Developmental

Psychology

Credit Hours: 03
Course Code: PSY-309
Dr. Sabahat Naseem
 Course Overview
History of
Human Research
Developmental
Development Methods
Psychology

Theories of Prenatal
Infancy
Development Development

Early
Childhood Adolescence
Adulthood

Middle
Late Adulthood
Adulthood
 Human
Development
• Development –> Systematic and successive changes
over time
o Systematic: Organised
o Successive: Changes that occur at a later time
are influenced by earlier changes

• The study of human development seeks to

understand how and why people of all ages and
circumstances develop
o Do they change or remain the same over time?
• Development is something which affects all of us and so is
relevant to everyone

• We all began life as children so we all have a journey that we

can look back on, and experiences that we can draw upon to
understand our development

• We have all been shaped by the relationships and experiences

that we have had across our life journey so far

• Many of us will go on to have children in the future, and so we

can use developmental psychology to explain, to understand
and to guide our behaviour as parents and as children as well
Life-Span Perspective
 Life-Span Perspective

1. Multidirectional

5. Plastic 2. Multicontextual
Human
Development

4. Multidisciplinary 3. Multicultural
1. Multidirectional Development

• Life is characterized by multiple

changes in every direction

• It is not possible to understand

the direction of development
from birth to death in a simple,
linear way as it goes zigzag

• Do not let anyone tell you that

so-and-so will never change:
People change in expected and
unexpected ways!
 Critical and Sensitive Periods
• The timing of losses or gains and impairments or improvements, is
affected by age and maturation

• Some changes are sudden and intense because of a critical period

• Critical Period –> A crucial time when certain events (either biological or
social) must occur in order for development to proceed normally

• Example:
o The human embryo grows arms and legs, hands and feet, fingers
and toes, each over a critical period between 28 and 54 days after
conception – after that, it is too late

• However, critical periods are few

• Mostly, a particular development occurs more easily at a certain time – that
is called a sensitive period

• Sensitive Period –> A time when a certain development is most likely to occur

• Example:
o Early childhood is considered a sensitive period for language learning

o If children do not communicate in their first language between ages

1 and 3, they might do so later (these years are not critical), but their
grammar is impaired (these years are sensitive)

o Childhood is a particularly sensitive period for learning to pronounce

a second or third language with a native accent – Adults who learn a
new language after adolescence almost never master a native accent
even after years of practice and despite high proficiency in all other
aspects of language function
2. Multicontextual Development
• Human development is fundamentally contextual

• Contextual –> Depended on or related to the circumstances

Social Context

Socioeconomic Common Ecological

Context Contexts Systems

Historical
Context
 Social Context

• Social context includes all the people who influence each

individual

• Humans are intensely social creatures, therefore, this is

an important context

• All of us experience several social contexts each day,

some by choice and some involuntarily, and they affect
our later thoughts and actions
• Examples:
a. A university student might be persuaded to stop by a party instead of
heading to the library. The people — friends, acquaintances,
strangers — provide the immediate social context, which affects
whether the student will stay till 3 A.M. or leave soon after arriving.
On the following morning, the context of the party will affect the
student’s attention in class — another social context

b. A hard day at work might make a parent impatient with the children
— or a family conflict might spill over to work

• In the above examples, the effect is almost immediate

• However, much of development is affected by contexts over the long term

o Example: Childhood social play may affect adult work habits
 Ecological Systems

• Ecology –> The relationship between the organism and its

environment

• Ecological Systems Approach –> Each person is significantly

affected by interactions among a number of overlapping
environmental systems, which provide the context of
development

• Ecological Systems Approach theory was proposed by Urie

Bronfenbrenner
 (larger social setting influences)

(indirect
influences)

Five
Levels of
Ecological
Systems

(changes over time)

ACTIVITY

Identify the
Levels of
Ecological
Systems
Identify the five levels of ecological systems

A university student is persuaded to stop by a party instead of heading to

the library. His social circle (friends and classmates) will affect whether the
student will stay till 3 A.M. or leave soon after arriving. His decision of
staying or leaving early will then impact his academic performance in class
the next day.

Answer:

1. Microsystem: Student’s immediate social circle

2. Mesosystem: The party as it connects the microsystem and the exosystem
3. Exosystem: University’s culture (having a party)
4. Macrosystem: The national emphasis on higher education
5. Chronosystem: Every gathering reflects the changes over time – party
food, dresses, themes, all vary by year. Also, the fact that students attend
parties reflects the era
 Historical Context
• All people born within a few years of one another are called a
cohort

• Cohort –> A group defined by its members’ shared age

• Cohorts travel through life together, experiencing particular

cultural shifts, events, and technologies at the same ages

• Example:
o Imagine growing up before colour television or social
media – That cohort’s entire lives would be different from
those of the current generation
ACTIVITY

You vs Them
 Share any 03 things that totally
surprise you which you see children
10 years younger than you doing in
today’s world
 Socioeconomic Context

• Socioeconomic Status (SES) –> A person’s position in society as

determined by income, occupation, education, and place of residence

• Each person’s socioeconomic status, affects every stage of

development

• Some scholars believe that the socioeconomic context is even more

important than the historical context

• REMEMBER: SES is not solely about income – it also reflects education,

occupation, and neighbourhood
o The combination affects development much more than money alone
3. Multicultural Development
• In order to learn about “all kinds of people, everywhere, at
every age,” it is necessary to study people of many cultures

• Culture –> A system of shared beliefs, norms, behaviours, and

expectations that persist over time and guide social rules of
conduct

• Thus, culture is far more than food or clothes; it is a set of

ideas, beliefs, and patterns
o It affects how people think and act — what they value,
ignore, and punish
• Each group of people creates a culture, which means there are ethnic cultures,
national cultures, family cultures, college cultures, economic cultures, and so on

• Thus, everyone is multicultural and everyone sometimes experiences a clash

between their cultures

• Example:
“My mom was outside on the porch talking to my aunt. I decided to go outside; I
guess I was being nosey. While they were talking, I jumped into their conversation
which was very rude. When I realized what I did it was too late. My mother slapped
me in my face so hard that it took a couple of seconds to feel my face again”

o Do you think this person was being nosey or that her mother should not have
slapped her?
o Or do you think she was rude and that the mother should have responded less
harshly?

 Your answer reflects your culture

ACTIVITY

Your Family’s
Cultural Values
1. What is that one unique norm or tradition
that you have always seen in your family
which is not followed or heard of among your
friends?
o Could be an everyday norm such as not
having dinner alone or could be an age-old
family tradition that is strictly followed

2. Does it make sense to you?

o Why or why not?
4. Multidisciplinary Development
• Human development requires insights and information from many
scientists, past and present, in many disciplines

• To examine each aspect of human growth, development is often considered

in three domains

• Each domain is the focus of several academic disciplines

1. Biosocial • Biology; Neuroscience; Medicine

2. Cognitive • Psychology; Linguistics; Education

3. Psychosocial • Economics; Sociology; History

• Example:

o When the human genome was first mapped in 2003, some people
assumed that humans became whatever their genes destined them to
be — heroes, killers, or ordinary people

o However, multidisciplinary research quickly showed that this is not the

case

o While genes do affect every aspect of behaviour, nonetheless, even

twins, with identical genes, differ biologically, cognitively, and socially

• Thus, to understand any person, one must consider findings from many
disciplines: genetics, nutrition, psychology, sociology, education, etc. –
Overall, multidisciplinary research broadens and deepens our knowledge of
human development
Another Example
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Psychiatrists traced ASD to early mother–child relationships (cold, unaffectionate mothers)

A reversal came from biology, specifically genetics, that autism is genetic

Educators found that children “on the spectrum” can be taught language and social skills

Neuroscientists found signs of autism in the brain

Nutritionists suggested dietary changes

Medical doctors prescribed drugs; and so on

o We still do not know all the causes and treatments of ASD but we do know
that insights from many disciplines are needed
5. Plastic Development
• Plasticity –> The concept that suggests that different aspects of human
development such as abilities, personality, neurons, etc. are mouldable (as
plastic)

• Dynamic-Systems Approach –> Human development is an ongoing, ever-

changing interaction between the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial
influences – This approach recognizes that development is never static

• Example:
o To understand the role of fathers, take into account the gender and age
of the child, the role of the mother, and the cultural norms of
fatherhood
o The result is a complex mix of effects — and this dynamic mix affects
each child in diverse ways
 Process of
Development
 Quantitative vs Qualitative
Quantitative Development

• Change in quantity or amount; Change in number or measurement

• Example: Height; Vocabulary; Attention span; Memory capacity, etc.

Qualitative Development

• Early forms emerge into new forms that are different in kind; they have
different patterns and modes of functioning
• More difficult to measure because it is not necessarily more or less of
something, but different – changed
• Example: Ways of seeing, thinking, and feeling; Learning new skills (walking –>
running); Transforming from non-verbal to verbal communication;
Relationships becoming stronger/weaker; etc.
• Most important changes are qualitative and such changes do not need to be
sudden
• Both quantitative and qualitative development occurs
throughout an individual’s life-span

• The best way to test whether a change is qualitative or

quantitative is to determine how easily it can be
measured

• Parents who are fully involved and present for their

children can greatly stimulate their child’s development
(both qualitative and quantitative) through the ways they
engage with the child
 Continuous vs Discontinuous

Continuous Development
• Gradual and continuous improvement or addition in the
same skills over time

Discontinuous Development
• Changing rapidly as you move to a new level of
development then changing very little (or not at all) for a
while
 Nature vs Nurture

Nature
• Change gained organically; Inherited characteristics
• Example: Developing a particular skin tone; Height; etc.

Nurture
• Environmental and social influences
• Example: Providing social skills training to a shy child;
Healthy close relationships; Participating in extracurricular
activities; etc.
ACTIVITY

Who Are You?

Share 03 of your most prominent
personality characteristics

o Which of them would you link to nature

and which is due to nurture?
 Universal vs Diverse

Universal Development

• Changes that occur in almost everyone

• Example: Learning to walk and talk, etc.

Diverse Development

• Changes among individuals or between groups vary

• Example: Emotional, social, physical development
ACTIVITY

Personal
Development

To be submitted on LMS
1. As you were growing up, who influenced your
development the most?
o Consider your values; morals; personality;
career choices; relationships; lifestyle; etc.

2. Would you have preferred any changes in the

way your development was influenced?
o If yes, how?
ACTIVITY

Learning to
Develop…
Better!

https://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias_3_things_i_learned_while_my_plane_crashed
Questions and
Answers

Feedback & Key

Learnings