexic children (Frith Snowling, 1983)
16
Examples of Developmental Research (2)

• Personality and Individual Differences
• twin studies intelligence (Bernstein,
  Clarke-Stewart, Roy, Srull Wickens, 1981)
• Learning and Conditioning
• Skinners air box
• Biological Basis of Behaviour
• adolescent and mid-life crises

17
Twin studies intelligence (Bernstein,
Clarke-Stewart, Roy, Srull Wickens, 1981)
18
Examples of Developmental Research (3)

• Abnormal Counselling Psychology
• early diagnosis of autism
• Health Psychology
• development of anorexia (Attie Brooks-Gunn,
  1989)
• the origins of dental anxiety

19
Learning outcomes

• demonstrate an understanding of the aims of
  developmental psychology
• demonstrate knowledge of and be able to evaluate
  contemporary approaches to developmental
  psychology
• demonstrate knowledge of historical approaches to
  psychology
• demonstrate an understanding of the meaning and
  use of key concepts in developmental psychology

20
References

• Eysenck, M. (1998). Psychology an integrated
  Approach. Harlow Longman. Chpts 9 10.
• Dworetzky, J. P. (1996). Introduction to child
  psychology (6th ed.). St. Paul West.
• Bee, H (1999). The Developing Child. London
  Allyn Bacon.