Chapter 10:1

Developmental Psychology

The Study of Development

1. Define

   1. Developmental psychology: is the field in which psychologists study how people grow and change throughout their life span - from conception, through infancy, childhood,  adolescence, and adulthood until death.

2. Why are psychologists interested in studying infancy and childhood?

Childhood experience affects people as adolescents and adults, studying early stagesof development psychologist can learn about developmental problem and what causes them and how to treat them

3. What two methods are used by psychologists to study change across a person’s life-span?

Longitudinal method and criss sectional method

1. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each of the two methods?

Longitudinal- subjects may withdraw from the study and being a part of the study for a long time might alter their behavior

Cross sectional method–  individuals are born at different times introduces  the possibility that they might have grown up with different educational methods, medical treatments.

Heredity and Environment

4. Define

   1. Maturation: is the automatic and sequential process of development that result from genetic signals

   2. Critical period: is a stage or point in development during which a person is best suited to learn a particular skill or behavior pattern

5. What did Psychologist Arnold Gesell propose?

   1. How did Watson differ from Gesell?

That maturation played the most important role in development

Stages versus Continuity

Psychologists debate whether development is like climbing a set of stairs to reach the top (stages) or like walking up a hill to the top without distinct levels (continuous).

6. Summarize (use insert on page 277 for additional information)

   1. Stage Development Theories: theories based on the existence of-stages hold that development occurs in a predetermined sequence.

   2. Continuous Development: theories based on the idea of continuity hold that stages of development do not exist