1. Unit 9: Developmental Psychology
CHS AP Psychology
Unit 9: Developmental Psychology
Essential Task 9.1: . Detail how psychologists study development including longitudinal studies, cross-sectional studies, and autobiographical studies.
Logo Green is R=8 G=138 B= Blue is R= 0 G=110 B=184
Border Grey is R=74 G=69 B=64

2. Developmental Psychology
Issue
Details
Nature/Nurture
How do genetic inheritance (our nature) and experience (the nurture we receive) influence our behavior?
Stability/Change
Do our early personality traits persist through life, or do we become different persons as we age.
Continuity/Stages
Is developmental a gradual, continuous process or a sequence of separate stages?
OBJECTIVE 1| State the three areas of change that developmental psychologists study, and identify the three major issues in developmental psychology.

3. Continuity vs. Stages
Continuity
Stages

4. How do we study development?
Best Choices
Cross-Sectional Study
Longitudinal Study
Biographical or Retrospective Study

5. Cross-Sectional Study
Study people of different ages at the same point in time
Advantages
Inexpensive
Can be completed quickly
Low attrition (loss of numbers)
Disadvantages
Different age groups are not necessarily much alike
Differences may be due to cohort differences rather than age

6. Longitudinal Study Study the same group of people over time Advantages
Detailed information about subjects
Developmental changes can be studied in detail
Eliminates cohort differences
Disadvantages
Expensive and time consuming
Potential for high attrition
Differences over time may be due to assessment tools and not age

8. Biographical or Retrospective Study
Participant’s past is reconstructed through interviews and other research about their life
Advantages
Great detail about life of individual
In-depth study of one person
Disadvantages
Recall of individual may not be accurate
Can be expensive and time consuming