Developmental psychology

For the journal, see Developmental Psychology (journal).
"Child psychology" redirects here. For the Black Box Recorder song, see Child Psychology (song).
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Special methods are used in the psychological study of infants.
Piaget's test for Conservation. One of the many experiments used for children.

Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, aging, and the entire lifespan.[1] Developmental psychologists aim to explain how thinking, feeling, and behaviors change throughout life. This field examines change[2] across three major dimensions, which are physical development, cognitive development, and social emotional development.[3][4] Within these three dimensions are a broad range of topics including motor skills, executive functions, moral understanding, language acquisition, social change, personality, emotional development, self-concept, and identity formation.

Developmental psychology examines the influences of nature and nurture on the process of human development, as well as processes of change in context across time. Many researchers are interested in the interactions among personal characteristics, the individual's behavior, and environmental factors, including the social context and the built environment. Ongoing debates in regards to developmental psychology include biological essentialism vs. neuroplasticity and stages of development vs. dynamic systems of development. Research in developmental psychology has some limitations but at the moment researchers are working to understand how transitioning through stages of life and biological factors may impact our behaviors and development.[5]

Developmental psychology involves a range of fields,[2] such as educational psychology, child psychopathology, forensic developmental psychology, child development, cognitive psychology, ecological psychology, and cultural psychology. Influential developmental psychologists from the 20th century include Urie Bronfenbrenner, Erik Erikson, Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, Jean Piaget, Barbara Rogoff, Esther Thelen, and Lev Vygotsky.[6]

  1. ^ Graber JA, Brooks-Gunn J (1996). "Transitions and turning points: Navigating the passage from childhood through adolescence". Developmental Psychology. 32 (4): 768–776. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.32.4.768. ISSN 1939-0599.
  2. ^ a b Tau, Ramiro (2022), "Possible in Human Development", The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1–8, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-98390-5_252-1, ISBN 978-3-319-98390-5, retrieved 2022-08-28
  3. ^ "Developmental Psychology Studies Human Development Across the Lifespan". American Psychological Association. Archived from the original on 2014-07-09. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  4. ^ Burman E (2017). Deconstructing Developmental Psychology. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-138-84695-1.
  5. ^ Kobak R, Abbott C, Zisk A, Bounoua N (June 2017). "Adapting to the changing needs of adolescents: parenting practices and challenges to sensitive attunement". Current Opinion in Psychology. 15: 137–142. doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.02.018. PMC 5886742. PMID 28813254.
  6. ^ Brown C (2008). "Developmental Psychology and Related Disciplines/Theories". Developmental Psychology. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. p. 7. doi:10.4135/9781446214633.n3. ISBN 9781412934664.