Psychosocial Development Across the Lifespan

2025 Tri 1

Types of developmental domains

Physical, cognitive , and psychosocial

What is physical developmental domain

• Growth of body and brain

• Can happen over long or short time span

• Some are very noticeable but some can only be identified by professional

• Major concepts include weight and height, fine and gross motor skills, and brain growth

What are the 9 principles of human development

1. Human development involves change (physical, cognitive, social)

2. Human development is continuous (happening whether you can see it or not)

3. Human development is sequential (follows a logical order or sequence)

4. Human development is predictable (there are patterns that are able to be predicted i.e a child going from crawling to walking)

5. Human development happens in specific directions (starts with the head and moves down through the body. i.e baby can control neck before arms and legs.)

6. Human development occurs from general to specific (learn to learn large muscles before small)

7. Human development results from heredity and environment (both genetics and environment equally influence change and growth 

8. Human development is influenced by maturing and learning (brain has to grow to a certain size before it can start to think and communicate.)

9. Human development involves individual rates of growth (not everyone will think, look, or act in the exact same way as another person)

What is cognitive developmental domain

• Changes in thinking, speaking, and remembering and recalling information

• Closely related to physical development (brain growth)

• Closely related to psychosocial development as things are learned from interacting with others

• Major concepts include thought, learning, language, memory, and intelligence

What is psychosocial developmental domain

• Changes in feelings, emotions, and relationships with others

• Major concepts include identity, personality, emotions, and relationships