Developmental Psychology
Module 1
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
-also known as the human development or lifespan development
-study of how people change from conception to death
Lifespan perspective
- Development is lifelong: change is forever
- Development is multidirectional: people change in different directions, gains on some areas and losses on
others.
- Development is multidimensional: we change in different aspects, physical, cognitive and psychosocial
- Development is multidisciplinary: human development is vast that it requires theories and researches of
different disciplines.
- Development is multicontextual: development occurs in many context
*Normative age-graded influences: age graded, specific age group, such as toddler, adolescent, or geriatric.
*Normative history: graded influence
*Cohort: people born in a specific period of time
Generation Time Period
Silent Generation 1928-1945
Baby Boomers 1946-1964
Gen X 1965-1980
Millennials 1981-1996
Gen Z 1997-2012
*Non-Normative life influence: different shapes of development (child who loss parent in early age has
different development compared to grew with a parent)
*Socioeconomic Status SES: way to identify family or household based on their shared education, income
and occupation.
*Poverty level: an income amount established by the government to set the base of income threshold that
vary from family size
*Ethnocentrism: belief that our own culture is superior
*Cultural relativity: an appreciation of cultural differences and understanding cultural practices.
Lifespan: longevity, the length of time a specie exists
Life expectancy: the predicted number of years an individual will live.
,Developmental Psychology
Conception Age
Chronological Age - based on the number of years since your birth
Biological Age - How quickly your body aged
Psychological age - the psychologically adaptive capacity compared to others.
Social age - based on the social norms of our culture and the culture’s expectation for the age group
Age Period Description
Prenatal Conception to birth
Infancy and Toddlerhood Birth to 2 years old
Early Childhood 2-6 years old
Middle and Late Childhood 6 years old to onset of puberty
Adolescence Onset of puberty to 18 years old
Emerging Adulthood 18-25 years old
Early Adulthood 25 to 40-45 years old
Middle Adulthood 40-45 years old to 65 years old
Late Adulthood 65 years old and onwards
Prenatal Development
- conception occurs and development begins. All major body parts are forming and mother’s health is a big
concern, understanding the health, teratogen or
environmental factors that can lead to birth defects.
Infancy and Toddlerhood
- dramatic growth and change, during this time children learn develop their walking, and talking. Usually at
this time they are assisted by the mother and or guardian.
Middle and Late Childhood
- starts going to school and explore new world, trying and testing one’s abilities by comparing one self to
others.
Adolescence
- puberty starts, dramatic stage where physical body starts to develop. Puppy loves, change in lifestyle
Emerging Adulthood
- it is the dreaded stage where young adults tries to discover things such as new friends, try to look for their
identity and vices.
,Developmental Psychology
Early Adulthood
- twenties and thirties look for career development, intimate relationships and start building their families.
Middle Adulthood
- aging starts to show, at this time many are at their peak ok their careers and love.
Late Adulthood
- the retiring and retired age, diseases starts to show such as diabetis, high blood pressure and osteoporosis
that has a contributing factor when they are much younger.
Historical Theories on Development
Preformationist View 18th century
-Preformationist the belief that a tiny, full human is implanted in the sperm or egg at conception and then
grows in size until birth. (Environment has no role in
development)
John Locke 1632-1704
- The environment gives credit to a child’s knowledge, advocating that a child’s mind is tabula rasa or a
blank slate that is being loaded of information by his
environment
Jean Jacques Rousseau 1712-1778
-considered the father of Developmental Psychology
- believed that children should be allowed to think on their ways
Arnold Gessell 1880-1961
- believed that children’s development was activated by genes and he called the process maturation
Sigmund Freud 1856- 1939
- emphasized that early childhood development has a big impact to one’s shaping of personality and
behavior. Our personality is shaped during in our early age
, Developmental Psychology
Contemporary Theories on Development
Erik Erikson 1902-1994
- proposed a model of life span development that provides a guide about the changes in life.
- psychosocial crises, each period of our lives we reach to a point that we face problems or crisis me should
resolve.
Stages Stage of Psychosocial Development Virtue
1: Infancy Trust vs Mistrust Hope
2: Early Childhood Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt Will
3: Play age Initiative vs Guilt Purpose
4: School age Industry vs Inferiority Competence
5: Adolescence Identity Cohesion vs Role Confusion Fidelity
6: Young adulthood Intimacy vs Isolation Love
7: Adulthood Generativity vs Stagnation Care
8: Old age Integrity vs Despair Wisdom
Learning Theory (Behaviorism)
- it is not possible to study the mind so psychologist limit their attention to the study of behavior
Burrhus Frederick Skinner 1904-1990 (Theory of Learning)
- stimulus and response( food-dog salivating)
- reinforcement or rewards
Social Learning Theory
- learning by watching others/ doing
Albert Bandura 1925-2021
Reciprocal determinism
-there is an interplay between our personality and the way we interpret events and how they influence us.
*Bobo doll
-children were showed a film of a woman hitting a bobo doll, then children were directed to the room and
hits also the bobo doll, aggressiveness was also seen in the children that wasn’t shown in the film
Cognitive Theory
Module 1
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
-also known as the human development or lifespan development
-study of how people change from conception to death
Lifespan perspective
- Development is lifelong: change is forever
- Development is multidirectional: people change in different directions, gains on some areas and losses on
others.
- Development is multidimensional: we change in different aspects, physical, cognitive and psychosocial
- Development is multidisciplinary: human development is vast that it requires theories and researches of
different disciplines.
- Development is multicontextual: development occurs in many context
*Normative age-graded influences: age graded, specific age group, such as toddler, adolescent, or geriatric.
*Normative history: graded influence
*Cohort: people born in a specific period of time
Generation Time Period
Silent Generation 1928-1945
Baby Boomers 1946-1964
Gen X 1965-1980
Millennials 1981-1996
Gen Z 1997-2012
*Non-Normative life influence: different shapes of development (child who loss parent in early age has
different development compared to grew with a parent)
*Socioeconomic Status SES: way to identify family or household based on their shared education, income
and occupation.
*Poverty level: an income amount established by the government to set the base of income threshold that
vary from family size
*Ethnocentrism: belief that our own culture is superior
*Cultural relativity: an appreciation of cultural differences and understanding cultural practices.
Lifespan: longevity, the length of time a specie exists
Life expectancy: the predicted number of years an individual will live.
,Developmental Psychology
Conception Age
Chronological Age - based on the number of years since your birth
Biological Age - How quickly your body aged
Psychological age - the psychologically adaptive capacity compared to others.
Social age - based on the social norms of our culture and the culture’s expectation for the age group
Age Period Description
Prenatal Conception to birth
Infancy and Toddlerhood Birth to 2 years old
Early Childhood 2-6 years old
Middle and Late Childhood 6 years old to onset of puberty
Adolescence Onset of puberty to 18 years old
Emerging Adulthood 18-25 years old
Early Adulthood 25 to 40-45 years old
Middle Adulthood 40-45 years old to 65 years old
Late Adulthood 65 years old and onwards
Prenatal Development
- conception occurs and development begins. All major body parts are forming and mother’s health is a big
concern, understanding the health, teratogen or
environmental factors that can lead to birth defects.
Infancy and Toddlerhood
- dramatic growth and change, during this time children learn develop their walking, and talking. Usually at
this time they are assisted by the mother and or guardian.
Middle and Late Childhood
- starts going to school and explore new world, trying and testing one’s abilities by comparing one self to
others.
Adolescence
- puberty starts, dramatic stage where physical body starts to develop. Puppy loves, change in lifestyle
Emerging Adulthood
- it is the dreaded stage where young adults tries to discover things such as new friends, try to look for their
identity and vices.
,Developmental Psychology
Early Adulthood
- twenties and thirties look for career development, intimate relationships and start building their families.
Middle Adulthood
- aging starts to show, at this time many are at their peak ok their careers and love.
Late Adulthood
- the retiring and retired age, diseases starts to show such as diabetis, high blood pressure and osteoporosis
that has a contributing factor when they are much younger.
Historical Theories on Development
Preformationist View 18th century
-Preformationist the belief that a tiny, full human is implanted in the sperm or egg at conception and then
grows in size until birth. (Environment has no role in
development)
John Locke 1632-1704
- The environment gives credit to a child’s knowledge, advocating that a child’s mind is tabula rasa or a
blank slate that is being loaded of information by his
environment
Jean Jacques Rousseau 1712-1778
-considered the father of Developmental Psychology
- believed that children should be allowed to think on their ways
Arnold Gessell 1880-1961
- believed that children’s development was activated by genes and he called the process maturation
Sigmund Freud 1856- 1939
- emphasized that early childhood development has a big impact to one’s shaping of personality and
behavior. Our personality is shaped during in our early age
, Developmental Psychology
Contemporary Theories on Development
Erik Erikson 1902-1994
- proposed a model of life span development that provides a guide about the changes in life.
- psychosocial crises, each period of our lives we reach to a point that we face problems or crisis me should
resolve.
Stages Stage of Psychosocial Development Virtue
1: Infancy Trust vs Mistrust Hope
2: Early Childhood Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt Will
3: Play age Initiative vs Guilt Purpose
4: School age Industry vs Inferiority Competence
5: Adolescence Identity Cohesion vs Role Confusion Fidelity
6: Young adulthood Intimacy vs Isolation Love
7: Adulthood Generativity vs Stagnation Care
8: Old age Integrity vs Despair Wisdom
Learning Theory (Behaviorism)
- it is not possible to study the mind so psychologist limit their attention to the study of behavior
Burrhus Frederick Skinner 1904-1990 (Theory of Learning)
- stimulus and response( food-dog salivating)
- reinforcement or rewards
Social Learning Theory
- learning by watching others/ doing
Albert Bandura 1925-2021
Reciprocal determinism
-there is an interplay between our personality and the way we interpret events and how they influence us.
*Bobo doll
-children were showed a film of a woman hitting a bobo doll, then children were directed to the room and
hits also the bobo doll, aggressiveness was also seen in the children that wasn’t shown in the film
Cognitive Theory
