CA1 - DEVPSYCH 1 (DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY)

Session 1 - Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology

Scientific study of ways in which people change, as well as stay the same

(3) Domains of Development

• Physical

• Cognitive

• Psychosocial

Family

CONTEXTS OF DEVELOPMENT

Basic household unit

Socioeconomic status

CONTEXTS OF DEVELOPMENT

Based on family income and the educational and occupational levels of the adults in the household

Culture

CONTEXTS OF DEVELOPMENT

Customs, traditions, laws, knowledge, beliefs, values, language, and physical products; all of the behavior and attitudes that are learned, shaped, and transmitted among members of a social group

Individualistic culture

Uniqueness, distinctiveness

Collectivistic culture

Foster relationship with other people

Ethnicity and Race

CONTEXTS OF DEVELOPMENT

People united by a distinctive culture, ancestry, religion, etc., all of which contribute to a sense of shared identity and shared attitudes, beliefs and values

Nativism

Nature; Specified by the organism’s genes

Empiricism

Nurture/Environment; Acquired in the interactions with the environment

Reactive

Soaks up experiences

Mechanical model

People are like machines that react to environmental input

Active

Create experiences

Organismic model

People are active and growing that set their own development pace

Continuous

Quantitative; Gradual refinement; Predictions about future characteristics

Discontinuous

Different points in the lifespan

Longitudinal studies

Same subjects over a period of time

Cross-sectional studies

Different subjects belonging in different groups in a single point of time

Experimental studies

Manipulating variable

Observational studies

Drawing inferences from a sample without manipulation