ATS2723 Lecture : Developmental Psychology Notes
Developmental Psychology
Week 1
Developmental Psychology: the scientific study of growth, change &
stability across the lifespan
• It is an interdisciplinary subject
o Biological processes
o Genetic endowment (a quality/ability inherited by someone)
o Cognitive development
o Physical growth
o Personality & social development
• Developmental domains
o Physical
o Cognitive
o Personality & social
• Development across domains are linked (e.g. brain maturation underpins
cognitive development
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2
• Developmental periods – age ranges
o Prenatal: conception – birth
o Neonatal period: first 4 weeks
o Perinatal period: 22 weeks – 7 days
o Infancy & toddlerhood: birth – 3 years
o Preschool period: 3 – 6 years
o Middle childhood: 6 – 12 years
o Adolescence: 12 – 20 years
o Emerging adulthood: 19 – 25 years
o Young adulthood: 20 – 40 years
o Middle adulthood: 40 – 65 years
o Late adulthood: 65 – death
• Developmental periods – individual differences
o Individuals mature at different rates
o E.g. adolescence starts with the onset of puberty
▪ Biological processes result in physical maturity & reproductive
competence
▪ Hormonally driven – testosterone, Oestradiol, DHEA
▪ Sex steroids have been shown to impact brain development –
androgens & estrogens influences progressive & regressive
events in brain remodeling
▪ Chronological age & pubertal hormones have independent
influences on structural development of the brain during
adolescence
▪ E.g. development of working memory
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3
• Working memory capacity increases with age across
childhood
▪ Often when developmental clinicians & researchers talk about
age ranges we talk about averages
• E.g. times on average when adolescence starts, working
memory capacity & reaching milestones
▪ Variability becomes noteworthy when there is a considerable
deviation
• E.g. clinical neuropsychologist might track language
development
• E.g. research neuropsychologist might examine early
markers of language impairment
• Context of development
o Cohort
▪ Biological & environmental influences associated with a
specific time
▪ Cohort: a group of individuals born at around the same time
▪ Geographic cohort: a group of individuals born in the
sample place
o Socio-economic status
▪ Factors present at a particular time, depending on things like
ethnicity, social class, subcultural membership
o Culture & ethnicity
▪ Factors present at a particular time, depending on things like
ethnicity, social class, subcultural membership
o Sex
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