...TO CRITICALLY LOOK AT DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES? . The term development is very broad and multi-dimensional that it is a topic dealt with in almost every discipline. Psychology is also a multi-dimensional discipline, and when encompassing development it constructs a field of study known as developmental psychology. The main focus of this area is on human growth throughout the lifespan. Originally, developmental psychology was concerned with infants and children, but the field has since expanded to include adolescence, adult development and aging. This is due to the fact that although childhood is obviously a time of tremendous change, people also continue to grow and develop during the early adult, middle age, and senior years. Inclusive in this field are related topics such as child development, intellectual development, cognitive development, and the aging process. In simpler terms then, developmental psychology is defined as the scientific study of age-related changes that occur in human beings cross different domains over the course of life. The direct focus of developmental psychology on human growth involves thorough observation and examination in order to be able to categorise and label a being. This marking of belonging to a certain group is another transformation underwent by developmental psychology from being...
Words: 1044 - Pages: 5
...As a nurse who has always taken care of adult patients and has not yet experienced mother-hood, appropriately assessing and treating pediatric patients has become very challenging for me. I have lived with my 3-year-old nephew for a little over a year now and I am gaining first- hand insight on the developmental milestones he has reached specifically by age. One key point Duderstadt (2014, p.24) mentions that I believe all healthcare providers should remember while assessing pediatric patients is that “each child achieves developmental milestones at his or her own pace, although the sequence of developmental milestones is generally incremental and stepwise in all children.” There is no doubt that I will face a parent that is concerned their...
Words: 313 - Pages: 2
...multidisciplinary; which means from scientists from many academic disciplines biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics all contribute to our understanding of human development (Berger, 2012). Children have a set of universal developmental milestones that they will all reach upon a certain time. When children are meeting their developmental milestones there are factors that can come into play that can cause the milestones to vary such as cultural, biological, and environmental. Different cultures have different expectations for their children that can affect their developmental milestones. A milestone that is expected from a specific culture is known as cultural milestone. For instance the Chinese culture used to bind young girls feet, which would hinder their bone development and could also affect the way that they walked (Karasik, Adolph, Tamis-LeMonda, Bornstein, 2010). Cultural milestones can affect the child from reaching or progressing a universal milestone. Another way that development can vary is due to biology or the genetics that are passed down. The interaction of genes from the mother and genes from the father affects the embryo’s growth in many ways (Berger, 2012). Genetics can vary many different developmental stages starting with the embryo. One instance of this is the deciding factor of gender for the baby depends on which chromosome (x or y) was passed from the father. Another instance of how genetics can affect development is with Down syndrome...
Words: 513 - Pages: 3
...Developmental psychology Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory: Kohlberg’sMoral judgment data from a longitudinal study of 26 undergraduates are scored by Kohlberg’s newly revised manual and replicate his original finding that a significant percentage of subjects appear to regress from adolescence to adulthood. The persistence of relativistic regression in these data suggests the need to revise the theory. The same hypothetical moral dilemmas are also scored according to an alternative coding scheme based on the hypothesis of an adult form of cognitive development. Results indicate that the Kohlberg regressors are progressors when evaluated against a standard of commitment in relativism instead of absolute principles of justice. Real-life data on the same subjects suggest that this progression is related to actual experiences of moral conflict and choice which lead to the restructuring of moral judgment to a more dialectical mode. It is suggested that this alternative notion of postconventional development is necessary for understanding (and scoring) adult moral judgment. Piaget's theory of cognitive development: Piaget's theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence, first developed by Jean Piaget. It is primarily known as a developmental stage theory, but in fact, it deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans come gradually to acquire, construct, and use it. To Piaget, cognitive development was...
Words: 900 - Pages: 4
...Paul B. Baltes’s Life-Span Developmental Approach 1. Development is lifelong. Development is a lifelong process of change. Each period of the life span is affected by what happened before and will affect what is to come. Each period has unique characteristics and value. No period is more or less important than any other. 2. Development is multidimensional. It occurs along multiple interacting dimensions—biological, psychological, and social—each of which may develop at varying rates. 3. Development is multidirectional. As people gain in one area, they may lose in another, sometimes at the same time. Children grow mostly in one direction—up—both in size and in abilities. Then the balance gradually shifts. Adolescents typically gain in physical abilities, but their facility in learning a new language typically declines. Some abilities, such as vocabulary, often continue to increase throughout most of adulthood; others, such as the ability to solve unfamiliar problems, may diminish; but some new attributes, such as wisdom, may increase with age. People seek to maximize gains by concentrating on doing things they do well and to minimize losses by learning to manage or compensate for them. 4. Relative influences of biology and culture shift over the life span. The process of development is influenced by both biology and culture, but the balance between these influences changes. Biological abilities, such as sensory acuity and muscular strength and coordination, weaken...
Words: 1831 - Pages: 8
...Milestone One: Rule-oriented Games (Physical Domain) Section A: Knowledge of the Developmental Milestones During middle childhood, children’s play undergoes several changes, the most obvious of which is children engage in games with rules. These rule-oriented games include informally organized games as well as formally organized sports, such as little league, club or intramural sports. The former category may be variants on popular sports games, well-known childhood games such as red rover, and invented games that children develop on their own. The principal commonality is that these games have a set of rules and often have multiple roles for players. While informal outdoor play allows children to develop rules and try out multiple scenarios, formal, organized sports allows children to learn rules, appreciate their personal skills, and develop their position on a team. Both types of rule-oriented games are important for developing social competencies and enhanced cognitive capabilities. This milestone develops as children begin to develop more improved motor coordination, a better capacity for information processing, and a heightened social maturity (Berk, 2007, p. 294). The physical skills at play in rule-oriented games include flexibility, balance, agility, and force, reflective of increased muscle strength. All four of these are basic motor capacities which become more refined with the gross motor development of middle childhood. Additionally, children’s enhanced capacity...
Words: 4303 - Pages: 18
...development can be defined as “the field of study that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability in behaviour that occur throughout the entire life span” (Sigelman & Rider, 2011). Lifespan development takes a scientific approach in its study of growth, change and stability as researchers use scientific methods to test their assumptions (Sigelman & Rider, 2011s). Previously child development was the focus of many theorists but within the last two decades lifespan development has begun to be studied empirically. Another justification for lifespan development is that it originates in other disciplines as well such as sociology and anthropology and this suggests that this field of lifespan development did not originate solely from developmental psychologists (Baltes, 1987). There are three relevant areas in lifespan development: physical development which looks at the ways in which the body’s makeup determines behaviour, cognitive development which looks at how growth and change in intellectual capabilities influence a persons behaviour and lastly personality development which is the “study of stability and change in the enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another over the lifespan” (Sigelman & Rider, 2011). Central to lifespan...
Words: 1643 - Pages: 7
...Developmental Analysis Paper Tianna N. Johnson Liberty University December 7, 2014 ABSTRACT Human growth and development over a lifetime shows how a person evolves from birth to the time of death. Psychologists study the development of children teaching influencing their future. My childhood experiences influences my adulthood, but I have to show maturity. Does this mean that I do the same things I did as I child? What kind of growth did I show from elementary age to high school age? How much of my child will influence my decision-making as I move forward in my developmental stages? Does my spiritual have an impact on how I view myself? I have to take a step back into my past to view my challenges and obstacles. My challenges and obstacles will make or break me. I have to make a decision of what I choose to do with what I go through. Introduction Human growth and development affect daily lives and how a person will develop. My life brought great times and not so good times. With going through these different experiences, it brought about who I am today. I never thought as a child how my choices and experiences would influence my life, as I grew older. Childhood experiences have great influence on how a person grows mentally, physically and, unbelievably, spiritually. I believe that is true in my life due to the childhood experiences I had. A person does not realize how their childhood affected them until something actually occurs, as they grow older. Looking back into...
Words: 2775 - Pages: 12
...Developmental psychology is the study of how and why humans change over the course of their lives. It studies the changes in human growth during their lifetime. Developmental psychology has significantly changed with many theorists who influenced it greatly since the early 1900s. Developmental psychologists study physical, cognitive, social, perceptual, personal, and emotional growth. Jean Piaget studied cognitive development. Piaget focused on how a child developed and how cognitive development was a process which takes place as a result of biological maturation and interaction with the environment. Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory includes four stages, the Sensorimotor Stage, the Preoperational Stage, the Concrete Stage, and the...
Words: 516 - Pages: 3
...Developmental Pyschology The scientific study of human development aims to understand and explain how humans change throughout their lifetime. In the beginning this approach aimed towards infants and children to study the mind so that education and learning could be more effective but it now includes aging, adult development, adolescence, and the whole lifespan; basically early life to death. It also includes scientific inquiry which means its recognizes humans of all societies and cultures who are in a constant rate of change and growth. The branches included are all the aspects of human growth, such as emotional, physical, social, intellectual and personality development. Charles Darwin was actually the first to be credited with conducting the first systematic study dealing with developmental psychology. This study of psychology also branches into sociology, education and health care because of its association, not only with the physical aspects, but with cognitive and social forms as well. Developmental psychology also plays an important role in numerous subjects such as anthropology, education, history, sociology and psychology. Those subjects apply to many careers pertaining to the study of human development. The three goals of developmental psychology are to describe, explain, and to optimize development. With developmental psychology comes tons of research. Majority of study begins with hypothesis. The goal of the research is to analyze the interested area and collect...
Words: 913 - Pages: 4
...Developmental Analysis Christina Adkins Liberty University Abstract The development of individuals occurs across a trajectory that has often been thought to be simultaneous. Depending on various physical, psychological, and mental maturity individuals may experience different courses of development within their environment. Erikson discussed various stages that an individual must go through in which a psychosocial crisis presents itself, and if left unresolved the individual may have further issues later on. Development can also be looked at very similarly across most age ranges with increases in cognitive thinking and functioning later on. Developmental Analysis Development has many definitions, varying from gender, age, and even culture. We all experience changes and growth at various times throughout our life that help us transition into the next phases. It is a natural process for humans to age and grow, but also learn from their environments and mistakes. The various stages marked by Erikson often pinpoint vital phases in an individual’s life where challenges are sought out. From the time of infancy until very old age, an individual is constantly developing and changing. There are challenges often brought about with each new stage and older age, but with each phase knowledge is also gained. Infancy From the time of conception until birth, infancy is a very important time for not only the mother but also the infant. Infancy alone offers a rapid rate of growth...
Words: 3606 - Pages: 15
...Developmental Theories Britny Long NU1320 12/15/2014 ITT Technical Institute Developmental Theories Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory and Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory are two well-known theories of development. Theories that is important when caring for a patient’s personal needs. Sigmund Freud is known for his psychoanalytic theory that has been researched and practiced by many practitioners. One thinker who both underwent and practiced psychoanalysis is Erik Erikson. While Freud believed that development was driven by biological impulses such as the need for food and sex, Erikson emphasized the role of environmental factors and culture (Ollhoff, 1996). Both theorists separate development into stages and use similar age divisions. Freud emphasized the first six years of life as being most crucial for personality development. He lists three stages: the oral stage (first year of life), the anal stage (1-3 years) and the phallic stage (3-6 years). The stages revolve around pleasure centers such as the mouth, anal release and genitals. Latency Stage occurs from age 6 to puberty. During the latency stage, a child represses his/her sex drive and focuses on social skills (Mogg, Stopa, Bradley, 2001). Erikson’s stages cover a person’s lifespan. These stages are based on the analysis of major psychosocial challenges. The first three stages cover infancy and early childhood. The conflicts covered during these three stages are establishing trust, independence...
Words: 689 - Pages: 3
...Introduction Human development is a lifelong process that begins at the union of an ovum and a sperm and does not end until an individual is declared dead. This paper is a biographical account of Andrei Edoja Dmitri. He was born April 21, 1945 in Scarborough, Ontario. With the help of developmental psychological concepts and theories, the paper narrates his life journey from conception, prenatal development, infancy, childhood, and adolescence through adulthood including his basic physical and psychological development and growth respectively. The biography also narrates what growing up was for Andrei, his family, the different life changing events he encountered in his life, the achievements he celebrated and his moments of doubts and pain. Andrei is the first-born child of two immigrant parents, Omoye and Nicolai, from Nigeria and Russian respectively, who had come to Canada some years before his birth as students. He has a younger sister called Ivana. Infancy and Early Childhood Four years into their common-law relationship, Andrei was conceived by Omoye, an immigrant undergraduate English student from Nigeria after an awesome spring getaway break in Mexico with her Russian partner, Nicolai. Nicolai was an undergraduate computer science student at the same University with Omoye. The process of prenatal development occurs in three stages. Two weeks after conception is known as the germinal stage. During this period the single-celled zygote that contained the genetic instructions...
Words: 3546 - Pages: 15
...Developmental Theories 1 Developmental Theories Tammy Weston Child and Adolescent Development PSY 104 December, 20, 2014 Developmental Theories 2 There is nothing more amazing than the growth and development of a child. Several researchers have dedicated years to the study of child development to help us better understand this amazing time in their lives. Though there are many theorists and different branches of their theories, they are narrowed into three categories, maturationist, environmentalist, and constructivist. These three theories allow us to analyze childhood development and better understand how children grow and learn. Although there are many differences in these theories, there are also some similarities. In this paper I will discuss how these theories relate and differ with regards to a child’s development. How do these theories help us understand our children and how they grow and learn? I will also discuss the importance of physical, emotional and cognitive development, to the overall development of a child and why it is imperative for us to not only understand how they develop but how we can help foster that growth. A child begins to develop while in the mother’s womb. The genetics (the makeup) of the child are already in place. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2008) The child inherits genes from both mother and father. Piaget was probably one of most influential cognitive theorists. Piaget was a constructivist which means basically that learning occurs...
Words: 2586 - Pages: 11
...Development Matrix Part I – Developmental Stages For each developmental domain, physical, cognitive, and social, identify two major changes or challenges associated with the following stages: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Stage of Development | Physical Development | Cognitive Development | Social Development | Childhood | This is when a child begins to grow, crawl, walk, talk. They begin to develop gross and fine motor skills. | Their play will move from simple make-believe to plots involving more characters and scenarios, and games with sophisticated rules. | Children at this age can be very possessive and have difficulty sharing. Toddlers tend to have rapid mood swings. While their emotions can be very intense, these feelings also tend to be quite short-lived. | Adolescence | This is normally when a child hits puberty. Also, this is when a child’s body has what are referred to as “growth spurts”. Interestingly, the child’s hands and feet tend to grow before the torso. | The brain is still developing during the adolescence stage of life. A child in this stage tends to have more immature and impulsive behaviors. | A child tends to look at their parents for influence during this stage of life, but peer pressures are still a factor. Romantic and sexual relationships become very important in this stage of life. | Adulthood | During early adulthood a person may continue to add a bit of height and weight. Hormonal changes also continue to occur, but the effects...
Words: 826 - Pages: 4
