Domains of development Goals of developmental psychology Lecture Outline What is development? Domains of development Goals of developmental psychology Two realms of development (McCall, 1981) Broad issues/questions in developmental psychology 1

What is Development? Development refers to systematic, successive changes in the individual that occur over time from conception to death

Domains of Development Physical Development Changes in the body and brain Cognitive Development Changes in thought, intelligence, and language Socioemotional Development Changes in relationships, emotions, and personality 3

Goals of Developmental Psychology Describe behavior and how it changes across development Description makes it possible to establish guidelines for typical development Explain development Identify the underlying processes or causes of change Apply knowledge to promote positive development 4

Two Realms of Development (McCall, 1981) Developmental Functions ( or Normative Development) Defined by the average “score” on a behavior or characteristic within a group over time (i.e., at different ages) Example: expressive vocabulary At 13 months, average number of words expressed is 10 At 18 months, average number of words expressed is 100 At 24 months, average number of words expressed is 200 5

Measured by the mean score on a given behavior or characteristic within a group over time (i.e., at different ages)

Individual Differences Rank ordering of individuals on a given behavior or characteristic at a particular point in time (i.e., specific age) Ex: Expressive vocabulary—at any given age, some children can say more words than others Stability of individual differences Do individuals maintain their rank order within a group at different ages? Ex: Do the same children who have bigger vocabularies at 12 months also have bigger vocabularies at 18 months? 7

Measured by the correlation between two sets of scores from different points in time (i.e., different ages)

Broad Issues/Questions in Developmental Psychology Original question: Is development due to nature (genes) or nurture (environment)? No longer nature versus nurture General agreement that genetic and environmental factors influence all aspects of development But still debate about how to conceptualize genetic and environmental influences on development Should we be asking “How much?” or “How?”

Developmental continuity and discontinuity

Continuous (Quantitative) Gradual, small, steady changes in behaviors/characteristics

Discontinuous (Qualitative) Development proceeds in a series of discrete steps/stages Relatively abrupt transitions between stages Fundamental re-organization of behaviors/characteristics at each stage

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How important is early experience in affecting later development? 15