NOTES ON DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

DEVELOPMENT : a progressive series of changes that occurs as a result of maturation

and learning

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY: Branch of Psychology that study scientifically how and why
human change over the course of their life.

OBJECTIVES:
1. To find out what are the common and characteristic age changes in appearance, in
behavior, interest and goals from one developmental period to another
2. To find out when these changes occur
3. To find out what causes them
4. To find out how they influence behavior
5. To find out whether they can or cannot be predicted
6. To find out whether they are individual or universal

SIGNIFICANT FACTS ABOUT DEVELOPMENT

1. Early foundations are critical
2. Roles of maturation and learning in development
3. Development follows a definite and predictable pattern
- Cephalocaudal Law
- Proximo-distal Law
- Mass-specific Movements
4. All individual are different
5. Each phase of development has characteristic behavior
- Periods of equilibrium
- Periods of disequilibrium
-
6. Each phase of development has hazards
7. Development is aided by stimulations
8. Development is affected by cultural changes
9. Social expectations for every stage of development
10. Traditional beliefs about people of all ages
 NATURE OF DEVELOPMENT

Development is a complex pattern because it is a product of biological, cognitive and

socioemotional processes.

Biological processes produce physical changes in the individual’s physical nature.

- Genes inherited from parents
- Development of the brain
- Height and weight gain
- Changes in motor skills
- Hormonal changes during puberty
- Cardiovascular decline

Cognitive processes changes in the individual’s thought, intelligence and language

- Watching a colorful mobile swing above the crib
- Putting together of a two-word sentence
- Memorizing a poem
- Imagining what it would be like to be a movie star
- Solving a crossword puzzle
-
Socio-emotional processes involves changes in the individual’s relationship with other people,
Changes in emotions and changes in personality
- An infant ‘s smile in response to a parent’s touch
- A toddler’s aggressive attack on a playmate
- A school age child’s development of assertiveness
- An adolescent’s joy at the senior prom
- Affection of an elderly couple

PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD refers to a time frame in a person’s life that is characterized by

certain features.

Prenatal period - from conception to birth.

Infancy - from birth to 18 or 24 months
Early childhood - end of infancy to age 5 or 6
Middle and Late Childhood - 6 to 11 years of age
Adolescence –- transition from childhood to early adulthood
10 to 12 years of age and ending at 18 to 22 years of age
Early adulthood – begins in late teens or early twenties and lasts through the thirties.
Middle adulthood – approximately 40 years of age to about 60
Late adulthood – begins in the sixties or seventies and last until death
ACTIVITY: ISSUES IN DEVELOPMENT

Scenario:
Was Juan de la Cruz born a killer or did his life turn him into one?
Juan thought that his childhood was the root of his troubles. He grew up as a genius in a boy’s
body and never fit in with other children. Did his early experiences determine his later life?

Reflect on the following questions and answer it the best you can base on the three issues
about the nature of development on the role played by:
a) Nature and Nurture,
b) stability and change, and
c) continuity and discontinuity.

1. Is your own life’s journey marked out ahead of time, or can your experiences change
your path?
2. Are the experiences you have early in your journey more important than later ones?
3. Is your journey more like taking an elevator up a tall building with distinct steps along
the way or mare like a river cruise with smooth ebbs and flows?